Tonometer and method of use
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A device for measuring the intraocular pressure within an eye, includinga pair of probes, one having a bulbous-like end comprising a flexible, resilient material and adapted to contact the eye, said bulbous-like end having a hollow interior, a chamber within the one probe including the hollow interior of the bulbous-like end and a conduit extending from the hollow interior of the bulbous-like end along the one probe, said chamber being at least partially filled with a fluid, said fluid moving within said chamber in response to the hollow interior of the bulbous-like end changing in volume as it bears against the eye, and a detector responsive to the movement of the fluid in the conduit to provide a signal indicating the intraocular pressure.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A device used to measure intraocular pressure within a patient'"'"'s eye includes a probe typically having an end to which is attached a resilient member with a hollow interior that decreases in volume as the member is pressed against the eye. The greater the intraocular pressure within an eye, the more the volume decreases. A liquid moves in response to this change and this movement is detected to signal if the intraocular pressure is at a safe level.
50 Citations
28 Claims
-
1. A device for measuring the intraocular pressure within an eye, including
a pair of probes, one having a bulbous-like end comprising a flexible, resilient material and adapted to contact the eye, said bulbous-like end having a hollow interior, a chamber within the one probe including the hollow interior of the bulbous-like end and a conduit extending from the hollow interior of the bulbous-like end along the one probe, said chamber being at least partially filled with a fluid, said fluid moving within said chamber in response to the hollow interior of the bulbous-like end changing in volume as it bears against the eye, and a detector responsive to the movement of the fluid in the conduit to provide a signal indicating the intraocular pressure.
-
3. A device for measuring the intraocular pressure within an eye, including
a probe having a bulbous-like end comprising a flexible, resilient material and adapted to contact the eye, said bulbous-like end having a hollow interior, a chamber within the probe including the hollow interior of the bulbous-like end and a conduit extending from the hollow interior of the bulbous-like end along the probe, said chamber being at least partially filled with a fluid, said fluid moving within said chamber in response to the hollow interior of the bulbous-like end changing in volume as it bears against the eye, and a detector responsive to the movement of the fluid in the conduit to provide a signal indicating the intraocular pressure, where the fluid includes a liquid having two immiscible phases, one phase being non-conductive and the other phase being conductive.
-
6. A device for measuring the intraocular pressure within an eye, including
a probe having a bulbous-like end comprising a flexible, resilient material and adapted to contact the eye, said bulbous-like end having a hollow interior, a chamber within the probe including the hollow interior of the bulbous-like end and a conduit extending from the hollow interior of the bulbous-like end along the probe, said chamber being at least partially filled with a fluid, said fluid moving within said chamber in response to the hollow interior of the bulbous-like end changing in volume as it bears against the eye, and a detector responsive to the movement of the fluid in the conduit to provide a signal indicating the intraocular pressure, including a stop member that restricts the movement of the probe.
-
7. A device for measuring the intraocular pressure within an eye, including
a probe comprising a pair of arms pivotally connected at proximal ends of the arms, each arm having a distal end adapted to make contact with the eye and one of said distal ends having a pressure transducer thereat for detecting intraocular pressure, a stop member that limits the distance the distal ends may be moved manually towards each other to apply essentially the same external pressure against the eye with each measurement of intraocular pressure, and a detector responsive to the transducer that provides a signal indicating the intraocular pressure.
-
12. A device for measuring the intraocular pressure within an eye, including
a probe having an elongated arm member with an end to which is attached a bulbous-like member, said bulbous-like member being comprising a flexible, resilient material and adapted to contact the eye, said bulbous-like member having a hollow interior that decreases in volume as the bulbous-like member is pressed against the eye, the greater the intraocular pressure within an eye the more said volume decreases, a chamber in the arm including the hollow interior of the bulbous-like member and a conduit extending from the hollow interior of the bulbous-like member along the arm, said chamber being at least partially filled with a liquid having two immiscible phases, one phase being non-conductive and the other phase being conductive, a stop member that, when said bulbous-like member is pressed against the eye, restricts the movement of the probe, a first electrical connection at a first position along the conduit and a second electrical connection at a second position along the conduit, said conductive phase making contact with the first electrical connection to complete a first electrical circuit when the conductive phase of the liquid reaches said first position when the intraocular pressure is at a first pressure, and said conductive phase making contact with the second electrical connection to complete a second electrical circuit when the conductive phase of the liquid reaches said second position when the intraocular pressure is at a second pressure, and a detector responsive to the movement of the conductive phase of the liquid to said first and second positions in the conduit that provides a first signal indicating the intraocular pressure is at a safe level when the conductive phase of the liquid is at the first position and a second signal indicating the intraocular pressure is at an unsafe level when the conductive phase of the liquid is at the second position.
