Automated Image Analysis of Posterior Capsule Opacification (FWF Project P14269-MED)

Posterior Capsule Opacification (PCO), or secondary cataract, is the most common long-term complication of modern extracapsular cataract surgery. Automated quantification of PCO is mandatory for objective assessment, which is the basis for future improvements in lens materials, operation techniques, and post-operative treatment. The main goals of the project, which is a collaboration of EMT and the Vienna Eye Clinic at the General Hospital in Vienna, are: * To develop a procedure to capture digital retroillumination images which allow the application of fully automated grading * To develop new image analysis algorithms for 1. Elimination of reflections using image fusion, 2. Segmentation of PCO areas based on texture analysis * To develop an automated recognition and tracing software to define the region of interest * To assess the correlation of automated, objective PCO grading 1. With subjective scoring by experienced examiners, 2. Within concentric areas around the visual axis.