Automatic Measurement and Comparison of Normal Eyelid Contour by Age and Gender Using Image-Based Deep Learning

Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to propose a fully automatic eyelid measurement system and compare the contours of both the upper and lower eyelids of normal individuals according to age and gender.

Design

Prospective study.

Participants

Five hundred and forty healthy Chinese aged 0 to 79 years in a tertiary hospital were included.

Methods

Facial images in the primary gazing position were used to train and test the proposed automatic system for eye recognition and eye segmentation. According to the 10-millimeter diameter circular marker, measurements were transformed from pixel sizes into factual distances.

Main Outcome Measures

Midpupil lid distances (MPLDs) every 15° of all participants were automatically measured in both genders (30 males and 30 females in each age group) by the proposed deep learning (DL)-based system. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were performed to assess the agreement between the automatic and manual margin reflex distances (MRDs). The eyelid contour, eyelid asymmetry, and palpebral fissure obliquity were analyzed using MPLD, temporal-versus-nasal MPLD ratio, and the angle between the inner and outer canthi, respectively.

Results

The measurement of MRDs by the automatic system excellently agreed with that of the expert, with ICCs ranging from 0.863 to 0.886. As the age of the participants increased, the values of MPLDs reached a peak in those in their 20s or 30s and then gradually decreased at all angles. The temporal sector showed greater changes in MPLDs than the nasal sector, and the changes were more significant in females than in males. The maximum value of palpebral fissure obliquity appeared before 10 years in both genders and remained relatively stable after the 20s (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

The proposed DL-based eyelid analysis system allowed automatic, accurate, and comprehensive measurement of the eyelid contour. The refinement of eyelid shape quantification could be beneficial for future objective assessment preocular and postocular plastic surgery.

Financial Disclosure(s)

The authors have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.