The OcuSound device [Image courtesy of Johns Hopkins]
The team developed OcuSound, an affordable, easy-to-use acoustic tonometer. The device, which measures pressure in the eye, employs sound wave technology and the acoustic properties of the eye to provide non-contact intraocular pressure evaluation at home.
Using a speaker, the device emits a pulse of sound. A photodiode (light detector) detects the movement of the speaker’s diaphragm, which acts as a damping spring. Then, a signal processing algorithm reads the data. It correlates the speaker’s damping ratio with the intraocular pressure of the eye and displays an intuitive result.
“Elevated intraocular pressure is a key metric in glaucoma care because reducing this pressure is the only treatment to prevent further glaucomatous vision loss,” team leader Valerie Wong said in a post at the Johns Hopkins Biomedical Engineering website.
Monitoring symptom progression at home would enable patients to share data with their ophthalmologists. This could facilitate more informed treatment decisions while allowing patients to track their own symptoms. The team believes this may increase disease awareness but also empower patients to advocate for their health.
The Hopkins team used iterative prototyping to ensure the device fit the needs of patients while remaining ergonomically correct.
“By prioritizing functionality and usability alongside innovation, we hope to ensure that our designs not only meet our engineering hardware and software requirements but also satisfy the practical needs of our end-users,” said Wong. “I am beyond grateful to have the opportunity to lead a team of such driven, motivated, and hardworking individuals. Our design journey together reaffirmed the power of collaboration here at Hopkins.”
