Simulation and Analysis of the Impact of Eye Morphology on Iris Recognition

Eye morphology refers to the biological structure of the human eye. This includes the cornea, aqueous humor, limbus, lens, and iris surface in the anterior portion of the eye. With regards to iris recognition, pupil dilation has been known to affect algorithm performance. This work examines the impacts of other morphological factors such as the three-dimensional shape of the iris surface, corneal refraction, and subtle changes induced by changes of visual focus. Because of the difficulty in obtaining data to measure such factors, a model of the eye is used to create data sets varying each factor. An examination of relevant eye anatomy is presented along with visualizations of iris texture distortions caused by various morphological factors. A detailed examination is made with regard to changing iris shape separate from pupil dilation, corneal refraction, and difficulties in recognition caused by non-planar irises. Finally, work into correcting for corneal refraction effects is presented.