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| EyeCheck: Detecting Drugs Through Pupillometry |
| By Keith Martin, Assistant Editor |
| Published: 07/06/2001 |
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Measuring the pupil's reaction to light is a technique that has been used in the medical field since the 18th century. Knowing that this reaction is a key indicator to judge impairment, one company has taken this technique and added computer technology to create a portable, multi-use instrument for law enforcement and corrections. The EyeCheck by MCJ, Incorporated is able to measure drugs, alcohol and fatigue using the same pupillometry that doctors have used for years with a pen light to stimulate pupil contraction. The binocular-like device then measures the reaction and analyzes it, displaying the results for the user. 'This is a probable cause instrument,' says Judi Gerstein, Vice-President of MCJ. 'A screen with the EyeCheck takes about two minutes and twenty seconds, and lets [officers testing for drugs] screen out negative results. If [the device shows] a positive result, then they can then use urine testing.' By decreasing the need to administer urinalysis on all those being tested, the EyeCheck can provide a great cost savings to facilities, with urine tests costing up to $60 per individual. Cutting down on unnecessary urine tests also reduces an officer's exposure to biohazard, a large safety concern. The EyeCheck also has the ability to record and store hundreds of scans that can later be downloaded to other computers. With the ability to create a database of numerous tests from one individual either incarcerated or on parole, a department can keep a file of their different readings to access at any time. 'Let's say there is one individual in a prison who is checked continuously,' said MCJ President John Dal Santo. 'There is an established database of their tests and what a state or institution can do is follow that person over several years, even into rehab [through follow-up tests]. They build a database of their pupilary dynamics in which they can profile an individual forever.' West Virginia, Illinois Create Pilot Programs The West Virginia Division of Corrections has been testing EyeCheck technology since March, purchasing three of the devices to use in a work release center, minimum security prison and parole offices. Used as a probable cause screen, positive hits on the EyeCheck are followed up by urinalysis screens. Lance Lee, Probation and Parole Officer for the West Virginia DOC, has been traveling to a number of offices with the technology and has seen its effectiveness first-hand. According to Lee, during a normal day, an office that can do around four or five tests using urinalysis, but with the EyeCheck a recent trip produced 18 tests. Of the 18, there were five positive indications, which resulted in three urine tests and two individuals volunteering admission of drug or alcohol use, a testament to the mere presence of the technology. 'As soon as we pull it out [there are admissions of drug or alcohol use] and sometimes even before,' says Lee. 'There are so many ways to defeat a urinalysis screen, but you can't do this with the EyeCheck.' He adds that the device is easy to use, with the hardest part being the explanation of what will happen during the test to individuals and reassuring them that there will be no damage to their eyes, both of which are alleviated after the first test. Lee also notes that the ability to database an individual's tests is a great function and easy to access. 'We see and foresee great things with [EyeCheck],' says Jim Rubenstein, Acting Commissioner of the West Virginia DOC. 'It allows our facilities to expedite the testing process. [For other corrections departments], this is definitely something to look at and consider, especially with traditional testing methods and what the EyeCheck provides from a cost savings standpoint.' In May, the Illinois Senate passed a bill to create and implement a one-year pilot program to determine the effectiveness of pupillometter technology as an alternative to urine testing in screening people committed to the department of corrections who have alcohol or drug problems. The bill requires that the DOC use the technology in at least one facility and that the Director can expand the program as they see appropriate. A similar bill was passed last June to establish a pilot program for the Illinois State Police to measure fatigue or impairment by drugs or alcohol in motorists. Master Sergeant Tony Lebron of the Illinois State Police Training Academy has been using the EyeCheck device and says that there are benefits of this technology for corrections practitioners. 'If you have intensive probation, for example, you can have an officer operator go out there and give an individual the test over and over again, instead of repeatedly using urinalysis over and over again,' he says. '[EyeCheck] is just a different way to test where departments can save money and not mess with fluids.' Resources For more information on EyeCheck, contact: MCJ, Inc. 810 East State Street, Suite 104 Rockford, Illinois 61104 Phone: 815-966-0196 Fax: 815-966-0187 E-mail: EyeCheck@yahoo.com |
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