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Glaucoma Testing Through The Eyelid

f34gdfg.jpgIntraocular pressure is usually measured by applying a force on the cornea using a tonometer. Although sufficiently accurate, tonometers are only used in ophthalmologist offices and so don’t measure intra-day pressures. They also fail with people post cataract surgery that have a thicker cornea. Researchers at University of Arizona have developed a new device that measures intraocular pressure through the eyelid.

From the University of Arizona College of Engineering:

The self-test instrument has been designed in Eniko Enikov’s lab at the UA College of Engineering. Gone are the eye drops and need for a sterilized sensor. In their place is an easy-to-use probe that gently rubs the eyelid and can be used at home.

“You simply close your eye and rub the eyelid like you might casually rub your eye,” said Enikov, a professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering. “The instrument detects the stiffness and, therefore, infers the intraocular pressure.” Enikov also heads the Advanced Micro and Nanosystems Laboratory.

While the probe is simple to use, the technology behind it is complex, involving a system of micro-force sensors, specially designed microchips, and math-based procedures programmed into its memory.

Link: New Glaucoma Test Allows Earlier, More Accurate Detection…

*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*

Should Halloween Contact Lenses Be Prescription-Only?

That depends on if you can afford to get them.  Costume lenses are all the rage for Halloween by adding an exciting dimension to the costume wearer.   But did you know it’s illegal to market them as over the counter?

Many consumers do not realize that they are FDA- regulated medical devices, and that recent legislation has made it illegal to market them as over-the-counter products. Still, they are commonly available in costume shops, beauty shops, convenience stores, novelty shops, and other places that people shop for Halloween items, as well as over the Internet.

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*This blog post was originally published at A Happy Hospitalist*

Cornea Transplant Lasts 123 Years

A fascinating story from Reuters (h/t Dr. Wes):

Bernt Aune’s transplanted cornea has been in use for a record 123 years — since before the Eiffel Tower was built.

“This is the oldest eye in Norway — I don’t know if it’s the oldest in the world,” Aune, an 80-year-old Norwegian and former ambulance driver, told Reuters by telephone on Thursday. “But my vision’s not great any longer.”


He had a cornea transplanted into his right eye in 1958 from the body of an elderly man who was born in June 1885. The operation was carried out at Namsos Hospital, mid-Norway.


“I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the oldest living organ in the world,” eye doctor Hasan Hasanain at Namsos hospital told the Norwegian daily Verdens Gang.


In the 1950s, doctors expected it to work for just five years, Hasanain said. Such cornea operations date back to the early 20th century and were among the first successful transplants.

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