Abstract: It is the object of a method and apparatus for retinal vessel analysis based on digital images to enhance the ability to discriminate between healthy vessel states and at-risk vessel states while reducing manual effort and saving time in order to allow individual vascular risk, particularly stroke risk, to be determined in a more reliable manner and with fewer subjective systematic and random errors. The vessel segment diameter, type of vessel and the image coordinates are determined for a series of adjoining vessel segments along vessel portions in a measurement zone surrounding the papilla and are stored by vessel segment with reference to the evaluated image, to a reference image recorded with a time offset, and to a displacement vector that is determined for the vessel segment between the reference image and an evaluated comparison image. Comparison measurements are carried out only on identical vessel segments already measured in the reference image.

Abstract: It is the object of a method for measuring the vessel diameter of optically accessible blood vessels to measure vessel diameters of optically accessible blood vessels in a simple manner based on digital images and with high accuracy even when the vessel diameter is on an order of magnitude at which the determination of the diameter by image point counting is associated with an unacceptably high error. According to the invention, the vessel diameter is determined photometrically from the logarithmized ratio of the intensities of the reflection of the vessel-free environment of the blood vessel and of the reflection of the blood vessel, which intensities are determined in a first monochromatic image.

Abstract: The object of an apparatus and a method for the analysis of retinal vessels is to improve the reproducibility of individually determined artery-to-vein ratios and to reduce the measurement uncertainty in determining the artery-to-vein ratio in order to substantially increase the individual validity of the determined values for vessel diagnosis. At least two images are recorded successively as an image sequence in a predetermined timed sequence adapted to the vasomotricity of the vessels and are evaluated such that a mean artery-to-vein ratio is formed from artery-to-vein ratios that are determined on the basis of the at least two images.

Abstract: The invention relates to an illumination system comprising at least one beam path with means for simultaneously illuminating the test object within at least one reference wavelength range and at least one data wavelength range, each of which is coordinated with one respective color channel of an imaging recording system. The at least one data wavelength range is used for detecting a medically relevant piece of information while the at least one reference wavelength range is at least nearly invariant in relation to said medically relevant piece of information. The inventive method combines the image values of evaluation windows or individual pixels of simultaneously recorded images into secondary images and image sequences while generating location-resolved dynamic characteristic values which are combined into function images.

Abstract: A universal ophthalmic examination device and an ophthalmic examination method have the object of combining in an inexpensive apparatus in a simple manner the device-related requirements for image generation, measurement and functional imaging for carrying out visual stimulation and highly time-resolved and highly spatially resolved image documentation using continuous illumination and flash mode and the requirements for measurements in the infrared spectral region and visible spectral region with a time regime that can be freely selected to a great extent.