Eye scanner can identify drug users

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Drug testing in the Travis County Drug Court Program will be done in a matter of seconds thanks to a new device which scans the eye for signs of drug use.

The PassPoints Oculomotor Testing Device was approved for the drug court program on Tuesday. It will test for drug use, partially replacing the more expensive, more invasive, and time consuming urine analysis test.

"We thought this would be a win-win from a budgetary standpoint and for clients,” said drug court manager Sharon Caldwell-Hernandez.

Members of the program will initially be tested sober for baseline levels. Each test after that, which involves an eye-scan and breathalyzer, will be able to determine if drug use could be present by comparing results to normal levels.

“It will help out day-to-day work flow because we will get results immediately,” said Caldwell-Hernandez.

Urine analysis will still be conducted for tests that come back positive, however, eliminating the need for negative eye-tests will help the program save money.

The cost of urine analysis had reached $35 dollars a test and with more than 3,000 tests in 2010, the drug court program spent more than $100,000.

The Passpoint system is being leased for $42,000 a year and will allow for more frequent tests without the budgetary constraints according Caldwell-Hernandez.

Dallas County recently adopted the PassPoint system.

The success of PassPoint in the drug court program could determine if Travis County probation programs adopt the same technology in the future.