Glaucoma check at whisk of a pen

The Diaton tonometer received a lot of attention at the Arab Health Exhibition and Congress held in February in Dubai.

In fact, the 85,000 visitors at the 38th edition of the event were so fascinated by the quick and painless glaucoma diagnostic tool that many opted to be screened for elevated eye pressure in seconds, at the venue. The tonometer does not need contact and therefore does not require anaesthetic drops or sterilisation, and poses no risk of infection or scratches to the cornea.

Portable and handheld, the pen-like Diaton can be used with great ease in traditional settings. More importantly, it can prove invaluable in rural areas that need emergency glaucoma screening, for obtaining measurements and treating immobilised patients. Patients do not need to remove their contact lenses for tests and the tonometer gives reliable measurements, making it easy to diagnose glaucoma in its early stages.

Russian manufacturer Ryazan State Instrument along with American partner BiCOM Inc presented the tonometer at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology’s Annual Meeting 2013 as well, with specialists demonstrating how best to work with it. Two papers were also presented at the event, held in Seattle in May. The first report presented by a group of Mexican scientists, showcased the high accuracy of Diaton during two years of research, and its necessity in the ophthalmologic equipment market.

A second report by scientists from the University of Illinois in Chicago said Diaton tonometry can be applied to patients after keratoprostheses (KPro). Currently, it is the only device that can be easily used to monitor patients with KPro.

BiCOM is reviewing partnership inquiries from medical distributors in the Middle East. Roman Iospa, CEO, BiCOM, says, “We are excited to see so much interest and are proud to offer the latest glaucoma testing technology to the growing health care market in the Middle East.”

Plans are afoot to launch the Diaton tonometer in regional markets in the next few months.