| 摘要 |
A noninvasive method for detecting the presence of diabetes mellitus and for monitoring physical changes caused by that disease is disclosed. In performing the method, a beam of light from a low powered laser is directed at a clear site in the lens of a patient's in vivo eye. The variations in intensity of the light back-scattered from the site are utilized to derive a measurement of the diffusion coefficient. Alternatively, or in addition to taking measurements from the lens, measurements may be taken from the conjunctiva, the cornea, or the retina of the vivo eye. It has been found that the diffusion coefficient decreases more rapidly versus age in persons having diabetes mellitus than in nondiabetic persons of comparable age. By relating the variations in intensity of back-scattered light with the patient's age and by comparison with corresponding measurements taken from nondiabetic persons of comparable age, the presence of diabetes mellitus can be determined. Measurement of the back-scattered light also permits the amount of damage caused by that disease and the efficacy of treatment to be assessed.
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