Abstract

A novel application of digital image enhancement and restoration techniques has allowed us to detect structural changes in fundus photographs (i.e., photographs of the retina as viewed through the pupil of the eye). The visualization of the structural changes in the nerve fiber layers in the retina has been obtained by a combination of edge detection and point-to-point mapping procedures. Such a combination of optimized edge detectors has significant application in quantitative evaluation of early textural changes in the retina caused by degeneration of nerve fibers. In ocular diseases such as glaucoma, early detection of nerve fiber layer defects is a significant step forward over the existing diagnostic aids. Application of various texture models and minimum error thresholding procedures is considered for further improvement of local textural analysis of the fundus photographs.

© 1985 Optical Society of America