-
14. A device for measuring and recording the intraocular pressure within an eye of a patient, including
a pair of pivotably connected probe arms each having distal ends, and one distal end having a pressure transducer for detecting intraocular pressure, said pressure transducer providing an analog signal corresponding to the patient'"'"'s intraocular pressure upon the distal ends of the probe arms contacting the eye of the patient, an analog to digital converter that converts the analog signal into a digital signal corresponding to the patient'"'"'s current measurement of intraocular pressure, a memory device that stores information concerning said patient, including past measurements of the patient'"'"'s intraocular pressure, a display device for displaying at least some of the information concerning said patient, including at least one past measurement of the patient'"'"'s intraocular pressure and the current measurement of intraocular pressure, and a microprocessor for processing the digital signal corresponding to the patient'"'"'s current measurement of intraocular pressure and forwarding said current measurement of intraocular pressure to the memory device and forwarding a past and the current measurement of intraocular pressure to the display device.
-
16. A device for measuring and recording the intraocular pressure within an eye of a patient, including
a probe having at a distal end a pressure transducer for detecting intraocular pressure, said pressure transducer providing an analog signal corresponding to the patient'"'"'s intraocular pressure upon the probe contacting the eye of the patient, an analog to digital converter that converts the analog signal into a digital signal corresponding to the patient'"'"'s current measurement of intraocular pressure, a memory device that stores information concerning said patient, including past measurements of the patient'"'"'s intraocular pressure, a display device for displaying at least some of the information concerning said patient, including at least one past measurement of the patient'"'"'s intraocular pressure and the current measurement of intraocular pressure, and a microprocessor for processing the digital signal corresponding to the patient'"'"'s current measurement at intraocular pressure and forwarding said current measurement of intraocular pressure to the memory device and forwarding a past and the current measurement of intraocular pressure to the display device, where the transducer comprises a bulbous-like member comprising a flexible, resilient material and adapted to contact the eye, said bulbous-like member having a hollow interior, a chamber within the probe, said chamber including the hollow interior of the bulbous-like member and a conduit extending from the hollow interior of the bulbous-like member along said probe, said chamber being at least partially filled with a liquid, said liquid moving within said chamber in response to the hollow interior of the bulbous-like member changing in volume as said bulbous-like member hears against the eye, where the liquid has two immiscible phases, one phase being non-conductive and the other phase being conductive.
-
19. A device for measuring the intraocular pressure within an eye, including
a probe comprising a pair of arms, each arm having a proximal end and a distal end adapted to make contact with the eye, said proximal ends being pivotally connected together and manually moveable towards each other, one of said distal ends having thereat a bulbous-like member adapted to contact the eye and comprising a flexible, resilient material, said bulbous-like member having a hollow interior, a chamber within the arm carrying a bulbous-like member, said chamber including the hollow interior of the bulbous-like member and a conduit extending from the hollow interior of the bulbous-like member along said arm carrying the bulbous-like member, said chamber being filled with liquid and a non-conductive compressible gas, said liquid having two immiscible phases, one phase being non-conductive and the other phase being conductive, the non-conductive phase at least partially filling the hollow interior of the bulbous-like member and the conductive liquid phase being between the non-conductive liquid phase and the non-conductive gas phase, in response to the arms being moved towards each other, said liquid moving within said chamber in response to the hollow interior of the bulbous-like member changing in volume as said bulbous-like member bears against the eye to move the conductive liquid phase along the conduit and cause the gas to compress, at a proximal end of one of the arms stop member that limits the distance the distal ends may be moved manually towards each other, a spring member responsive to the movement to the arms that goes into compression upon the arms being manually moved towards each other, said spring normally moving the arms apart, a first electrical connection at a first position along the conduit and a second electrical connection at a second position along the conduit, said conductive liquid phase making contact with the first electrical connection to complete a first electrical circuit when the conductive phase of the liquid reaches said first position when the intraocular pressure is at a first pressure, said conductive phase making contact with the second electrical connection to complete a second electrical circuit when the conductive phase of the liquid reaches said second position when the intraocular pressure is at a second pressure, said second pressure being higher than said first pressure, and a display device connected to the first and second electrical circuits, said display device providing a first visual signal indicating that the intraocular pressure is at a safe level when the first electrical circuit is completed and providing a second visual signal indicating that the intraocular pressure is above a safe level when the second electrical circuit is completed.
