GB2418049A

GB2418049A - Eye drop recorder

Info

Publication number: GB2418049A
Application number: GB0420264A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Don Julian De Silva; Akbar De Medici
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-09-13
Filing date: 2004-09-13
Publication date: 2006-03-15
Also published as: GB0420264D0

Abstract

An apparatus to record eyedrop use. The invention is an adhesive devise that is applied to a typical eye dropper and records the precise timing and squeezing on dropper use. (Fig. 1) The data is stored in the device and periodically downloaded to computer hardware.

Description

1 2418049

EYE DROP RECORDER

DESCRIPTION

1] An Apparatus to record eyedrop use.

2] Eye drops are used in the management of a wide spectrum of eye conditions.

Many eye drops require a stringent pattern of drop use to enable correct dosage of the eye medication and adequate therapeutic effect.

As a consequence eye drops are prescribed for specific times over a 24 hour period and frequently for many weeks. Glaucoma, the 2nd most common cause of preventable blindness, requires the use of eye drops over a life long period. In some patients this requires eye drop use of a over 30 year period. Failure to use drops can lead to a worsening of eye conditions and in certain circumstances lead to sight threatening complications. Although eye drops are frequently prescribed for the treatment of eye conditions, many patients have difficulty in taking such drops.

Patients may not use their eye drops in the prescribed manner for a number of reasons, including forgetfulness or lack of insight into their eye condition. Scientific publications have documented low levels of eye drop compliance. In addition eye specialists may be faced with patients who are understood to have good compliance with their eye drops, this may lead to a false deduction of poor effectiveness of the medication or worsening of disease. An accurate measure of eye drop application is a useful tool in providing patients with the best possible course of management. Where poor compliance is found, feedback may be given to patients, further explanation provided or alternative form of treatment offered. In addition a patient whose ocular condition has worsened on a particular eye drop, may be placed on multiple different medications or offered a surgical alternative. An objective measurement of poor compliance would identify the true of cause of worsening disease and the appropriate change in treatment.

3] Many people who use eye drops are elderly and have difficulty in drop application. A frequent problem is the tactile squeezing of the eye dropper to cause a single eye drop to be released from the dropper to the eye. A method of measuring the bottle squeeze would be useful to reduce over squeezing and waste of eye medication and potentially harmful side effects.

4] The Invention relates to the apparatus of eye dropper and will record the precise timing and extent of squeezing of the eye dropper.

5] The Invention utilizes the same shape as a conventional eyedropper, in addition holds a recording device that measures the timing and extent of each application. When the patient attends their next hospital or practice clinic the data stored on the eye dropper will be downloaded to computer and the results analysed.

6] The device will be of small size, and fixture to the eye dropper will not affect the appearance, weight or mechanism of a standard eye dropper.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

7] The eye dropper is a an adhesive devise that may be applied to a typical eye dropper. The devise forms the shape of a rectangle and is adherent to the eye dropper in the form of a label. The dropper measures the timing of each squeeze of the eye dropper and stores the data on a recording microchip. On attendance at the next out patient appointment the eye dropper is brought to clinic. The data is downloaded to a computer and software used to interpret the results. The device may be removed from the eye dropper and reused on other eye droppers following expiry of the medication.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

8] FIG. I is a diagram illustration of the eye dropper with the devise to record eye dropper use.

9] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustration of the eye dropper with an electrical circuit for the monitoring of eye drop use and connection to a recording device.

0] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustration showing an enlarged cross section of the measuring device.

[001 1] FIG. 4 is a block schematic diagram of the electrical circuit for use in measuring the timing and extent of eye dropper use.

2] FIG. 5 is a block schematic diagram of the electrical circuit of the circuit used for downloading of the eye dropper data.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

3] The patch 2, which is some 20mm in width and some 60mm in length, is of laminate construction and is attached to the eye dropper I along its length in the position of a label. An electrical circuit is incorporated within the laminate ofthe patch for recording the timing and extent of each bottle squeeze.

4] FIGS 2 and 3. The patch although cylindrically adherent to the eye dropper will be described as a rectangular object. Referring to FIGS 2 and 3, the electrical circuitry of the patch 2 includes a printed-circuit board 3 carried by a flexible substrate 4. The substrate 4 and board 3 are cushioned from impact-damage by a covering layer 5 or foamed-plastic material, and the substrate 4 with its covering layer are sandwiched between two flexible waterproof-sheets 6 and 7 that are bonded to the layer 5 and substrate 4 respectively. The sheets 6 and 7 are bonded together around their peripheries so as to encapsulate the substrate 4 and the board 3. A top, outer layer 8 of the patch 2 may contain a label indicating the contents of the eye dropper and an adhesive backing sheet 9 by which the patch 2 is attached to eye dropper 1.

5] FIG 4.The electrical circuitry ofthe patch 2 is shown schematically. The signals supplied from electrodes 12 ofthe film strips 10 and 11 are passed via circuitry to the recording microchip 14 which forms part of a signal-processing chip and is mounted on the printedcircuit board 3 of the substrate 4. The recording microchip 14 is connected to re-chargeable battery 16 and to two external electrodes 17 which enable downloading of the data.

6] FIG 5. The electrical circuit for downloading the data from the eye dropper patch is shown in FIG 5. The external electrodes 22, transfer data from the patch by connection to the patch electrodes 17. The received data is transferred to the microprocessor 23 and is there submitted to adaptive filtering and other techniques for deriving signal representations of the eye dropper use. These representations are written to an ARM section of memory 24 of the unit 21 for storage. The microprocessor send out a connection devise 26 to allow uploading of data to a personal computer. The unit 21, is powered by a re-chargeable battery 28.

7] The location of the patch 2 on the eye dropper enable signals generated by the strips 10 and I I to be dependent on squeezing movements of the eye dropper while used for drop application; the strips 10 and I I also respond to the extent of eye drop squeezing.

8]The external electrodes of the patch 2 are intermittently connected to an electical circuit which allows downloading of data collection onto a computer system.

The data will then be further analyscd by computer software to provide a log of eye drop timings.

9] The patch 2 is removable from the eye dropper I to enable reuse of the patch once the eye dropper has reached its expiry date.

Claims

I) A method for measuring eye drop use in human subjects, comprising: a) Application to a standard eye dropper b) removable attaching the sensor to the eye drop, enabling removal at the end of the eye dropper use.

c) sensing elastic deformations of the eye dropper corresponding to squeezing during eye dropper use d) generating electrical signals representative of the elastic deformations; and e) transmitting the signals from a transmitter to a storage device.

2) The method as claimed in claim 1, in which the stored data may be periodically downloaded by the use of external electrodes.

3) The method as claimed in claw 2, further comprising steps of; a) storing the signals in a memory; and b) processing the signals to extract data corresponding to bottle squeezing 4) The method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a step of displaying the data.

5) The system as claimed in claim 1, in which said carrier is attached to the eye dropper by adhesion.