Smartphones could be used to scan people’s eyes for early warning signs of glaucoma – helping prevent serious ocular and blind diseases, a new study reveals.
Some of the most common eye-related diseases are avoidable and have strong risk factors before they start, but it is much more difficult to identify a group of people at risk of glaucoma.
Glaucoma is associated with high levels of intraocular pressure (IOP) and a noninvasive noninvasive approach to monitoring a person’s IOP over an extended period of time would help to significantly increase their chances of maintaining their vision.
Sound waves would be used as a portable measurement method to detect growing values of IOP, encouraging early diagnosis and treatment.
Scientists at the University of Birmingham have successfully performed experiments using sound waves and an eye model, publishing their results in Engineering Reports.
Co-author Dr. Khamis Essa, Director of the Advanced Manufacturing Group at the University of Birmingham: “We have found a relationship between pressure within an object and its acoustic reflection coefficient. With further study of eye geometry and how this affects. operating with sound waves, it is possible to use a smartphone to accurately measure IOP from the comfort of the user ‘s home. “
Risk factors for other eye diseases are easier to assess – for example, in the case of diabetic retinopathy, people with diabetes are particularly at risk and are always checked for tiny bulges that improvement in the blood vessels of the eye.
The current ‘gold standard’ method for measuring IOP is applanation tonometry, where non-toxic coloring of the foot of the patient is applied to the patient’s eyes. Problems and measurement errors are associated with this method.
An independent risk feature of moderate corneal thickening glaucoma (CCT) is either by natural occurrence or by a common procedure such as laser eye surgery. Thin CCT causes low IOP readings when using applanation tonometry.
The only way to verify the reading is with a full eye examination – that is not possible in a moving position. Also, the equipment is too expensive for most to buy for a long-term home inspection.
IOP is a vital measure of healthy vision, defined as stress created by the continuous renewal of eye fluid.
Ocular hypertension is caused by an imbalance in the production and drainage of aqueous fluid – most common in older adults. Risk increases with age, which in turn increases the likelihood of an individual developing glaucoma.
Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve that is estimated to affect 79.6 million people worldwide and, if left untreated, can cause irreparable damage. In most cases, blindness can be prevented with proper control and treatment.