Contact Lens That Can Release Drug Could Be Used To Treat Glaucoma (theguardian.com) 12
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: 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. The arrangement appears to give the effect of the wearer having golden irises. However, the team say the design allows the necessary components to be included in the device without blocking the wearer's view or irritating the eye.
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. The study reveals that the contact lenses have so far been tested on pigs' eyes and on the eyes of living rabbits -- albeit with smaller-sized lenses -- although trials have yet to be carried out in humans. The researchers note the lenses are not only soft and minimally invasive but are also battery-free, adding that the approach could be expanded to help tackle other eye diseases. "We can now imagine that a glaucoma sufferer wearing these contact lenses will not only receive real-time information about the pressures within the eye, since the contact lens has built-in wireless capacity and can easily communicate with an app on your smartphone, but also receive, for example, pressure-relieving drugs when needed," said Prof Zubair Ahmed from the Institute of Inflammation and Aging at the University of Birmingham. "The materials required to create such contact lenses are inexpensive and soon could be mass-produced," he added.
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. The study reveals that the contact lenses have so far been tested on pigs' eyes and on the eyes of living rabbits -- albeit with smaller-sized lenses -- although trials have yet to be carried out in humans. The researchers note the lenses are not only soft and minimally invasive but are also battery-free, adding that the approach could be expanded to help tackle other eye diseases. "We can now imagine that a glaucoma sufferer wearing these contact lenses will not only receive real-time information about the pressures within the eye, since the contact lens has built-in wireless capacity and can easily communicate with an app on your smartphone, but also receive, for example, pressure-relieving drugs when needed," said Prof Zubair Ahmed from the Institute of Inflammation and Aging at the University of Birmingham. "The materials required to create such contact lenses are inexpensive and soon could be mass-produced," he added.
Sounds unnecessarly complex & invasive (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
...or laser day-surgery, which for glaucoma means a 15-minute session, no sedation required, and they simply poke a few tiny holes in the corner of your eye with a laser to let the pressure out. Most people only require a couple of very safe and simple sessions like that and their glaucoma worries are over.
Re:Sounds unnecessarly complex & invasive (Score:4, Informative)
That doesn't yet fix it in everyone, and it depends on the cause of the glaucoma. It can reduce the need for medication, but often the need for medication still exists. Reference: https://www.reviewofophthalmol... [reviewofop...mology.com]
Re: (Score:2)
It's true, it doesn't work for everybody, but my doctor said it worked for a large percentage of his patients. There's also another, more niche-case surgery that involves install an actual vent in your eye.
I'm glad the laser surgery worked for me. It was quick and easy, so far just two 15-minute sessions over several years. Before they discovered the glaucoma I lost 1/4 sight in one eye (and never even knew it! The brain does amazing things to route around damaged vision). The laser surgery has 100% stopped
Re: (Score:3)
Oh really, Dr Oz (that is you, right?), do you have any evidence to back up your claims? This contact lens can actually monitor for intra ocular pressure changes and react to that. That sounds better for both treatment and research than putting a drop a day generically. I am not saying you are wrong, but that your claim requires evidence.
Golden iris (Score:2)
So... Data had glaucoma?
Re: (Score:3)
Cost and other concerns (Score:4, Interesting)
My verdict - it sounds interesting from as a technical proof-of-concept, but there is now way I'll ever have the confidence to entrust this to the upkeep of my own vision - what's left of it. Also, it sounds like it wouldn't be cheap, irrespective of their claims.
Re: Cost and other concerns (Score:2)
Did you try any of the surgery options?
I seem to recall this story from several years ago (Score:2)
I don't think this basic idea is at all new. It's just never been (widely? outside the lab?) implemented for one reason or another. Perhaps if I were a specialist in the area I'd be amazed at their newer and better approach, but from a high level perspective it's just more of the same.
No thanks! (Score:3)
I'm perfectly happy with the existing glaucoma treatment. I don't actually have glaucoma, but cannabis makes me happy.