-
21. A device for measuring the intraocular pressure within an eye, including
a probe having an elongated, substantially straight arm member with an end to which is attached a bulbous-like member, said bulbous-like member being made of comprising a flexible, resilient material and adapted to contact the eye, said bulbous-like member having a hollow interior that decreases in volume as the bulbous-like member is pressed against the eye, the greater the intraocular pressure within an eye the more said volume decreases, a chamber in the arm including the hollow interior of the bulbous-like member and a conduit extending from the hollow interior of the bulbous-like member along the arm, said chamber being at least partially filled with a liquid having two immiscible phases, one phase being non-conductive and the other phase being conductive, a first electrical connection at a first position along the conduit and a second electrical connection at a second position along the conduit, said conductive phase making contact with the first electrical connection point to complete a first electrical circuit when the conductive phase of the liquid reaches said first position when the intraocular pressure is at a first pressure, and said conductive phase making contact with the second electrical connection to complete a second electrical circuit when the conductive phase of the liquid reaches said second position when the intraocular pressure is at a second pressure, and a detector responsive to the movement of the conductive phase of the liquid to said first and second positions in the conduit that provides a first signal indicating the intraocular pressure is at a safe level when the conductive phase of the liquid is at the first position and a second signal indicating the intraocular pressure is at an unsafe level when the conductive phase of the liquid is at the second position.
-
22. A method of measuring intraocular pressure through the closed eyelid of a patient, comprising the steps of
contacting the closed eye lid with a probe having a bulbous-like end comprising a flexible, resilient material and a hollow interior, said probe including a chamber comprising the hollow interior of the bulbous-like end and a conduit extending from the hollow interior of the bulbous-like end along the probe, said chamber being at least partially filled with a fluid, said fluid moving within said chamber in response to the hollow interior of the bulbous-like end changing in volume as it bears against the eye, and a detector responsive to the movement of the fluid in the conduit to provide a signal indicating the intraocular pressure.
-
26. A method of detecting if the intraocular pressure within an eye is at a safe level comprising
contacting the eye with distal ends of a pair of probe arms, one distal end including to which is attached a resilient member with a hollow interior that decreases in volume as the member is pressed against the eye, said interior including a liquid that moves in response to the change in volume, and detecting the movement of the liquid to determine if the intraocular pressure is at a safe or unsafe level and providing a signal indicating if at a safe or unsafe level.
-
27. A device for measuring the intraocular pressure within an eye, including
a pair of probe arms connected to pivot, each probe arm terminating in a distal end adapted to contact the eye and one of said probe arms having a bulbous-like distal end comprising a flexible, resilient material, said bulbous-like distal end having a hollow interior, said distal ends being moveable from a first position where the distal ends do not contact the eye to a second position where the distal ends contact the eye and there is a fixed predetermined distance between said distal ends, a chamber including the hollow interior of the bulbous-like distal end and a conduit extending from the hollow interior of the bulbous-like end along the one probe arm, said chamber being at least partially filled with a fluid, said fluid moving within said chamber in response to the hollow interior of the bulbous-like end changing in volume as the distal ends bear against the eye, and a detector responsive to the movement of the fluid in the conduit to provide an indication of intraocular pressure.
-
28. A device for measuring the intraocular pressure within an eye, including
a pair of probe arms connected at proximal ends thereof to pivot, each probe arm terminating in a distal end adapted to contact the eye, and one of said distal ends having a pressure transducer thereat that detects intraocular pressure.
Specification
-
- Resources
Litigation Campaign Assessment
Thank you for your request. You will receive a custom alert email when the Litigation Campaign Assessment is available.
×
-
Current AssigneeAhmed A. Mateen
-
Original AssigneeAhmed A. Mateen
-
InventorsAhmed, A. Mateen
-
Primary Examiner(s)Hindenburg, Max F.
-
Assistant Examiner(s)SZMAL, BRIAN SCOTT
-
Application NumberUS10/300,089Publication NumberTime in Patent Office986 DaysField of Search600/405, 600/401, 600/403, 600/398, 600/399, 600/561, 600/587, 73/79US Class Current600/399CPC Class CodesA61B 3/16 for measuring intraocular p...
