The purpose of the present proposal is to develop and implement a telemetric IOP monitoring system that can be used to obtain continuous, round-the-clock IOP data over long periods of time. Telemetric 24-hour IOP characterization is important for two reasons. First, it will lay the foundation for experimental, computational, and theoretical studies to investigate individual optic nerve head susceptibility to IOP. Second, it will lay the foundation for telemetric IOP monitoring of glaucoma patients and the clinical achievement of true, 24-hour intraocular pressure control.
The Specific Aims and Objectives are 1) to develop a telemetric IOP monitor; 2) to develop the software necessary to visualize and characterize telemetric 24-hour IOP data; and 3) to use the hardware and software developed in Specific Aims 1 and 2 to capture and characterize 24-hour IOP data over a 6-month period. The Methodology includes modifying an existing subcutaneous, battery-powered, implantable pressure monitor of proven design (DISS T-27-F series implant) by integrating the transducer into an LSD-designed, extraocular, sclera-fixated, silicone baseplate that is connected to the anterior chamber via a silicone tube. Hardware and software associated with the DISS system will be specifically optimized for the capture, visualization, and quantification of 24-hour IOP data. Custom, automated algorithms for visualizing and quantifying the IOP levels to which the eye is exposed over time will be developed and implemented in software. The system's ability to accurately capture the pattern of diurnal IOP fluctuation (magnitude, frequency, and duration) will be characterized, as will its ability to accurately record short-term IOP fluctuations as in the case of blink and eye rub. The goal is to provide a mature, turnkey solution for long-term (minimum 12 month), 24-hour, telemetric IOP monitoring. Such a system will advance glaucoma research and yield valuable insight into the role of IOP in the development and progression of glaucomatous optic neuropathy.
| Downs, J Crawford; Burgoyne, Claude F; Seigfreid, William P et al. (2011) 24-hour IOP telemetry in the nonhuman primate: implant system performance and initial characterization of IOP at multiple timescales. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 52:7365-75 |
