Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41694690›Full record

ArticleJournal of biomedical optics2026

Polarizer-assisted pupillometry through closed eyelids, overcoming pupil position dependence.

Michal Tepper, Omer Ben Barak-Dror, David Haggiag, Israel Gannot, Yuval Nir

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of biomedical optics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Michal TepperTel Aviv University, School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Omer Ben Barak-DrorTel Aviv University, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel.
David HaggiagTel Aviv University, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Israel GannotTel Aviv University, School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv, Israel.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3155-1908
Yuval NirTel Aviv University, School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv, Israel.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5433-6349

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Significance: Accurate monitoring of pupil size and gaze direction is critical in clinical and research contexts; however, current pupillometry methods require open eyes, limiting their use in patients under anesthesia, sedation, or sleep. Short-wave infrared (SWIR) imaging enables noninvasive closed-eye pupillometry, but challenges remain due to eyelid glare, gaze variability, and low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Aim: We aimed to enhance closed-eye pupillometry by integrating polarization filters into the SWIR imaging system and developing improved algorithms for pupil localization and gaze direction estimation under natural closed-eye conditions. Approach: Experiments were conducted on healthy volunteers using SWIR imaging with different polarizer configurations (parallel, partially crossed, crossed, and no polarizers). Pupillary light reflexes (PLR) were recorded under open- and closed-eye conditions with both forward fixation and varying gaze directions. Image analysis incorporated brightness difference imaging and statistical modeling to evaluate maximal brightness change and SNR. Results: In open-eye settings, parallel polarizers produced the strongest PLR signal, but in closed-eye conditions, crossed polarizers significantly improved image quality by suppressing eyelid glare. The crossed configuration yielded the highest PLR brightness change and SNR compared with parallel or no polarizers, enabling reliable pupil localization across multiple gaze directions. Improved algorithms allowed robust PLR detection even under natural eyelid closure and variable gaze positions. Conclusions: Integrating crossed polarizers into SWIR-based pupillometry substantially enhances signal fidelity and pupil localization through closed eyelids. This approach overcomes major limitations of previous methods and enables accurate, touchless pupillometry in clinically relevant conditions. These advances pave the way for applications in anesthesiology, sleep medicine, and neurocritical care.

Indexed as

Diagnostic Techniques, OphthalmologicalEyelidsImage Processing, Computer-AssistedPupilAdultAlgorithmsFemaleFixation, OcularHumansMaleReflex, PupillarySignal-To-Noise RatioYoung Adultoptical imagingpolarizationpupillometrysedationsleep

Identifiers

PMID41694690
PMCPMC12900575

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.