New technology can help track vital changes in the eye, and determine if a trip to the eye doctor is warranted.

Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a low-power sensor that can be  placed permanently in a patient’s eye to monitor changes in eye pressure. The sensor is embedded with a synthetic lens during surgery to remove cataracts and can sense these pressure changes immediately. The data can then be wirelessly transmitted with the use of radio frequency waves.

Karl Böhringer, a UW professor of electrical engineering, is encouraged by the ability to track changes in the eye, despite perceptions of placing electronics inside the lens of the eye as somewhat radical.

“We have shown this is possible in principle. If you can fit this sensor device into an intraocular lens implant during cataract surgery, it won’t require any further surgery for patients,” said Böhringer in a statement.

Many times, damages in vision is noticed too late in a patient, leaving physicians unable to effectively treat them by the time glaucoma is diagnosed. There’s also little way to determine the effectiveness of medications. As a result, many patients aren’t diagnosed early or accurately enough.

Glaucoma and cataracts affect a similar aging demographic. For this reason, placing a pressure monitoring device in a new lens while cataract surgery is being performed makes sense.

The results of the study are published in the Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering.