Research of Postmortem-interval Estimation Based on Corneal Images: the Application Progress of Computer Vision

Routine external examination of dead body can provide information to estimate the postmortem interval (PMI) roughly by observing postmortem phenomena in situ such as corneal opacity. With the development of computer vision, these traditional direct observation methods have developed with more objective, accurate, standardized, and convenient approaches. By reviewing the relevant literature published in recent years, this article summarized the application and improvement of PMI estimation based on corneal images, from aspects of observing or detecting indicators, equipment, evolving data processing methods, models, etc., in order to show application and research progress of computer vision technology applied in the field of forensic medicine. It introduced the main animal model research and human cadaver research, focused on several parts such as research materials, methods and results, and provided some comparative analysis. Then it extracted out several key points including the influence of eyelid opening or closing, the effect of light source, the interference of diseases and injuries, the selection of regions of interest in images, and the understanding of data processing methods, etc. Lastly, several advice were put forward to make a better understanding of the future development trend which may offer reference and ideas to colleagues.