The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the marketing of a one-time use contact lens device that will help medical practitioners determine the best time of day to measure a patient’s intraocular pressure.
According to a press release issued by the FDA, the newly approved device incorporates an embedded sensor that detects small changes or fluctuations in an eye’s volume, and wirelessly transmits data about those changes to an adhesive antenna worn around the eye. The data is then recorded by a portable data recorder and then transferred via Bluetooth to a clinician’s computer for further analysis.
Intraocular pressure is often associated with optic nerve damage that is characteristic of glaucoma, a leading cause of vision loss that affects an estimated 3 million Americans. However, because intraocular pressure fluctuates throughout the day, the condition is sometimes difficult to identify during an eye exam conducted by a medical professional. The device facilitates the tracking of eye pressure over a maximum 24 hour period, enabling a more timely diagnosis of potential problems.
