A new platinum and titanium sensor in contact lenses is being used to monitor the development of glaucoma, an eye disease caused by the build-up of pressure within the eyeball that gradually damages the optic nerve.

Management of the condition, which affects 65 million people globally, is based on a single measurement of intraocular pressure (IOP), though there is no cure, Virtual Medical Centre reports.

Dr Kaweh Mansouri from the Hamilton Glaucoma Center at the University of California San Diego explained that a new platinum and titanium sensor in contact lenses is helping to monitor IOP, which can mean doctors have a better chance of slowing the progression of the condition.

"We now have a way to continuously monitor IOP during a 24-hour period, on an out-patient basis, at-home, and while the patient is going about their normal routine," he said.

"The information we gained from this monitoring resulted in a more personalised treatment plan for these patients."

Dr Mansouri's findings were originally published online in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

Earlier this year, US company Second Sight successfully used an artificial retina made from platinum and silicon to restore the vision of a British man who had been blind and reliant on a guide dog for 20 years.

Source:

Glaucoma risk measured with advanced contact lens (25/03/11)

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