Contact lens aids optic nerve treatment

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have approved the marketing of a contact lens device that can help in the treatment of optic nerve damage

Sensimed’s Triggerfish device can identify the best time of day to measure a patient’s intraocular pressure (IOP), which the FDA said is often associated with the optic nerve damage that is characteristic of glaucoma.

Triggerfish has a sensor embedded in a soft silicone contact lens that detects tiny changes or fluctuations in an eye’s volume and is worn for a maximum of 24 hours, transmitting data wirelessly from the sensor to an adhesive antenna worn around the eye.

A portable data recorder worn by the patient receives information from the antenna and can transfer the data via Bluetooth to the clinician’s computer, which shows the range of time during the day the pressure of the eye may be increasing.

Although the device is not meant as a diagnostic tool because it cannot measure IOP, William Maisel, acting director of the office of device evaluation in the FDA’s center for devices and radiological health, said: “The Triggerfish gives the clinician 24-hour continuous monitoring of changes in IOP patterns that otherwise could not be obtained.

“This information can help determine the most critical time of day for the clinician to measure the patient’s IOP.”

IOP varies throughout the day and may not be abnormally high when the patient is at an eye care professional’s office having an eye exam. For example, it is common for IOP to increase during sleep when the patient is lying down, according to the FDA.  

The Triggerfish is indicated for use in adults age 22 and older under the direction and supervision of a health care professional.