Patent ID: 6673014
Filing Date: 2004-01-06
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
A method of estimating the intraocular pressure of an eye of a mammal with a gaseous environment around a portion of its surface, the gaseous environment having a pressure, the intraocular pressure being the difference between the pressure inside the eye and the pressure of the gaseous environment, said method comprising the steps of:(a) measuring a first frequency value of a first vibratory frequency of the eye at a portion of the sclera or cornea of the eye at an unknown intraocular pressure, said first vibratory frequency being associated with a corresponding first vibratory mode of the eye and having a value which varies as a first function of the eye's intraocular pressure, the first function having form which extends or extrapolates to a non-zero frequency value for a zero value of intraocular pressure and to a zero frequency value for a negative value of intraocular pressure; and (b) comparing the first measured frequency value to one or more known frequency values of the first vibratory frequency measured at corresponding known intraocular pressures to estimate value of the unknown intraocular pressure.