Retinal scan
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A retinal scan is a biometric technique that uses the unique patterns on a person's retina to identify them.
The human retina is stable from birth to death, making it the most accurate biometric to measure. It has been possible to take a retina scan since the 1930s, when research suggested that each individual had unique retina patterns. The research was validated and we know that the blood vessels at the back of the eye have a unique pattern, from eye to eye and person to person. A retinal scan involves the use of a low-intensity light source and coupler that are used to read the blood vessel patterns, producing very accurate biometric data. It has the highest crossover accuracy of any of the biometric collectors, estimated to be in the order of 1:10,000,000.
Development of the technology has taken longer than expected and for many years the process of taking a retinal scan was measured in tens of seconds. New technology is capable of capturing a retinal scan in less than 1 second.
Some biometric identifiers, like fingerprints, can be fooled. This is not the case with a retina scan. The retina of a deceased person quickly decays and cannot be used to deceive a retinal scan. It is for this reason that retina scan technology is used for high end access control security applications.
As of 2006, some parts of the American Department of Energy were using retinal scanners for identification purposes.
