Based on the College of South Florida (USF), Dr. Yuqiang Bai from the Morsani School of Medication’s Ophthalmology division is main groundbreaking dry eye illness analysis, funded by a prestigious Nationwide Institute of Well being grant. To help this important work, USF IT’s 3D Print Lab, led by Lucas Tometich, is offering assist and experience by designing a device that’s getting used to check Dr. Bai’s laser scanner. Dr. Bai’s total purpose is to raised perceive and picture dry eye illness by measuring the thickness of tears on the cornea.
Dry eye illness impacts hundreds of thousands of individuals worldwide, inflicting discomfort and imaginative and prescient issues. To check this situation, Dr. Bai’s workforce must picture the curved floor of the cornea precisely. Conventional imaging techniques use flat requirements just like the 1951 USAF decision take a look at chart, however these will not be appropriate for the distinctive curvature of the cornea.
Tometich and his workforce addressed this problem with progressive 3D modeling and printing methods. Utilizing Autodesk Fusion, the workforce created a mannequin that mimics the curvature of the cornea.
“Primarily based on the necessities offered, I created a mannequin utilizing Autodesk Fusion. I carried out a number of checks to find out the optimum orientation and post-processing workflow, making certain we obtain the clearest outcomes with clear photopolymer resin. We’ve made a number of changes this week and delivered three extra items for testing with the scanner,” stated Tometich.
This collaboration highlights the essential function of IT in advancing medical analysis. By offering a normal pattern that precisely represents the cornea’s curvature, this work allows Dr. Bai’s workforce to proceed with their imaging system. This technique will present extra detailed details about dry eye illness, probably main to raised remedies and improved affected person outcomes.
“We wanted a mannequin that mimics the curvature of the cornea’s floor to display the feasibility of our imaging system. Till we had one, we weren’t capable of proceed with our analysis,” stated Dr. Bai.
The 3D Print Lab is a part of the College of South Florida’s IT Superior Visualization Heart (AVC). The AVC helps college students, college, and researchers with superior applied sciences by offering growth, coaching, and implementation for programs and analysis.
