Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer recently announced that a hospital in Israel would begin to conduct an eye examination through the Tear Film Imager or TFI to detect coronavirus infection.
As specified in a San Diego Jewish World, the said Israeli hospital has started to recruit volunteer participants for the world's largest known study research for COVID-19 detection within the surface of the eye.
It will be testing TFI developed by Advanced Optical Technologies, taking a noninvasive measurement of the tear film, can diagnose and determine effectively if an individual is infected with COVID-19.
Essentially, the tear film is a fluid layer that covers the eye's outer mucosal surface. TFI, on the other hand, measures the dynamic properties of the inner layers of the tear film with the use of a "single non-contact measurement" while enabling people to blink naturally. The entire process of measurement takes approximately 40 seconds for each eye.
Eye Examination for COVID-19 Detection
Jewish News Syndicate reported that the first patient for the said eye examination in the Israeli hospital has already been enrolled in the research, which is expected to last for 30 days. JNS also reported that at least 500 people are expected to partake in the study.
According to Raanan Gefen, AdOM, chief technology officer, "The world needs new diagnostic tools" to help in the assessment of aggressive viruses in a non-invasive approach "with speed and efficiency."
Nevertheless, the company official added that the test needs to meet the rigors of high sensitivity, which is a trademark of an approvable diagnostic device.
Different SARS strains and aggressive flu variants are threatening the global population, Gefen said, adding that they are devising the TFI virus-detection technology for high sensitivity within these large groups.
TFI vs. PCR Test
Specifically, the research will compare the accuracy of the TFI use to undergoing PCR tests. If the newly developed technology succeeds, the company will apply for regulatory approval.
Professor Eyal Zimlichman, deputy director-general and chief transformation officer at Sheba's ARC Innovation Center and chief investigator of the trial said, their goal is to have hundreds of both symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients, regardless of the variant, even including those who have recovered, to find out how the TFI device is different from the "existing PCR standard of care."
An earlier proof-of-concept study carried out at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon demonstrated that the FFI could correctly detect COVID-19 or negative results compared to a PCR test.
The new research will verify the TFI in an "all-comers" background to find out if it continues to have equal efficacy as the PCR while being more rapid and non-invasive, a similar Cleveland Jewish News report said.
As explained by Gefen, if proven to have a strong association with PCR, this innovation can be a game-changer, as the TFI device can be used as a point-of-care diagnostic in several venues like airports, sporting arenas, and businesses that want to have a simple, non-invasive COVID-19 test to identify the status of entering crowds.
Related information about the eye examination for COVID-19 is shown on wallytron101's YouTube video below:
