Sensor measures eye pressure for improved glaucoma control

According to the university, the sensor would be embedded with an artificial lens during cataract surgery and would detect pressure changes instantaneously, then transmit the data wirelessly using radio frequency waves.

The researchers recently published their results in the Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering and filed patents on an initial prototype of the pressure-monitoring device.

‘No one has ever put electronics inside the lens of the eye, so this is a little more radical,’ said Karl Böhringer, a UW professor of electrical engineering and of bioengineering. ‘We have shown this is possible in principle. If you can fit this sensor device into an intraocular lens implant during cataract surgery, it won’t require any further surgery for patients.’

The research team wanted to find an easy way to measure eye pressure for management of glaucoma, a group of diseases that damage the eye’s optic nerve and can cause blindness. There are currently two ways to check eye pressure, but both require a visit to the ophthalmologist. At most, patients at risk for glaucoma may only get their pressure checked several times a year, said Tueng Shen, a collaborator and UW professor of ophthalmology.