Glasswing Butterfly Inspires Glaucoma-Reading Implant

May-01-18 The wings of the glasswing butterfly have inspired a more effective eye implant for monitoring glaucoma.

The effects of glaucoma can be mitigated if patients take medication as soon as their eye pressure spikes—but eye pressure is often only checked in a doctor’s office. To allow for a quicker response, the team from Cal Tech created an implant that will flex in response to eye pressure. The change in pressure can be read by a handheld device, allowing users to frequently check their pressure at home. However, the reading device must be held at a precise 90-degree angle to get a proper reading.

To make it easier to obtain accurate readings, the team incorporated the structure of the glasswing butterfly wings, which are coated with nanopillars that make the wings antireflective from any angle. This addition allows the reading device to be held at varying angles and still obtain accurate measurements.

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[NEWATLAS.COM]
[CALTECH.EDU]

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