Method and device for detection and assessment of marijuana impairment

1. A method of identifying individuals impaired by a psychoactive substance other than alcohol, the method comprising:

presenting monocularly to a subject being tested; to each eye separately, a sinusoidal grating pattern of fixed spatial frequency with achromatic contrast or color contrast between grating stripes, the achromatic contrast or the color contrast between the grating stripes being temporally alternately modulated at a temporal frequency that ranges between 10 Hz and 60 Hz with a pattern of the contrast being such that the subject being tested can see a frequency doubling in the grating pattern thereby evaluating retinal function;

decreasing the contrast of the grating pattern presented until a first contrast ratio/value is reached wherein the frequency doubling in the grating pattern is no longer reported as being seen by the test subject;

further decreasing the contrast of the grating pattern until a second contrast ratio/value is below the test subject's threshold of detection of the second contrast ratio/value;

increasing the contrast of the grating pattern until a third contrast ratio/value is reached where the frequency doubling in the grating pattern is first detectable;

comparing the first contrast ratio/value and the third contrast ratio/value to a range of expected values of a normal population who have not consumed the psychoactive substance and have no pathology impacting retinal visual functions tested;

if the first contrast ratio/value and the third contrast ratio/value are within the range of expected values, then indicating that the test subject is not impaired; and

if the first contrast ratio/value and the third contrast ratio/value are not within the range of expected values then indicating that the test subject is impaired.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising varying the first contrast ratio/value identified and varying the temporally alternate modulation in a range from 10 Hz to 60 Hz and determining a frequency doubling value when the frequency doubling in the sinusoidal grating pattern is first detectable by the test subject.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising varying the third contrast ratio/value identified and varying the temporally alternate modulation in a range from 10 Hz to 60 Hz and determining a frequency doubling value when the frequency doubling in the grating pattern is first detectable by the test subject.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising comparing the frequency doubling temporal value values identified to the contrast ratio values combined with temporal values in the modulation (alterations) and comparing the frequency doubling temporal values to the temporal values of a normal population who have not consumed the psychoactive substance and have no pathology effecting the retinal visual functions tested.

5. The method as claimed in claim 3 , further comprising comparing the frequency doubling temporal value values identified to the contrast ratio values combined with temporal values in the modulation (alterations) and comparing them to the temporal values of a normal population who have not consumed cannabis and have no pathology effecting the functions tested.

6. The method as claimed in claimed in claim 1 , further comprising determining a threshold by a procedure based on Bayesian statistics including Zippy Estimation of Sequential Testing (ZEST).

7. The method as claimed in claimed in claim 1 , further comprising presenting the sinusoidal grating pattern achromatically.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising presenting the sinusoidal grating pattern chromatically with alternate stripes being in complementary colors.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the complementary colors comprise yellow and blue.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the complementary colors are matched in luminence.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the sinusoidal grating pattern is presented on a yellow background.

12. The method as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising temporally alternately modulating the contrast between grating stripes by varying a saturation of the stripes.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising holding the spatial frequency and the temporal frequency fixed while varying a contrast or a saturation.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising using a vehicle ignition interlock wherein if the test subject is found to be impaired the vehicle ignition interlock prevents operation of a motor vehicle.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14 , further comprising obtaining biometric recognition wherein a user driving the vehicle is identified to be the test subject who took the test.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising presenting the sinusoidal grating patterns at an oblique angle to an ocular meridian.

17. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising presenting the sinusoidal grating patterns at a parallel or perpendicular to an ocular meridian.

18. A device for identifying individuals impaired by a psychoactive substance other than alcohol, the device comprising:

a display on which images are displayed monocularly to a subject being tested; to each eye separately, the display presenting a sinusoidal grating pattern of fixed spatial frequency with contrast between the grating stripes being temporally alternately modulated at a temporal frequency that ranges between 10 Hz and 60 Hz with a pattern of the contrast being such that the subject being tested can see a frequency doubling in the grating pattern thereby evaluating retinal function;

the display being coupled to a processor that is programmed with an algorithm by which an operator can control the display to present the following procedure:

decreasing the contrast of the grating pattern presented until a first contrast ratio/value is reached wherein the frequency doubling in the grating pattern is no longer reported as being seen by the test subject;

further decreasing the contrast of the grating pattern until a second contrast ratio/value is below the test subject's threshold of detection of the second contrast ratio/value;

increasing the contrast of the grating pattern until a third contrast ratio/value is reached where the frequency doubling in the grating pattern is first detectable;

comparing the first contrast ratio/value and the third contrast ratio/value to a range of expected values of a normal population who have not consumed the psychoactive substance and have no pathology impacting the retinal visual functions tested;

if the first contrast ratio/value and the third contrast ratio/value are within the range of expected values, then indicating that the test subject is not impaired; and

if the first contrast ratio/value and the third contrast ratio/value are not within the range of expected values then indicating that the test subject is impaired.

19. The device as claimed in claim 18 , further comprising a vehicle ignition interlock wherein if the test subject is found to be impaired the vehicle ignition interlock prevents operation of a motor vehicle.

20. The device as claimed in claim 18 , further comprising biometric recognition wherein a user driving the vehicle is identified to be the test subject who took the test.