A team of researchershave created contact lenses that will release drugs when they detect high pressure in the eye. They can be used to treat glaucoma.It is an eye disease that involves damage to the optic nerve, which can lead to blindness if left untreated.

Figure 1: drug releasing contact lenses.

Figure 1 shows that researchers describe how they created a device using upper and lower lenses with a snowflake-shaped pressure sensor and a wireless power transmission device clamped around the edge of the lens. The developers claim that the design allows you to include the necessary components in the device without obstructing the view of the user and without irritating the eyes. [1]

Vitamin E complexes:

“The drug has to circumnavigate the vitamin E complexes, thus remaining in contact with the ocular surface for a longer period,” Adams explained.

The elution rates can be varied by varying the concentrations of the vitamin E, that is, the higher the vitamin E concentration, the slower the rate of drug release is and vice versa.

Adams and colleagues have envisioned a number of uses for this contact lens platform: as an antibiotic to treat corneal ulcers and abrasions; to lower intraocular pressure in patients with glaucoma; to treat cystinosis, a rare metabolic disorder in which crystals form in the cornea; and dry eye.

Evaluation:

Evaluations of the technology the lens was tested initially on beagles with glaucoma to evaluate the extended-release capabilities of the lens, which contained the glaucoma drug dorzolamide hydrochloride-timolol maleate ophthalmic solution, The contact lens was put on the cornea for 50 hours. At that point, the contact lenses no longer contained the drug and the IOP in the Beagle eye remained low for nine days after the lens was removed. “That was a very important result,” Adams said. [2]

Sensor:

Once the sensor detects that the pressure exceeds a specific level, it sends a signal to a tiny wireless power transfer device also located within the lens. The device orders a hydrogel to release a drug called brimonidine, which counteracts the pressure build-up. While it sounds as though there are a lot of components packed into each lens, the researchers say the lenses are soft, non-irritating, and battery-free, making them both comfortable and convenient to wear.

So far, the lenses have been tested on pigs and rabbits, though the team is planning human trials.[3]

References:

1. https://mezha.media/en/2022/05/18/drug-releasing-contact-lenses-can-be-used-to-treat-glaucoma/
2. https://www.ophthalmologytimes.com/view/understanding-the-biological-causes-and-cell-types-that-lead-to-one-of-the-leading-causes-of-irreversible-blindness-worldwide-could-benefit-treatment-in-patients
3. https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/335935-intelligent-drug-releasing-contact-lenses-could-help-treat-glaucoma

Cite this article:

Sri Vasagi K (2022), GlaucomaTreated by Using Drug-Releasing Contact Lenses, Anatechmaz, pp. 313