Contact lens that can release drug could be used to treat glaucoma
Contact lens that can release drug could be used to treat glaucoma
A contact lens that can release a drug if it detects high pressure within the eye has been created by scientists who say it could help treat glaucoma.
Glaucoma is an eye disease that involves damage to the optic nerve, and can lead to blindness if not treated.
According to the charity Glaucoma UK, the most common form of the disease, known as primary open angle glaucoma, is thought to affect almost 10% of people older than 75. This form is generally caused by increased pressure within the eye, usually as a result of a buildup of fluid.
Researchers in China revealed they have developed a contact lens that can sense an increase in pressure within the eye and release an anti-glaucoma drug should the pressure exceed a certain level.
Writing in the journal Nature Communications, the team describe how they created the device using an upper and lower lens, with a snowflake-shaped pressure sensor and wireless power transfer device sandwiched between them around the rim of the lenses.
When the pressure inside the eye increases, the gap between the upper and lower lenses decreases. This is detected by the pressure sensor by means of a cantilever. The sensor then sends a signal to the wireless system which subsequently triggers the release of an anti-glaucoma drug, from a hydrogel attached to an electrode, and enables it to cross the cornea of the eye. The drug, brimonidine, acts to reduce the pressure within the eye.
