What is an ultrasonic therapy device?
Characteristics seen from the history of the development of the ultrasonic therapy device "i-power"
What is the “ultrasound” in the ultrasonic therapy device? We often hear the term "ultrasound", but we don't really know much about what it is or what it actually entails. What is "ultrasound"? And, while introducing the history of the development of ultrasonic therapy equipment, we will introduce its features in detail.
Application of ultrasound to ophthalmology is a demand of the times
Ultrasound is sound that humans cannot hear.
Generally, the range of frequencies that humans can hear (audible range) is between 20 Hz for low sounds and 20,000 Hz for high sounds. These sounds that humans can hear are called audible frequencies. Sound waves with a higher frequency than this, that is, "high-frequency sound waves that cannot be detected by the human auditory system" are called ultrasound. Conversely, sound waves with a frequency lower than the audible frequency, that is, "low-frequency sound waves that cannot be detected by the human auditory system" are called low frequencies.
However, in a broader sense, ultrasound refers to "sound waves that are not intended to be heard directly by the human ear." In other words, even sound waves below 20,000 hertz are ultrasonic if they are not intended to be heard directly. In other words, even if the sound waves used are in the audible range, the application of sound waves that are not intended for human hearing is defined as ultrasound technology and is called "low-band ultrasound." is.
(You can hear a beeping sound from the ultrasonic therapy device. This is because it uses 12,000 Hz ultrasonic waves in a broad sense.)
Sound travels by vibrating through the air. The vibration wave has a wide range from high vibration waves to low vibration waves and has various characteristics. Therefore, it has been researched and used in many fields. Typical examples are fish finders used in fishing, medical scanners for externally diagnosing the internal condition of the body, and massage devices that use vibration waves.
Ultrasound was initially used in the field of physical therapy as a massage device, but it was considered difficult to apply it to ophthalmology.
Since the eyeball to be treated is an extremely delicate tissue and the eyeball itself is very small, the projection of ultrasonic waves was considered to be dangerous. After all, very high frequency ultrasound can be destructive. You have to identify what is the right amount of vibration for your eyeballs. A control technique is also required to ensure that the appropriate and specified ultrasound waves are projected onto the cells of the eyeball.
However, application to ophthalmology was a request of the times.
Dr. Yamamoto completes "hand-held ultrasonic therapeutic device for ophthalmology"
Clinical trials were conducted in patients aged 10 years and older.
A group led by Dr. Yukio Yamamoto, a world-renowned authority on ophthalmology, began using ultrasound to treat myopia. In 1962, Dr. Yamamoto, with the cooperation of Associate Professor Matsuno Iwatake and Lecturer Hiroshi Ishida of Shibaura Institute of Technology, finally completed a hand-held ultrasonic treatment device for ophthalmology.
Research on this "hand-held ultrasonic therapeutic device" was presented at the 16th Congress of the Japanese Society of Clinical Ophthalmology and then at the 1st International Society of Myopia in 1964, and received a great response not only in Japan but also overseas.
According to Dr. Yamamoto's research paper, in his clinical experiments at that time, patients aged 10 years or older with pseudomyopia and true myopia for more than 2 years were treated 20 times at intervals of 1 to 2 days. It is said that the treatment was performed by projecting ultrasonic waves to one eye for 10 minutes each time. As a result, improvement in visual acuity was seen in 2 to 3 weeks, and many people said that their visual acuity improved immediately after the first projection.
A follow-up study of subsequent treatment effects has also been added. According to it, as a result of observation over a period of more than a year after the start of ultrasound, it was found that the refractive index of the eyeball improved as well as the visual acuity of myopic patients.
The fact that the refractive index of the cornea has improved means that the improvement in myopia is not temporary, and furthermore, it can be said that there is a fundamental therapeutic effect to stop the progression of myopia. In this way, the Handheld Ophthalmic Ultrasound Therapy Device received the first approval from the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
Safe and free of side effects, this is a must!
