gms | German Medical Science

Objective: To show the similarities and dissimilarities of HDR to human visual perception, and to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of HDR imaging for achieving optical data for prosthetic vision.

Materials and Methods: The two ways of HDR imaging to achieve high daynamic range, the human visual perception due to Yarbus, the comparison of human visual perception with machine vision, the lack of eye movements for vision enhanching in extraocular sensors for prosthetic vision are discussed.

Results: The HDR imaging is more close to human visual perception than traditional gigital imaging. Similarities with human visual perception allow the HDR images to be used as basic data for electrical transmission to retina. The disadvantages of HDR are the highly software dependent system and its transmission to the retina as greyscale with the state of art technology. Traditional imaging and HDR imaging have both sensitivity problems because the data of many megapixels in imaging are transmitted to a limited number of electrodes in retina. In addition to these the artificial sensors cannot change their sensitivity as much as the human retina.

Discussion: Using HDR technology results in images which are closer to human visual perception than traditional imaging. The knowledge of the techniques used in prosthetic vision by ophthalmologists may contribute to better understanding and further improvement of vision simulating techniques.

Acknowledgment: This work has no financial support from any institution.