This document applies to rigid endoscopes designed for use in the practice of medicine. Endoscopes having a fibre-optic or opto-electronic imaging system are excluded. It specifies a test method for determining the optical resolution of endoscopes.

This document provides a measurement method for characterizing three aspects of the optical resolution of a rigid endoscope. Characteristic A is used to provide a simple measurement of the limiting resolution of the endoscope image. Characteristic B provides a measurement of low spatial frequency resolution and characterizes the sharpness, or contrast, of the endoscope image. Characteristic C provides a measurement of the spatial frequency response of the endoscope image.