Device for measuring intraocular pressure, in particular a tonometer

• US 6,893,398 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2002
• Issued: 05/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SMT Swiss Microtechnology AG (Ziemer Group AG)
• Original Assignee: ODC Ophthalmic Development Company AG
• Inventors: Kanngiesser, Hartmut
• Primary Examiner(s): MARMOR II, CHARLES ALAN
• Application Number:
  US10/125,546
• Publication Number:
  US 20020159031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: 600/398, 600/399, 600/405, 600/406, 600/587, 600/561
• US Class Current: 600/399
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/125 with contact lenses contact lenses per se G02C7/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/16 for measuring intraocular pressure, e.g. tonometers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02216 Ophthalmodynamometers

Abstract

The device (1) for measuring intraocular pressure, in particular a tonometer, has a base body (3) which has a contact surface (5; 17; 30) to be applied to the eye surface. The contour of the contact surface (5) is adapted with a certain tolerance to a standard surface of a standard eye with predetermined internal pressure. Arranged in the contact surface (5) there is a pressure-sensitive unit (7) whose contact surface (9; 23; 31) merges into the contour of the contact surface (5) of the base body (3).

With the device according to the invention, the pressure actually prevailing in the eye can be precisely measured.

Claims

1. Device for measuring intraocular pressure, comprising:

a base body comprising

a contact surface adapted to be applied to an eye surface of an eye-wall, said eye having said intraocular pressure, the contour of said contact surface is substantially a contour of a standard surface of a standard eye, and

a pressure-sensitive unit having a curved contour adapted to said contour of said standard surface of said standard eye,

said pressure-sensitive unit sensing intraocular pressure on said contact surface while said eye surface is adapted to said contour of said contact surface,

wherein

said contour is defined as a shape at which a pressure on an inside of said eye-wall and a pressure on an outside of said eye-wall are equal in the region of the contact surface.

2. Device according to claim 1, further comprising a membrane which is adapted to the contour of the standard surface and makes up at least a partial area of the contact surface, said membrane having a reverse face, the reverse face of the membrane cooperating with the pressure-sensitive unit arranged in the base body.

3. Device according to claim 2, wherein said pressure sensitive unit has a pressure sensor, the reverse face of the membrane being acted upon by a pressure-transmitting medium which transmits the pressure to said pressure sensor.

4. Device according to claim 3, wherein said base body has edge areas,

said pressure sensor being in connection with said pressure-transmitting medium and being arranged in one of the edge areas.

5. Device according to claim 3, wherein said pressure-transmitting medium is incompressible.

6. Device according to claim 3, wherein said pressure-transmitting medium is a fluid.

7. Device according to claim 3, wherein said pressure-transmitting medium is a transparent fluid.

8. Device according to claim 3, wherein said pressure-transmitting medium is a flexible pourable compound.

9. Device according to claim 3, wherein said pressure-transmitting medium is a flexible, transparent pourable compound.

10. Device according to claim 1, wherein a surface of said pressure-sensitive unit merges into the contour of the contact surface with a transition tolerance.

11. Device according to claim 1, wherein said base body comprises a curved surface which lies opposite the contact surface and which produces a lens effect for at least one of viewing or treating the eye surface or ocular fundus and to change the patient'"'"'s vision.

12. Device according to claim 1, wherein said base body has a weight and dimensions and a reverse, the weight, dimensions and reverse are designed in such a way, that the base body is adapted to be worn as a vision-correcting element on a patient'"'"'s eye.

13. Device according to claim 1, wherein the base body is made optically transparent,

said base body having a refractive power and being situated in an observation beam path,

said base body having surfaces lying in said observation beam paths,

said surfaces being designed in such a way that, together with the refractive power of the eye, said surfaces together with the refractive power of the base body generate an optical neutral image.

14. Device according to claim 1, further comprising an attachment, said attachment being exchangeable and having an attachment-contact-surface adapted to be placed between said cornea and said contact surface with said pressure-sensitive unit,

said attachment-contact-surface being sterile and having a thickness, said thickness being sufficient to prevent tearing and being sufficiently thin such that the pressure from the cornea to the pressure unit is transmitted without loss.

15. Device according to claim 14, wherein said attachment has a case material, which, in an area over the pressure-sensitive unit, is thin to an extent that the case material does not tear, but thin enough such that pressure transmitted from the cornea is sensed by the pressure-sensitive unit.

16. Device according to claim 1, further comprising an attachable, exchangeable swab unit which is arranged at the edge of the contact surface and which is adapted to take up and remove excess lacrimal fluid from the area of the contact surface so that the lacrimal fluid has no effect on the measurement.

17. Device according to claim 1, further comprising a means which has a predetermined stiffness and which connects a unit of the base body with contact surface to a fixing site, the stiffness being chosen in such a way that, with the contact surface applied to the eye, the unit also moves along with at least small movements of the eye.

18. Device according to claim 1, wherein said base body has a transparent area adapted to allow a user to see into or onto the eye.

19. Device according to claim 1, wherein said base body comprises an aspherically curved surface which lies opposite the contact surface and which produces a lens effect for at least one of viewing or treating the eye surface or ocular fundus and serving to change the patient'"'"'s vision.

20. Device according to claim 1, wherein said device for measuring intraocular pressure is a tonometer.