A “smart contact lens” can monitor eye pressure and manage and release glaucoma drugs to counteract any rises in this, preclinical research suggests.
The all-polymer, microfluidic lens, described in Science Translational Medicine, represents further progress towards personalized eye technologies in a “theranostic” approach that combines diagnostics and therapy.
The battery-free device was able to monitor intraocular pressure—the most prominent, modifiable risk factor for glaucoma—and could release glaucoma drugs timolol and brimonidine at pressure thresholds in animal studies.
The device could one day provide frequent, real-time pressure monitoring with responsive drug release for patients at home, offering an alternative to the infrequent gold-standard measurements in the office, which only occur every six to 12 months.
“This electronic- and power-free device combines softness, optical transparency, biocompatibility, and cost-effectiveness, offering a noninvasive approach to continuously monitor IOP and deliver individualized therapy,” reported Yuting Cai, PhD, from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and co-workers.
They added: “Beyond glaucoma, the platform is compatible with commercial soft contact lenses and can be reconfigured to monitor additional tear biomarkers, enabling a wider range of ocular care applications.”
Glaucoma is often referred to as the “silent thief of sight” and is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide.
Its prevalence is predicted to increase sharply due to aging populations, rising from 80 million people in 2020 to around 134 million in 2040.
Although it is progressive and incurable, early diagnosis and treatment can preserve vision and maintain quality of life, although this requires reliable tools to identify those at risk and deliver therapies.
While smart contact lenses represent a promising platform to deliver this, the need to embed electronics, power sources, and manufacturing costs represent potential barriers in terms of patient comfort and accessibility.
To address this, the team developed an all-polymer theranostic smart contact lens (AP-TSCL) capable of continuously measuring intraocular pressure with autonomous programmable drug delivery without the need for bulky electronic components or manual operation.
The lens integrates a noninvasive, real-time microfluidic sensor that measures intraocular pressure together with a multidose, feedback-responsive drug release unit.
A biomimetic silk sponge enhances both its sensing sensitivity and the consistency of drug delivery, providing high mechanical robustness and operates well over a physiological pressure range of 16 to 32 mmHg.
By coupling the intraocular pressure readout with pressure-gated drug release, the platform is designed to enhance therapeutic efficacy while reducing unnecessary exposure under normotensive conditions. This may help mitigate ocular irritation and systemic side effects associated with conventional topical β-blockers in susceptible patients, the authors explain.
Comprehensive in vitro, ex vivo studies in cow eyes, and in vivo studies in rabbits validated its biocompatibility, accuracy, and therapeutic efficacy, demonstrating its potential as a low-cost, patient-compliant platform for personalized glaucoma therapy in real-world settings.
“This power- and electronic-free SCL represents a remarkable advancement toward multifunctional ocular medical devices that integrate diagnostics and therapeutics for intelligent ocular health care delivery,” the research team maintained.
“It lays the groundwork for developing a family of pharmacy-on-a-contact-lens tools capable of delivering clinically relevant information about human health and establishes the foundation for next-generation, self-powered, electronic-free SCLs capable of accessible diagnosis and therapeutics.”
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