JP2004041372A - Tonometer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tonometer by which a user can easily measure an ocular tension by himself. <P>SOLUTION: A signal Qa starts ascending when a pressure sensor at the central part starts coming into contact with the pupil, and the ascending track changes at a pressure value Pa at that time in a stage when the cornea starts to be deformed, i.e., by a press-in amount Sa from a press-in amount Oa when the contact begins. In the meantime, a signal Qb starts ascending from a stage when a pressure sensor for the peripheral area starts coming into contact with the pupil, i.e., from a press-in amount Ob as a moving amount since the start of coming into contact with the pupil, and the ascending track changes at a pressure value Pb at that time in a stage when the cornea starts to be deformed, i.e., by a press-in amount Sb from a press-in amount Oa when the contact starts. Therefore, for the pressure at a specified deformed location of the cornea, the ocular tension is obtained by subtracting the pressure value Pb from a pressure value Pa' at the press-in amount Sb, which is a bending point for an output Qb of the pressure sensor for the peripheral area. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a tonometer capable of directly measuring its own intraocular pressure easily.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a conventional tonometer, air is blown directly onto the cornea of the eye to be examined, or a probe is pressed directly against the cornea, and the intraocular pressure value is obtained from the variability of the cornea and the applied pressure.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the former case, delicate alignment is required, and the apparatus becomes large-scale, and cannot be measured by itself.
[0004]
On the other hand, in the latter, there is a risk that the cornea may be slightly damaged, and there is a problem that the measurement cannot be performed by itself as in the former.
[0005]
An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problem and to provide a tonometer which can easily measure intraocular pressure by itself without requiring special assistance.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention according to claim 1 for achieving the above object provides a probe for pressing the cornea directly from above the eyelid of the subject's eye, pressure sensors provided at a plurality of positions at the tip of the probe, and the plurality of positions. And a means for calculating an intraocular pressure value from the information of the pressure sensor and the pressure value of the pressure sensor, and a means for outputting the intraocular pressure value.
[0007]
The present invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the probe including the pressure sensor, the means for calculating the intraocular pressure value, and the means for outputting the intraocular pressure value are provided in the same housing. It is a tonometer described.
[0008]
The present invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the tip portion of the probe is a circular flat surface, and the plurality of pressure sensors are arranged on a center of the flat surface and on a concentric circle thereof. It is a tonometer described.
[0009]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the tonometer according to the first aspect, the means for outputting the tonometry value is a numerical value, an image, or a sound.
[0010]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the tonometer according to the first aspect, the sound changes a sound pattern depending on a difference between outputs of the pressure sensors provided at the plurality of positions.
[0011]
The present invention according to claim 6 is the tonometer according to claim 1, wherein a sound is emitted at a stage when the pressure value or the intraocular pressure value of the pressure sensor is obtained.
[0012]
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the tonometer according to the first aspect, the means for outputting the intraocular pressure value is a portable terminal.
[0013]
The present invention according to claim 8 is the tonometer according to claim 1, wherein a fixation lamp is arranged on the probe.
[0014]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
The present invention will be described in detail based on the illustrated embodiment.
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment, in which five small pressure sensors 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, and 2e are arranged on a flat surface at the tip of a probe 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the pressure sensor 2a is disposed at the center position of the flat portion, the other pressure sensors 2b to 2e are disposed concentrically around the pressure sensor 2a, and the respective signals are signal lines 3a, 3b, 3c. , 3d and 3e are connected to the signal processing device 4 outside the probe 1.
[0015]
The output of the signal processing device 4 is connected to an external personal computer 5, and the output of the personal computer 5 is connected to a CRT 6. It should be noted that information and comments of the subject can be input from the keyboard of the personal computer 5 and displayed on the CRT 6 together with the output of the signal processing device 4.
[0016]
FIG. 3 shows a state in which the probe 1 is pressed against the eyelid El of the eye E to be inspected, and FIG. 3A shows a state in which the probe 1 starts contacting the eyelid El. At this time, neither the eyelid El nor the cornea Ec inside the eyelid El are deformed. FIG. 3B shows a state where the eyelid El has begun to be pressed, but there is no deformation of the cornea Ec. FIG. 3C shows a state in which the pressing is considerably advanced, and the eyelid El and the cornea Ec are both deformed.
[0017]
FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the pressure signal of the pressure sensor 2 disposed on the probe 1 and the pushing amount (movement amount) of the probe 1 along the flow of each step in FIG. 3, and the signal Qa is the pressure sensor 2a at the center. Is a pressure signal of the pressure sensor 2b on the outer peripheral portion.
[0018]
The signal Qa starts to rise when the pressure sensor 2a starts to contact the eyelid El, and at the stage where the cornea Ec starts to be deformed, that is, the pushing amount Sa from the pushing amount Oa at the start of the contact, and rises at the pressure value Pa at that time. The orbit changes. On the other hand, the signal Qb starts to rise from the pushing amount Ob as the movement amount after the pressure sensor 2b starts to contact the eyelid El, that is, the movement amount after the pressure sensor 2a starts to contact the eyelid El, and starts to deform the cornea Ec. At the stage, that is, the pushing amount Sb from the pushing amount Oa at the start of contact, the rising trajectory changes at the pressure value Pb at that time.
[0019]
