Cheng Yu, Zhan Yifei, Guan Fangyi, Shi Junli, Wang Jingxiao, Sun Yi, Zubair Muhammad, Yu Cunjiang, Guo Chuan Fei
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China.
Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, Pennsylvania State University, State College 16802, USA.
Natl Sci Rev. 2024 Feb 6;11(6):nwae050. doi: 10.1093/nsr/nwae050. eCollection 2024 Jun.
High intraocular pressure (IOP) is one of the high-risk pathogenic factors of glaucoma. Existing methods of IOP measurement are based on the direct interaction with the cornea. Commercial ophthalmic tonometers based on snapshot measurements are expensive, bulky, and their operation requires trained personnel. Theranostic contact lenses are easy to use, but they may block vision and cause infection. Here, we report a sensory system for IOP assessment that uses a soft indentor with two asymmetrically deployed iontronic flexible pressure sensors to interact with the eyelid-eyeball in an eye-closed situation. Inspired by human fingertip assessment of softness, the sensory system extracts displacement-pressure information for soft evaluation, achieving high accuracy IOP monitoring (>96%). We further design and custom-make a portable and wearable ophthalmic tonometer based on the sensory system and demonstrate its high efficacy in IOP screening. This sensory system paves a way towards cost-effective, robust, and reliable IOP monitoring.
高眼压(IOP)是青光眼的高风险致病因素之一。现有的眼压测量方法基于与角膜的直接相互作用。基于快照测量的商用眼压计价格昂贵、体积庞大,且其操作需要训练有素的人员。治疗诊断隐形眼镜使用方便,但可能会遮挡视线并导致感染。在此,我们报告一种用于眼压评估的传感系统,该系统使用带有两个不对称布置的离子电子柔性压力传感器的软压头,在闭眼情况下与眼睑-眼球相互作用。受人类指尖对柔软度评估的启发,该传感系统提取位移-压力信息进行柔软度评估,实现了高精度的眼压监测(>96%)。我们进一步基于该传感系统设计并定制了一种便携式可穿戴眼压计,并证明了其在眼压筛查中的高效性。这种传感系统为经济高效、稳健且可靠的眼压监测铺平了道路。