Automatization of electro-oculographic examination

The invention is especially related to a method for performing an electro-oculographic (EOG) examination of the eyes. Alternating optical signals are produced (34, 36) for the stimulation of the eye movement and those changes in the bioelectric potentials are observed (12), which changes are caused by the eye movements corresponding to said optical signals, for the establishment of sample signals. Noise signals are filtered (22) off by forming a moving average from successive sample signal portions, defining from said average signals the potential leaps or transitions in the biopotential signals, which transitions are caused by said eye movements, and calculating (24) values corresponding to said transitions. Possible distorted values are removed from the set of said values and finally the EOG ratio is defined on the basis of values selected from the remaining set of values.
More generally the invention relates to a method for determining, from a sample signal comprising potential leaps and spurious noise, a reference value for a potential leap. From the analogue sample signal a digital signal succession is formed from the successive signal portions of which moving averages are calculated. An approximate potential leap point is obtained from said average signals by windowing at an area where a transition is supposed to exist.
The invention further relates to an apparatus for the realization of an EOG examination in accordance with a method disclosed above.