Use of laser-induced bubbles in intraocular pressure measurement: a preliminary study

Abstract

This work investigates the feasibility of a novel approach for measuring intraocular pressure (IOP) by analyzing micron-level laser-induced bubble characteristics in the intraocular fluid. We believe that this concept may be used as a non-invasive alternative for measuring a patient's IOP by analyzing the laser-induced bubble volume in the intraocular fluid in the anterior chamber of the eye. The behavior of laser-induced bubbles was examined under differing fluid pressure levels and at differing laser pulse energy levels. An intraocular medium-like environment was imitated and an imaging system was designed in order to capture laser-induced bubbles with their movements. The video recordings of the bubbles were processed using custom software, and the volume of the bubbles was estimated using three different approaches. The bubble volumes were estimated more accurately by using the rising velocity of the bubble rather than its direct radii appearances on the images. An inversely proportional relationship was observed between the laser-induced bubble volume and the fluid pressure. IOP can be measured with a non-invasive technique using laser-induced bubble volume. Deeper and detailed studies, including clinical studies, may lead to the use of lasers for measuring IOP.