MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Paul Siegfried has been living with Glaucoma for 15 years.
“If you get the diagnosis you should take it very seriously”
Glaucoma damages the optic nerve which can leave patients with vision loss or even blindness.
Pressure inside the eye is the only risk factor that can be controlled.
Siegfried recently took part in a new study at New York Presbyterian-Columbia that tested a smart contact lens on 40 Glaucoma patients.
As eye pressure fluctuates, a sensor in the lens detects changes in the curvature of the eye.
“The signal from this contact lens allows us to differentiate those who were progressing faster from those who were stable,” explained Dr. C. Gustavo Moraes.
Patients wear a wireless device that sends a readout to the Ophthalmologist.
Doctors said the ultimate goal of the smart technology is to help monitor patients continuously day and night.
“We have no way of monitoring pressure at night at the moment,” said Dr. Jeffrey Liebmann from New York Presbyterian-Columbia. “So we are missing critical pieces of information to help us make decisions.”
Siegfried’s test results showed he is at a low risk for his Glaucoma advancing quickly.
“Maybe I would have trouble in my 80s or 90s. If I make it that far, I can live with that,” he said.
The 68-year-old is able to manage with just eye drops and see his Ophthalmologist regularly.
