Micro sensor to detect glaucoma before attack

Washington: A team of doctors at the University of Washington is developing a small, wireless sensor that can be attached to a lens and implanted in the eye to help detect glaucoma.

Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness, affecting some 60 million people worldwide. It is highly treatable, provided it is detected early.

The sensor can send data to clinicians in real time.

The disease occurs once fluid pressure inside the eye rises, choking the optic nerve and causing irreparable damage.

To detect this often sudden shift, the sensor on the lens would continually monitor fluid pressure inside the eye.

A micro-chip, also located on the lens, would convert pressure data into a radio-frequency signal and send data to an external receiver.

The new sensor is slated for clinical trials in early 2015.

This study appeared in the journal Popular Science.