Specially designed contact lenses may soon help optometrists and ophthalmologists monitor high eye pressure that can lead to vision loss from glaucoma.
That’s the conclusion of researchers in Spain who reported the development of a prototype pressure-monitoring lens at the 2010 annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) held this week in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The pressure-sensing gas permeable contact indirectly measures intraocular pressure (IOP) by detecting changes on the surface of the cornea caused by the internal eye pressure. It does so with an incorporated sensor consisting of a polycarbonate film nanostructured with an organic molecular conductor, according to the researchers.
The sensor is capable of detecting IOP changes of less than 1.0 mmHg, they say. (Normal IOP is generally considered to be in the range of 8 to 20 mmHg.)
Pressure readings can be obtained in real time and collected in a computerized record.
Currently, the prototype pressure-sensing contact lens only has been tested with non-living pig eyes, but the researchers say the device can effectively monitor IOP and has the potential to someday be used to assist eye doctors in glaucoma treatment.
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