DESC:AUTOMATIC DIGITAL APPLANATION TONOMETRY METHOD WITH SIMULTANEOUS WIRELESS MONITORING OF INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE RECORDED WITH TIME

FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to the field of ophthalmology, particularly to digital applanation tonometry method. More particularly, the present invention relates to an automatic digital applanation tonometry method with simultaneous wireless monitoring of intraocular pressure recorded with time.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
In general, an applanation tonometer is an instrument used for determining ocular tension (resistance of the tunica of the eye to deformation) and the extent of corneal indentation. The intraocular pressure (IOP) is determined by the amount of force that is needed to flatten, or applanate, a consistent area of the cornea. Conventional tonometer attached with a slit lamp or computerized slit lamp measures the pressure of the eye ball by touching the cornea with a conical prism. The cornea is flattened by the force applied by the instrument and said force is converted into eye pressure and the values are taken from a dial knob. In digital applanation tonometer, the values are converted to digital data and are seen in a display mounted in the instrument. The most commonly accepted instrument to measure IOP is Goldmann applanation tonometer (GAT). Other tonometers include but not limited to rebound tonometer and dynamic contour tonometer.

The following are the two options in the existing applanation tonometry measurements:
1. Looking into the slit lamp binocular and observe the vibrating touching mires on the tonometer prism and turn head to observe values for tonometry in the slit lamp mounted tonometer device. The values will be written in the case sheet by the user.

2. Looking into the slit lamp imaging monitor and observe the vibrating touching mires on the tonometer prism and turn head to observe values for tonometry in the slit lamp mounted tonometer device. The values will be written in the case sheet by the user.

US6623429B2 disclosed a hand-held non-contact tonometer that comprises a housing having a handle portion for enclosing a rechargeable D.C. power source and an upper head portion for enclosing alignment and tonometric measurement systems of the tonometer. An operator can directly view the patient's eye along an optical axis extending through the head portion of the housing, and an instructional display image is superimposed with the directly viewed image of the eye to guide the operator in X-Y-Z alignment based on data supplied by an afocal position detection system. A transceiver for wireless data exchange and a recharging support stand are also provided.

US5830139A relates to a tonometer system for measuring intraocular pressure by accurately providing a predetermined amount of applanation to the cornea and detecting the amount of force required to achieve the predetermined amount of applanation. The system is also capable of measuring intraocular pressure by indenting the cornea using a predetermined force applied using an indenting element and detecting the distance the indenting element moves into the cornea when the predetermined force is applied, the distance being inversely proportional to intraocular pressure.

US7131945B2 disclosed an implantable intraocular pressure sensor device for detecting excessive intraocular pressure above a predetermined threshold pressure thus helping to prevent the onset of damage from glaucoma and to monitor effects of glaucoma therapy.

US6796942B1 relates to a device for measuring physical quantities in the eye, especially for measuring the intraocular pressure. The device comprises a foldable telemetry system containing a coil (1) which is flatly arranged on a foldable support. Said coil is completely embedded in the biocompatible implant material together with an electronic mobile (4) that contains the electronic of the telemetry system.

US6443893B1 disclosed a device for measuring intraocular pressure includes a remote measuring device that can be implanted in the eye and that contains a pressure sensor, a device that can convert the sensor signals into information that can be transmitted without wires, and a transmitter. The device also includes a receiving device located outside the eye which receives the information transmitted by the transmitter and which is connected to an evaluation device in which the received information is converted into data on the intraocular pressure for recording.

CN2585623Y relates to a speech digital displaying tonometer which belongs to the medical equipment. The utility model in tonometry can automatically display intraocular pressure values with digitals and simultaneously can report with voice that 'the measured intraocular pressure is N mmHg'.

Rexxam NCT is a desktop Non-Contact Tonometer with air puff corneal applanation for IOP measurement.

No attempts have been made to make the digital applanation tonometry method automatic with simultaneous wireless monitoring of intraocular pressure recorded with time. Accordingly, there exists a need for an automatic digital applanation tonometry method with simultaneous wireless monitoring of intraocular pressure recorded with time.

