Research takes electroretinography to the next level with a soft multi-electrode system
Key Takeaways
- Electroretinography (ERG), a test that measures the electrical responses of cells in the retina, can be used to detect eye diseases, but current ERG measurement devices have drawbacks.
- Researchers have developed a new, more comfortable device that can measure ERG signals from multiple parts of the retina at once.
Among the arsenal of tools ophthalmologists have at their disposal, electroretinography (ERG) still holds much-untapped potential. Simply put, ERG measures the electrical responses of neurons (nerve cells) and other cells in the retina (the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye) from the surface of the cornea(the clear outer layer at the front of the eye). Many ocular diseases cause abnormalities in a person’s ERG signals, including glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa, and diabetic retinopathy.
Although many types of ERG measurement devices exist, few ERG electrodes can measure multiple localized ERG signals from different regions of the retina at the same time. In addition, in most cases, such measurements are performed using electrodes placed on hard contact lenses. This makes the procedure complex, expensive, and particularly uncomfortable for the patient.
Against this background, a research team led by Professor Takeo Miyake from Waseda University, Japan, set out to develop a new type of soft ERG multi-electrode system to overcome these issues. Their latest study, published in Advanced Materials Technologies, describes their findings.
The proposed system utilizes an innovative process to create a flexible and highly transparent multi-electrode system for ERG measurements that is just as comfortable as commercial disposable contact lenses. The researchers carefully tested the properties of their multi-electrodes and conducted experiments on rabbits. Miyake commented, “Our device was used in animal experiments, confirming its biocompatibility and suggesting a correlation between the location of the electrodes and the intensity of the recorded ERG signals. In other words, our design could enable precise spatial measurements of multiple ERG signals simultaneously.”
Taken together, the findings of this study could help us better understand and diagnose ocular diseases. Miyake noted, “A smart contact lens such as the one developed in this work could be connected to a local network to transmit the eye’s health condition to an ophthalmologist or health care specialist while the user is performing their daily routine. Such systems could prevent irreparable damage to the eyes.”
Edited by Miriam Kaplan, PhD
Source: Waseda University, Medical Xpress, May 13, 2024; see source article