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Anterior uveitis may cause iris recognition software to fail
J R Soc Interface. 2009;6(34):489-493.
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Current biometric identification systems employing iris scan technology may fail in the presence of anterior uveitis.
Previous studies have suggested that cataract surgery can, in some cases, limit the effectiveness of iris scanning. However, anterior uveitis, because of its variable and unpredictable onset, may have a greater impact.
In an analysis of 54 patients being treated at an eye hospital in Scotland, researchers noted that iris scanning cameras were "remarkably resistant to patients having a wide range of eye disease. However, patients with uveitis could pose a problem to iris recognition technologies particularly if they develop synechiae or require pharmacological dilation."
In all, five patients being treated for anterior uveitis were not identified by an iris scan camera after initially being recognized. However, iris scanning failure was variable in the study, as 24 patients total were being treated for anterior uveitis.
Hailed for its potential security applications, systems that can identify an individual's identity based on a computerized scan of the iris have already been implemented by government agencies around the world, including in the United Arab Emirates in Homeland Security Border Control; Schiphol Airport, the Netherlands; and Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom. Proponents of iris scanning point out that it is less likely than fingerprint analysis to produce a false match.