Contact lens sensor may solve IOP accuracy dilemmas

Accurate assessment of IOP is vital in the effective management of glaucoma. However, although IOP is known to be a highly dynamic parameter, it is usually only assessed during clinical appointments using static tonometry techniques. As a result, the true diurnal and nocturnal IOP remains unknown.

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A 24-hour IOP contact lens sensor (CLS) has been developed to address this issue, however the practical use of the collected data now requires validation. As the CLS output is provided in relative units (corresponding to electrical units of voltage) and tonometry is provided in absolute mmHg units, a direct comparison between the two cannot be performed.

In addition, it is not possible to use tonometry simultaneously on the CLS-wearing eye. In an attempt to counteract this problem, researchers recently conducted a study, published in PLoS One, using the fellow eye as a comparator.

The overall purpose of the study was to assess the performance of the CLS for 24-hour monitoring of IOP-related short-term patterns and to compare with IOP measurements obtained by pneumatonometry.

Study parameters and methods

The prospective trial correlated CLS output with heart rate (the systemic parameter) and with the IOP measurements obtained via the pneumatonometer.

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