Tear Film Imager (TFI) device can soon detect Covid-19 in the eye. TFI is fast, affordable, non-invasive and can assess the tear film in just 40 seconds.
- New Tear Film Imager (TFI) device is being studied to detect Covid-19 in the eye's tear film
- TFI is a non-invasive that can detect when a virus layer is present in the eye and can quantify it
- Clinicians can get a detailed assessment of the health of the tear film in just 40 seconds
"The world urgently needs new diagnostic tools to help assess and diagnose aggressive viruses in a non-invasive manner and with speed and efficiency," AdOM CTO Raanan Gefen was quoted as saying.
The TFI device is a non-invasive piece of medical equipment designed to simultaneously measure the mucins -- proteins that hydrate the tear ducts -- and the lipid sub-layers of the eye that prevent the eyes from drying out due to evaporation.
The diagnostic device works at a resolution depth of a few nanometers, and can provide clinicians with a detailed assessment of the health of the tear film sub-layers within just 40 seconds.
The device can also detect when a "virus layer" is present in the eye and can quantify it. As previously observed in a concept study at Wolfson Medical Center, it has been able to correctly identify corona in patients at the same rate as a PCR test, the report said.
Gefen noted that the TFI device could then be used as a point of diagnostic care in many venues such as airports, sporting arenas and businesses that want to have a simple, non-invasive test to determine the status of entering crowds.
Source-IANS