The eye is a very fine organ.
That is why ultrasonic waves used for treatment by projecting directly onto the eyes must be absolutely safe and free of side effects. This is a mandatory condition.
Low-band longitudinal wave ultrasound, which is used in ultrasonic therapy equipment that was approved by the government in 2003, has the following characteristics.
- The acoustic output is extremely weak even in ultrasonic waves.
- The oscillation frequency is an appropriate low-band frequency oscillation frequency corresponding to the natural oscillation frequency of human living tissue cells.
- Vibrations are deeply absorbed by tissue cells without resistance and cause no damage.
This means that it is safe and has no side effects.
As a side note, it is very interesting to note that the same effect appears not only in the eye that projects ultrasound, but also in the other eye that does not project ultrasound. It is often said that both eyes are connected, and that if one eye goes bad the other will go bad, but the opposite can also happen.
The ultrasonic therapy device is a therapy device that can be used easily in various scenes.
A shortcut to recovering eyesight Ultrasonic waves reach deep into the eyes and massage
Massage the deep parts of the eyes that cannot be reached by hand to relieve eye stiffness.
The ultrasonic waves emitted by the ultrasonic therapy device are soft micro-vibrations 24,000 times per second.
This fine vibration reaches the deep part of the eye. The advantage of ultrasound is that the vibrations are not blocked by the surface layers of the body and act on the inside. In other words, it works as a micromassage at the cellular level. The stiffness of the ciliary muscles, which cannot be loosened even when taken out, can be eliminated by applying ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic therapy device.
In addition, if you gently massage the entire eyeball with micromassage, the blood circulation in the eyeball will be promoted and the metabolism will be activated. Furthermore, the retina with improved blood circulation enhances its resolution, and it becomes a state of "clear vision".
As a result, the ciliary muscles that have regained their elasticity smoothen the adjustment of the crystalline lens, which brings the retina into focus and leads to the recovery of visual acuity.
What happens when you apply an ultrasound therapy device to your eyes?
What happens to the eyeballs when micromassage is performed with an ultrasonic therapy device? Let's take a look at the progress of this process based on an example from a clinical trial.
After switching on and applying ultrasound for 10 minutes, you will see the following direct effects:
First, the retinal vessels of the eyeball dilate.
The blood vessels of the retina have arteries that supply fresh blood and veins that collect waste products, and the degree of dilation of the arteries in particular increases. In addition, it has been measured that the expansion rate increases as it goes to the periphery, and significant improvement in blood circulation can be seen.
Improvements due to the micromassage effect are not limited to blood circulation.
The hardness of the eyeball wall is softened, and the intraocular pressure is lowered. This happens because the eye tissue regains flexibility.
Second, the outflow resistance of the aqueous humor that fills and circulates within the eye is weakened. Because the flexibility is restored, the aqueous humor is released more easily. In addition, the ability to produce fresh aqueous humor also increases.
In addition, the growth of bacteria living in the eyeball is suppressed.
There were so many functions of micromassage!
Let's summarize the synergistic effects of micromassage.
- Metabolism of eye cells <br> Promotes the metabolism of the entire complex eye cells, including muscles and optic nerves.
- Enhancement of oxygen response <br>Oxygen is essential for metabolism and is constantly supplied to cells through blood. When the necessary oxygen is supplied to the cells of the eye, it is depleted in the supplying capillaries. It has been confirmed that the micromassage effect enhances this oxygen reaction.
- Enhancement of nutrition <br>The supply of nutrients to the eyeball is activated.
- Increased Oxygen Supply <br>Increases oxygen supply to the eyeballs.
- Destruction of parasitic bacteria <br>Bacteria that are parasitic on eye tissue are reduced.
- Inflammation Suppression/Sedation <br>Inflammation is not only painful, but it can also be vague or unconscious. It has an anti-inflammatory and soothing effect. The refreshing feeling you feel after using the ultrasonic therapy device is brought about by this anti-inflammatory action.