Here, the timing of the measurement is how much the deformation of the cornea Ec is measured before the pressure is measured. However, in the case of a tonometer which is directly pressed against the cornea Ec, the cornea Ec is flattened. When the area of the flattened portion becomes 3.6 mm ² , that is, the position of the flat portion is 2.14 mm, the position of the pressure sensor 2 b is 2.12 mm away from the pressure sensor 2 a. To be provided.
[0020]
From this, the pressure at the predetermined deformed position of the cornea Ec may be obtained by subtracting the pressure value Pb from the pressure value Pa ′ of the pressure sensor 2a at the pushing amount Sb, which is the bending point of the output Qb of the pressure sensor 2b. . The measured values thus obtained in the signal processing device 4 are displayed on the CRT 6 via the personal computer 5. In addition, this display may be an image or a sound in addition to a numerical value.
[0021]
Since the pressure in the peripheral portion greatly varies depending on how the probe 1 is applied, the values of the other pressure sensors 2c, 2d, and 2e provided on concentric circles may be averaged. In addition, if there is an eccentricity in this application, the measurement accuracy deteriorates. Therefore, when there is a large difference between the output values of the surrounding pressure sensors 2b to 2e, it is preferable to give a caution by voice or the like.
[0022]
FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment, in which the apparatus is compactly integrated and has a hand-held size. That is, the housing 7 is added to the probe 1 including the five small pressure sensors 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, and 2e, and the signal lines 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, and 3e. A signal processing unit 8 and a display unit 9 are provided. Further, a battery (not shown) is mounted, and the measurement can be turned on and off by a switch 10.
[0023]
FIG. 6 shows a case where the second embodiment is used as a wearable device, the antenna 11 is pulled out as needed, and used as a portable terminal, and a function of transmitting measurement data to a hospital or the like as needed.
[0024]
7 and 8 show a third embodiment in which the probe 1 is provided with a fixation lamp, and two visible light emitting diodes 12 and 13 are provided at the tip with a pressure sensor 2a at the center of the tip of the probe 1 interposed therebetween. It is embedded and aligned. Power is supplied to these light-emitting diodes 12 and 13 from a battery (not shown) via conductors 3f and 3g, respectively.
[0025]
Further, since the light emitting diodes 12 and 13 are arranged near the central pressure sensor 2a, it is possible to fix the line of sight of the eye E when pressing against the cornea Ec from above the eyelid El.
[0026]
In the present embodiment, instead of the light emitting diodes 12 and 13, it is possible to bury the optical fibers by aligning the end faces of the optical fibers and to provide the light emitting diodes at the other ends of the optical fibers.
[0027]
In the above description, the basic configuration has been described. However, the number of pressure sensors 2 provided on the circumference may be appropriately increased or decreased, or may be arranged on the circumference of a plurality of sizes. In addition, regarding the adoption of the peripheral pressure value, a process such as averaging excluding the maximum value and the minimum value may be performed.
[0028]
Furthermore, in order to automate the capture of the pressure value, the pressure information is continuously captured, the output of a predetermined sensor is averaged, the information at the captured timing is adopted, or if a predetermined result is obtained, a buzzer sounds. A method of notifying is also conceivable.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the tonometer according to the present invention does not require special assistance, enables simple and stable measurement of intraocular pressure from above the eyelids, and enables self-management of intraocular pressure at home. It is perfect for In addition, a doctor can be diagnosed by connecting to a mobile terminal and transmitting information to a hospital from an out-of-home location as needed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a basic mode according to a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a layout view of a pressure sensor on a distal end portion of a probe.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram when a probe is pressed against the eyelid of a subject's eye.
FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram of a relationship between a pressure signal of a pressure sensor and a pushing amount.
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a compact and hand-held size according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram having a function of transmitting measurement data to a hospital at any time.
FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram in which a fixation lamp is provided at a distal end portion of the probe according to the third embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a layout view of a pressure sensor and a fixation lamp on a distal end portion of a probe.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Probe 2 Pressure sensor 3 Signal line 4 Signal processor 5 Personal computer 6 CRT
7 housing unit 8 signal processing unit 9 display unit 11 antennas 12, 13 fixation lights

Claims (8)

A probe for directly pressing the cornea from above the eyelid of the eye to be examined, pressure sensors provided at a plurality of positions at the tip of the probe, and an intraocular pressure value is calculated from the information on the plurality of positions and the pressure value of the pressure sensor. Means for outputting a tonometry value. The tonometer according to claim 1, wherein the probe including the pressure sensor, a unit for calculating the tonometry value, and a unit for outputting the tonometry value are provided in the same housing. The tonometer according to claim 1, wherein the tip of the probe is a circular flat surface, and the plurality of pressure sensors are arranged on a center of the flat surface and on a concentric circle thereof. The tonometer according to claim 1, wherein the means for outputting the tonometry value is a numerical value, an image, or a sound. The tonometer according to claim 1, wherein the sound changes a sound pattern depending on a difference between outputs of pressure sensors provided at the plurality of positions. The tonometer according to claim 1, wherein a sound is emitted when the pressure value or the intraocular pressure value of the pressure sensor is obtained. The tonometer according to claim 1, wherein the means for outputting the tonometry value is a portable terminal. The tonometer according to claim 1, wherein a fixation lamp is disposed on the probe.

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