Abstract: A device and method for comparing and correlating two or more portions of similar or disparate test data allows a doctor or technician to easily diagnose and/or treat a condition or defect. A device or method embodying the invention can be used for diagnosing vision disorders by correlating visual sensitivity or acuity data to images or data corresponding to biological structures responsible for vision. Such a method allows a doctor to easily identify defects or conditions of a biological structure that causes a loss of vision. In one embodiment of the invention, optical sensitivity data and biological structure data may be stored in multiple data layers, and the data layers can be compared to one another to identify pattern matches between data layers. Similar methods can be used to compare and correlate any two or more types of similar or disparate types of test data. Also, combined presentations of two portions of data can be used to selectively apply treatment to a target tissue.

Abstract: A system and method for determining a duration that a patient has been experiencing a medical condition compares characteristics of fluorescent emissions from a target tissue to expected characteristics. In a system and method embodying the invention, a target tissue is illuminated with excitation light, and fluorescent emissions generated by the target tissue in response to the excitation light are detected. Different characteristics of the fluorescent emissions, including the fluorescent emission intensity or the fluorescent lifetime may be determined. The determined characteristics of the detected fluorescent emissions are then compared to expected characteristics of the fluorescent emissions. The amount that the detected fluorescent characteristics deviate from the expected fluorescent characteristics is used to determine a duration that a patient has been experiencing a medical condition. In some instances, the backscattered portions of the excitation light may also be used to make the determination.

Abstract: A device and method for comparing and correlating two or more disparate types of test data allows a doctor or technician to easily diagnose a condition or defect. A device or method embodying the invention can be used for diagnosing vision disorders by correlating visual sensitivity or acuity data to images or data corresponding to biological structures responsible for vision. Such a method allows a doctor to easily identify defects or conditions of a biological structure that causes a loss of vision. For instance, perimetry data which is indicative of visual sensitivity may be superimposed onto a fundus image of an eye to create a combined presentation of the data. In the combined presentation, the perimetry data overlies corresponding physical structures shown in the fundus image that give rise to the indicated optical sensitivities. The biological structure data may include an image of an eye, or an image of an optic nerve or a portion a brain responsible for processing optical data.