A new tonometer based on the application of micro-mechanical sensors

Abstract

A new instrument for the measurement of intraocular pressure (IOP) is presented. It consists of a micro-machined silicon sensor, which measures the diameter of a flattened part of the eye globe and simultaneously determines the smallest distance between the centre of the sensor and the contour of this applanation. In the centre of this applanation sensor a micro-mechanical plunger is realised, which transfers the applied pressure to a separate force sensor. Preliminary results show that this sensor may improve the accuracy of Mackay-Marg based electronic tonometers.