An Israeli company is conducting a study on a device that measures tear film — a thin fluid layer covering the ocular surface, which may help detect Covid-19 disease through a simple eye test.

The tear film is a thin fluid layer covering the ocular surface, responsible for the eye’s surface comfort, mechanical, environmental and immune protection, and epithelial health. It also forms a smooth refractive surface for vision, Jerusalem Post reported, IANS reported.

The study seeks to determine whether the Tear Film Imager (TFI) device can “effectively diagnose and determine Covid-19 in a fast, affordable, non-invasive assessment of the eye’s tear film”, the company Advanced Optical Methods (AdOM) announced late on Thursday.

The diagnostic device works at a resolution depth of a few nanometers, and can provide clinicians with a detailed assessment of the health of the tear film sub-layers within just 40 seconds.

The device can also detect when a “virus layer” is present in the eye and can quantify it.

The new study will expand on the concept study and observe the use of the TFI in comparison to PCR diagnostic testing on a larger scale. The study, expected to take 30 days to complete, will observe 500 patients, the report said.