“Smart” Contacts May Someday Test for and Treat Glaucoma

Scientists have designed and tested a pressure-sensing contact lens that will, in the future, allow glaucoma patients to monitor their eye pressure at home, providing more detailed and continuous information in order to improve management of the disease. The sensors in the "smart" lenses work similarly to those in bank ATM screens or iPhones, converting pressure into an electronic signal that can be wirelessly transmitted to a computer. Plans are for the lenses to eventually dispense medication in response to a detected need. The "smart" contacts will not, however, replace visits to an eye doctor's office where those at risk for glaucoma or undergoing treatment must still have the optic nerve examined for signs of disease progression.

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March 11, 2009