'Better' head injury test devised

Head injuries can put pressure on the eye

Scientists in Newcastle have developed a device which could help medics to assess patients with suspected head injuries much more accurately.

At the moment, they shine a light into patients' eyes to see how the pupil responds. If it's sluggish, there may be serious head injuries.

But it is not always reliable, partly because it relies on human judgement.

This new device uses electronic technology and is more reliable, New Scientist magazine reports.

Hand-held device

The hand-held device or pupilometer comprises a digital camera, two infra-red light-emitting diodes, an ordinary light bulb, a microprocessor and a liquid crystal display.

It is placed within 28mm of the patient's eye and is held there for less than a second.

In theory it sounds great Roland Furber, British Paramedic Association

It emits a short burst of bright light and records the reaction of the eye to this light.

Image processing software is then used to determine whether the pupil is reacting normally.

The scientists at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust who developed the device say it could make the job of doctors and paramedics much easier.

But they also believe that it could be used to detect subtle changes in the eye that may go unnoticed by the human eye.

"Detecting these changes before they become a serious clinical problem would be very useful," said Andrew Clark, a medical technologist at the trust and a member of the team that developed the device.

Medical Device Management, a company in Essex, is developing the pupilometer commercially.

They are hoping to launch it at a trade fair in Düsseldorf, Germany, later this year.

The British Paramedic Association said it would be keen to find out more about the device.

"In theory it sounds great," Roland Furber, its chief executive, told BBC News Online. "It certainly would be more objective."