Development of a completely encapsulated intraocular pressure sensor

A completely encapsulated intraocular pressure (IOP) sensor equipped with t elemetric signal and energy transfer is introduced integrated into a silico ne disc for implantation into the eye. After implantation into enucleated p ig eyes and into rabbit eyes in vivo, the IOP was recorded and compared to established techniques of IOP measurement. Pressure chamber tests showed th at the sensor functioned correctly after biocompatible encapsulation in pol ydimethylsiloxane. In vivo and in vitro tests in rabbit and pig eyes demons trated that the implanted system worked with the same precision as establis hed techniques for IOP determination. The correlation between the measureme nts with the implanted device and pneumotonometry in several experiments wa s between 0.9 and 0.99. This device serves as a functioning model for the r ealization of a telemetric IOP sensor for integration into an artificial in traocular lens. Such a device will open new perspectives, not only in the m anagement of glaucoma, but also in basic research for mechanisms of glaucom a. Copyright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG. Basel.