2015 Award Winners
Award-winning project: LUVIS – Standardized conditions for testing contrast vision
Project partners: VISUS GmbH, Herrenberg | Steinbeis Transfer Center eyetrial at the Department of Ophthalmology, Tübingen
The assessment of contrast sensitivity using contrast charts – specialised visual acuity charts with graduated contrast levels – is important in the day-to-day clinical practice of ophthalmology, in the assessment of fitness to drive, and in clinical trials evaluating new treatments for eye diseases.
At the start of the project, the difficulty lay in the fact that it was not possible to establish standardised conditions for the illumination of contrast charts. The project team at the Steinbeis Transfer Centre ‘eyetrial’ within the Department of Ophthalmology at Tübingen University Hospital found in their investigations that, with standard room lighting – regardless of type – it is not possible to achieve uniform illumination of a contrast chart. The luminance conditions for testing photopic contrast sensitivity are governed by DIN EN ISO 8596; however, this standard could not be met in either road safety examinations or pharmaceutical trials. Following consultations with experts in traffic ophthalmology, the team explored a technical solution and decided to develop the LUVIS lighting system.
To further coordinate efforts and develop a marketing strategy, the Steinbeis team established early contacts with companies that supply occupational health practitioners, ophthalmologists and pharmaceutical firms with measuring equipment. This led to a successful collaboration with VISUS GmbH in Herrenberg, a supplier of products for vision testing and visual training. The first LUVIS prototype was produced in the same year, before the device went into series production a year later. LUVIS guarantees standard-compliant illumination of reflected-light test charts for photopic contrast and visual acuity testing, ensuring accurate absolute measurements and uniform luminance across the surface. It thus ensures fair and consistent testing conditions for all drivers. In patient studies for new therapeutic developments, LUVIS also ensures consistent measurement conditions across all international study sites. There was no competing product on the market either at the start of the project or at present.
A further area of future collaboration between the Steinbeis enterprise and VISUS lies in the miniaturisation of illumination frames and contrast charts, as small and portable devices are of great benefit, particularly in occupational medicine. Both project partners are being awarded the Steinbeis Foundation’s Transfer Prize – the Löhn Prize – in recognition of this successful collaboration.