Monitoring Macular Degeneration with a Contact Lens
March 28, 2017 | Terry Sharrer
Optical ultrasound detection is a new aspect of photoacoustic imaging, and comes from engineers at Northwestern University. The detector is a plastic Micro-ring resonator receiver that fits within a contact lens. When a laser induces ultrasound action, the Micro-ring picks up the vibrations and calculates them to determine the speed of blood flow and the oxygen metabolic rate at the back of the eye, as would be useful in diagnosing macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy. This device is only 60 micrometers in diameter by one micron in height, and is transparent. MORE
Image Credit: Cheng Sun and Northwest School of Engineering News