A Stretchable and Transparent Electrode for Visual Electrophysiological Acquisition.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology and Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science for Medical Devices

Background:

• Visual impairments are a major global health concern.
• Electrophysiological (EP) testing is crucial for diagnosing eye diseases.
• Existing electrodes lack mechanical adaptability and reusability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel stretchable and transparent electrode (STE) for visual EP acquisition.
• To evaluate the mechanical flexibility and diagnostic performance of the STE.
• To address the limitations of traditional electrodes in ophthalmic diagnostics.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of an STE using a conductive paste/indium tin oxide layer on a polymethyl methacrylate substrate.
• Implementation of an island-bridge design for enhanced mechanical flexibility.
• Testing the STE's performance under various strain conditions and comparing it to commercial electrodes in electroretinogram (ERG), electrooculography (EOG), and visual evoked potential (VEP) acquisition.

Main Results:

• The STE demonstrated reliable performance after 1000 cycles of 25% lateral and 18% diagonal strain.
• The STE exhibited exceptional mechanical flexibility and seamless attachment to soft tissue.
• Optimized STE achieved a signal-to-noise ratio comparable to commercial electrodes and equivalent performance in ERG, EOG, and VEP acquisition.

Conclusions:

• The developed STE offers superior mechanical adaptability and reusability compared to traditional electrodes.
• The STE provides comparable diagnostic precision to commercial electrodes for various visual EP tests.
• The STE holds significant potential for clinical adoption in ophthalmic diagnostics, enhancing patient comfort and diagnostic accuracy.