OBJECTS OF INVENTION
One or more of the problems of the conventional prior art may be overcome by various embodiments of the system and method of the present invention.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an automatic digital applanation tonometry method with simultaneous wireless monitoring of intraocular pressure recorded with time.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a customized electronic module for a digital readout value of the intraocular pressure (IOP), wherein said customized module is integrated within the applanation tonometer attached to a slit lamp imaging system.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an automatic digital applanation tonometry method, wherein the readout value of the IOP is wirelessly transmitted to a slit lamp imaging system.

It is another object of the present invention, wherein the method continuously displays the corresponding IOP value simultaneously in real time.

It is another object of the present invention, wherein the method provides fast and accurate reading of the intraocular pressure with easy maneuverability.
It is another object of the present invention, wherein the method provides the ability to record the exact time of IOP measurement, which is useful for longitudinal studies that include diurnal variation of IOP and water drinking tests.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Thus according to the basic aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic digital applanation tonometry method with simultaneous wireless monitoring of intraocular pressure recorded with time, comprising steps of:
conversion of measured analog value of intraocular pressure (IOP) into digital data by a customized electronic module integrated within an applanation tonometer attached to a slit lamp imaging system;
display of the digital data on a display attached to the customized electronic module;
wireless transmission and display of the digital data on a monitor in the slit lamp imaging system;
enablement of the display monitor to display captured mires and the corresponding IOP value simultaneously in real time; and
aligning the captured mires to correct position and automatically capturing the exact IOP simultaneously by the slit lamp imaging system and said IOP value is frozen as a video overlay and displayed in the monitor,
wherein the method enables a live overlay of the IOP value on the monitor of the slit lamp imaging system.

It is another aspect of the present invention, wherein once the captured mires are matched at correct position the captured image is stored in an electronic form in the slit lamp imaging system.

It is another aspect of the present invention, wherein the automatic digital applanation tonometry method is configured to store the captured image along with the overlaid tonometry values in the slit lamp imaging system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
Figure 1: illustrates a customized electronic module integrated within digital applanation tonometer according to the present invention.
Figure 2: illustrates a digital applanation tonometer with customized electronic module attached to a slit lamp imaging system according to the present invention.
Figure 3: illustrates applanation tonometry semi-circles viewed through a prism.
Figure 4: illustrates conventional applanation tonometry measurement.
Figure 5: illustrates automatic digital applanation tonometry measurement according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE ACCOMPANYING FIGURES
The present invention as herein described relates to an automatic digital applanation tonometry method with simultaneous wireless monitoring of intraocular pressure recorded with time.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, for an automatic digital applanation tonometry method with simultaneous wireless monitoring of intraocular pressure recorded with time, there is provided a digital applanation tonometer [100] attached to a slit lamp imaging system [200]. A customized electronic module [101] for a digital readout value of the intraocular pressure (IOP) of eye is integrated within the applanation tonometer [100]. The measured intraocular pressure (IOP) of the eyeball which is in analog value is converted into digital data by the customized electronic module [101]. The customized electronic module [101] is attached to a display [102] for a digital readout. The display [102] lights up and displays the measured tonometer value. The digital data is wirelessly seen on a display monitor [201] in the slit lamp imaging system [200]. The method enables the display monitor [201] to display the captured mires and the corresponding IOP value [202] simultaneously in real time while the observer moves a joystick and clicks. Once the observer aligns the mires to correct position the slit lamp imaging system [200] automatically captures the exact IOP with mmHg unit [202] simultaneously at that point of time and that IOP value [202] is frozen as a video overlay and displayed in the monitor [201]. Advantageously, once the mires matched at correct position the captured image is stored in electronic form in the imaging system. Also, the method is configured to store the captured image along with the overlaid tonometry values in the slit lamp imaging system [200] while the observer clicks an imaging trigger in the slit lamp joystick.

Method of performing with illustration:
Instill the local anaesthetic drops and then the fluorescein. For measuring the intraocular pressure (IOP) in the right eye, the slit beam should shine onto the tonometer head from the patient’s left side; for the right eye, the beam should come from the patient’s right side. The filters are moved to produce a beam. In an aspect, the filter is blue filter. The beam of light should be wide and that the light should be bright to visualize the fluorescein semi-circles easier (with the slit diaphragm fully open). Referring to Figures 1 and 2, with the patient eye positioning perfectly still and holding the patient’s top eyelid the blue light is directed from the slit lamp imaging system [200] onto a prism head [103] of the applanation tonometer [100]. The applanation tonometer [100] head should be perpendicular to the eye. The applanation tonometer [100] is moved slowly in forward direction until the prism [103] rests gently on the centre of the patient’s cornea. A calibrated dial [104] on the applanation tonometer [100] is turned forward using a calibration dial adjusting knob [105] until the two fluorescein semi-circles in the prism head [103] are seen to meet and form a horizontal ‘S’ shape wherein the inner edges of the two fluorescein semi-circle images just touch as shown in Figure 3 by watching the display monitor [201] of the slit lamp imaging system [200]. In conventional method, the physician watches it through a slit lamp eyepiece. The pressure values in the dial are recorded in a note. According to the present invention, the measured intraocular pressure (IOP) of the eyeball which is in analog value is converted into digital data by the customized electronic module [101] and the pressure values with mmHg unit are displayed digitally on the display [102] and the same is wirelessly transmitted to the display monitor [201]. Once the observer aligns the mires to correct position the slit lamp imaging system [200] automatically captures the exact IOP [202] simultaneously at that point of time and that IOP value [202] is frozen as a video overlay and displayed in the monitor [201]. Advantageously, once the mires matched at correct position the captured image is stored in an electronic form in the slit lamp imaging system [200]. Also, the method is configured to store the captured image along with the overlaid tonometry values in the slit lamp imaging system [200] while the observer clicks an imaging trigger in the slit lamp joystick.

The following are the two options in the existing applanation tonometry measurements:
1. Looking into the slit lamp binocular and observe the vibrating touching mires on the tonometer prism and turn head to observe values for tonometry in the slit lamp mounted tonometer device. The values will be written in the case sheet by the user as shown in Figure 4.

2. Looking into the slit lamp imaging monitor and observe the vibrating touching mires on the tonometer prism and turn head to observe values for tonometry in the slit lamp mounted tonometer device. The values will be written in the case sheet by the user.

The above conventional measurements are overcome by the automatic digital applanation tonometry method according to the present invention wherein a live overlay of the tonometry values can be seen on the monitor [201] of the slit lamp imaging system [200] as shown in Figure 5. Once the mires match at the correct position the image is captured automatically with the IOP [202] value and stored in the slit lamp imaging system [200]. Also, the method is configured to store the captured image along with the overlaid tonometry values in the slit lamp imaging system [200] while the observer clicks an imaging trigger in the slit lamp joystick. The image can be stored in electronic form for long-time thereby improving the overall efficiency of the digital Applanation tonometry [100].
,CLAIMS:WE CLAIM:
1. An automatic digital applanation tonometry method with simultaneous wireless monitoring of intraocular pressure recorded with time, comprising steps of:
conversion of measured analog value of intraocular pressure (IOP) into digital data by a customized electronic module [101] integrated within an applanation tonometer [100] attached to a slit lamp imaging system [200];
display of the digital data on a display [102] attached to the customized electronic module [101];
wireless transmission and display of the digital data on a monitor [201] in the slit lamp imaging system [200];
enablement of the display monitor [201] to display captured mires and the corresponding IOP value [202] simultaneously in real time; and
aligning the captured mires to correct position and automatically capturing the exact IOP [202] simultaneously by the slit lamp imaging system [200] and said IOP value [202] is frozen as a video overlay and displayed in the monitor [201],
wherein the method enables a live overlay of the IOP value on the monitor [201] of the slit lamp imaging system [200].

2. The automatic digital applanation tonometry method as claimed in claim 1, wherein once the captured mires are matched at correct position the captured image is stored in an electronic form in the slit lamp imaging system [200].

3. The automatic digital applanation tonometry method as claimed in claim 1 is configured to store the captured image along with the overlaid tonometry values in the slit lamp imaging system [200].