New technology: A more realistic model eye

grad studentsWhile Chau-Minh Phan and Hendrik Walther were not the first to try to come up with a better in vitro system to test contact lens deposition and drug delivery, their tenacious approach in developing various iterations of the OcuFlow has produced a remarkable, patented device capable of simulating key aspects of the natural blink.

When it’s not practical to measure contact lens performance in vivo, what is the best way to simulate the ocular environment? While we can extrapolate results to predict in vivo lens performance, conventional in vitro methods are limited by conditions too far removed from the human eye.

While Chau-Minh Phan and Hendrik Walther were not the first to try to come up with a better in vitro system to test contact lens deposition and drug delivery, their tenacious approach in developing various iterations of the OcuFlow has produced a remarkable, patented device capable of simulating key aspects of the natural blink.

In addition to incorporating a range of motion representative of the lid’s vertical “blink” movement, the device is also able to take into consideration the intermittent air exposure that occurs between blinks and the potential to tailor and mimic fluid volume and flow of the natural tear film. Additionally, adjustable amounts of test solutions (i.e. artificial tears, protein and lipid solutions) can be released separately via separate sources, flow-through solution can be collected for in vitro analysis, and blink rate and extent of mechanical rubbing can be programmed.

See the video below and learn more about the OcuFlow here.