Autonomous Stabilization of Retinal Videos for Streamlining Assessment
  of Spontaneous Venous Pulsations
Hongwei Sheng Xin Yu Feiyu Wang MD Wahiduzzaman Khan Hexuan Weng Sahar Shariflou S. Mojtaba Golzan
Spontaneous retinal Venous Pulsations (SVP) are rhythmic changes in the
caliber of the central retinal vein and are observed in the optic disc region
(ODR) of the retina. Its absence is a critical indicator of various ocular or
neurological abnormalities. Recent advances in imaging technology have enabled
the development of portable smartphone-based devices for observing the retina
and assessment of SVPs. However, the quality of smartphone-based retinal videos
is often poor due to noise and image jitting, which in return, can severely
obstruct the observation of SVPs. In this work, we developed a fully automated
retinal video stabilization method that enables the examination of SVPs
captured by various mobile devices. Specifically, we first propose an ODR
Spatio-Temporal Localization (ODR-STL) module to localize visible ODR and
remove noisy and jittering frames. Then, we introduce a Noise-Aware Template
Matching (NATM) module to stabilize high-quality video segments at a fixed
position in the field of view. After the processing, the SVPs can be easily
observed in the stabilized videos, significantly facilitating user
observations. Furthermore, our method is cost-effective and has been tested in
both subjective and objective evaluations. Both of the evaluations support its
effectiveness in facilitating the observation of SVPs. This can improve the
timely diagnosis and treatment of associated diseases, making it a valuable
tool for eye health professionals.