
Wireless contact lens sensor approved by FDA
pharmafile | March 8, 2016 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Research and Development, Sales and Marketing |
The US Food and Drug Administration has allowed the marketing of a contact lens sensor that may help practitioners identify the best time of day to measure a patient’s intraocular pressure (IOP).
It is important to determine whether a patient has elevated IOP as it is often associated with the optic nerve damage that is characteristic of glaucoma. The Triggerfish, manufactured by Swiss-based Sensimed, has a sensor embedded in a soft silicone contact lens that detects miniscule changes or fluctuations in an eye’s volume.
The device transmits data wirelessly from a sensor to an adhesive antenna worn around the eye, and can be worn for a maximum of 24 hours. A portable data recorder worn by the patient receives information from the antenna and can transfer 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.
William Maisel, acting director of the Office of Device Evaluation in the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, comments: “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.”
Sean Murray






