Triggerfish

A new contact lens from Sensimed, called the "Triggerfish," could provide great potential in learning about the relatively poorly understood condition of glaucoma, a deterioration of the optic nerve. The lens is made of a typical silicon hydrogel used for soft contact lenses, yet it contains a microprocessor and strain gauge. The strain gauge measures changes in the diameter of the cornea that are a result of variations in the amount of fluid within the eye. This fluid accumulation causes the high intraoccular pressure that has been linked to the disease. This noninvasive machine interface collects data on any fluctuation in the cornea diameter and transmits the data via radio waves, permitting a close monitoring of the progression.