June 9, 2021
(LOS ANGELES) – Contact lenses have long been considered as a standard of care for vision correction. However, they may also be fashioned into wearable devices for use as diagnostic and therapeutic tools. These so-called smart contact lenses contain wireless sensors that detect and measure bodily metabolites found in human tears; the data collected serves as diagnostic indicators of a person’s health. Smart contact lenses can also be used as drug delivery vehicles which deliver drugs directly into the tear film. This improves the drug’s efficacy and reduces its side effects.
Because of the unique features of smart contact lenses and their promising biomedical applications, much work has been invested in research on their materials, design, fabrication, and technological integration.
A group of scientists from the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation has written a thorough review on various types of smart contact lenses and their capabilities. Their publication is featured as the cover story in a recent issue of Advanced Intelligent Systems:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/aisy.202170047