Handheld Eye Implant Alignment Using Visual Targets and Mirrors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for measuring intraocular pressure (IOP) are invasive, inconvenient, and lack the accuracy and frequency needed for effective glaucoma management, particularly in home settings.
Innovation Solution
A system and process for aligning a handheld measuring device with an intraocular implant using visual, audio, or haptic feedback, which involves passive or active alignment techniques, including the use of visual targets and mirrors to ensure proper angular and distance alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If contact tonometry is used to measure intraocular pressure, then measurement accuracy is improved, but patient comfort and convenience deteriorate due to numbing and invasive procedure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the cornea as an intermediary medium to transmit intraocular pressure information to an external sensor. Instead of directly measuring pressure inside the eye (invasive) or using complex external equipment (non-contact air puff), the system detects pressure-induced changes in corneal properties (curvature, thickness, or composition) that serve as a mediator between the internal pressure and external measurement, achieving both accuracy and comfort
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical contact tonometry system (which requires physical contact and numbing) with an optical or electromagnetic detection system that measures corneal properties. The external sensor detects changes in corneal curvature, thickness, or other optical properties that correlate with intraocular pressure, eliminating the need for mechanical contact and anesthesia while maintaining measurement accuracy
2Ease of operation
If noncontact tonometry with air puff is used, then patient comfort is improved, but measurement accuracy and device portability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses corneal optical properties (curvature, thickness, or composition) as an intermediary to indirectly measure intraocular pressure. Instead of directly measuring pressure or using air puff dynamics, the cornea serves as a natural transducer that converts internal pressure into measurable external optical changes, providing both comfort and accuracy
3Productivity
If IOP measurements are performed frequently at home, then monitoring effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and power requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system leverages the eye's own corneal properties as the sensing element, eliminating the need for complex internal pressure sensors, batteries, or active transmission components within the implant. The passive optical properties of the cornea provide the measurement signal, allowing for simple, low-power external detection that can be performed frequently without complex device requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The cornea serves as a passive intermediary that naturally transduces intraocular pressure into measurable optical changes. This eliminates the need for complex active sensing mechanisms within the implant, reducing device complexity and power requirements while enabling frequent home monitoring through simple external optical detection
4Measurement precision
If external reader is precisely aligned with implant for accurate measurement, then measurement accuracy is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to alignment difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the cornea to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as both the optical window through which the external reader detects pressure-induced changes and the alignment reference target. By making the cornea itself visible and trackable, the alignment process becomes integrated with the measurement process, eliminating separate alignment procedures and simplifying operation while maintaining accuracy
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables non-contact, efficient, and accurate measurement of intraocular parameters, allowing for frequent monitoring and improved management of conditions like glaucoma from the convenience of home.
Implementation Method 1
An on-chip integrated RF coil receives power from near-field RF coupling at 915 MHz
Implementation Method 2
transmits pressure measurement bits via RF-backscattering to an external reader
Implementation Method 3
a camera mounted on a handheld device may track the pupil size and/or orientation which, in turn, can be converted into distance to the eye
Implementation Method 4
the path used for alignment may be combined with the main optical path using a dichroic mirror. This also requires spectral separation of light used for optical measurement and visual cues used for alignment
Data Source
AI summary
A system for spatially aligning an external measuring device and an intraocular implant, the system comprising: an intraocular implant configured to be implanted into an eye of a user to monitor or measure intraocular parameters; and an external measuring device configured to receive and measure the intraocular parameters when aligned with the intraocular implant, the external measuring device comprising one or more visual targets and one or more mirrors operable to align a line of sight of the eye so that the intraocular implant is aligned with a main optical path of the external measuring device for measuring.