Diagnosis: Color

Glaucoma could be considered a “silent assassin” – it displays almost no early warning signs, and if it isn’t detected early, it quietly inflicts irreparable damage to the optic nerve over many years. By the time it’s noticed, all that can be done is to try to maintain what vision remains. The key to success is catching the disease as early as possible, and intervening before irreversible damage occurs. A team at Florida International University (FIU) has come forward with a potential solution – an intraocular device that monitors IOP and changes color with eye pressure.

Their low-cost device is comprised of flexible gel and elastomer layers supported by a rigid base with fixed patterns that functions as a reference line system. “The basic concept is that the elastic system is like a balloon – as it expands, it stretches the membrane across the reference line system, and this changes the color pattern,” explains Sitharama Iyengar, one of the co-inventors. It requires no batteries or power supply, and the team intend their device to be surgically implanted between the cornea and iris. “Our aim is for it to be observable in users’ eyes, which will help patients monitor their IOP without needing to visit an ophthalmologist,” says Iyengar.

Their device is intended for use in people who are at a high-risk of developing glaucoma, such as those with diabetes and hypertension, and it’s hoped that it will be useful for patients in rural communities and developing countries. “We anticipate that ophthalmologists would travel to potential rural areas to diagnose at-risk patients and implant the device within a sterile, mobile medical environment,” says Iyengar. He adds, “We want it to be ‘self-diagnosing’ from this point for at least two years, upon which time the medical team could return to these outlying areas.”

The team are still at the design stage. “We are currently exploring investment opportunities to enable us to produce the device and complete the required clinical analysis,” Iyengar says, acknowledging that “there are optimization issues that must be addressed to minimize the potential for related irritation and corneal issues.”