A group of researchers at Stanford University have developed a new way to monitor glaucoma, one of the leading causes of blindness in the world, using a tiny device that is implanted into the eye. The device collects information on a person’s eye and sends it to their smartphone so that they can easily monitor their health.
Glaucoma is a group of eye disease in which there is progressive damage to the optic nerve which connects the retina to the brain. Damage to this nerve causes the person to lose peripheral vision. The reason glaucoma is so dangerous is that it is asymptomatic. Many people aren’t even aware that they’re losing peripheral vision. By the time the disease has progressed to the point where its effects are noticeable, it’s too late. The condition is irreversible.
Thus disease, which mostly affects the elderly, has claimed more than 65 million people across the globe. The good news is that there are ways to detect glaucoma that are outside human perception. One of the most common symptoms of the disease is an abnormally high amount of pressure in the eye. Using the right technology, a person who is affected by glaucoma can be quickly diagnosed before noticeable damage has been done by looking for these symptoms.
This is what Stanford’s new device does. The tiny sensor, which is only a few millimeters wide, is embedded into synthetic lenses. These lenses are generally used to replace the natural lenses that people with cataracts have. The sensor is able to detect abnormalities in the eye that tend to accompany glaucoma, and sends that information to the patient, allowing them to constantly monitor their eyes for signs of glaucoma.
Read more about the story at Fortune.
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