Israeli imaging device could help with better dry eye diagnoses

An insufficient tear film across one’s eyes can cause it to frequently become irritated, in what is known as dry eye disease. The condition is sometimes tricky to treat, but a new device developed by Israeli firm Advanced Optical Methods (AdOM) could greatly improve its diagnosis and effective treatment.

Research team leader Dr. Yoel Arieli of AdOM said,”For the diagnosis of dry eye disease, there have been few significant advancements over recent years; we developed an instrument that can be integrated into a clinical setting while very accurately imaging the tear film inner layers, which can be used to diagnose dry eye and understand its cause.”

The device, known as the Tear Film Imager, is adept at imaging the aqueous sublayer of the eye and even analyses the full spectrum of light reflected off the eye’s surface, to determine the varied thickness of the inner layers of that film and how it correlates to dry eyes.

As the subject of two clinical trials in Israel and Canada, the device has been found to be just as accurate as other complex and invasive methods and works well even if the patient blinks often, a situation that can easily change the dynamics of their tear film. The Tear Film Imager is thus hoped to improve surgical outcomes, inform better treatments, and lead to better therapeutic contact lenses in due time.

Category: Features, Technology & Devices