Smart contact lenses deliver glaucoma drug directly to the eye
Researchers have engineered contact lenses embedded with metal-organic frameworks that release glaucoma medication slowly and steadily into the eye. The innovation cuts drug washout by more than fourfold compared to existing eye drops, potentially transforming treatment compliance and outcomes for millions of patients while opening a new market for therapeutic wearables.
Originaltitel: Modification of contact lenses via metal-organic frameworks for glaucoma treatment
<p>The prevention of blindness from glaucoma requires multiple treatments to lower intraocular pressure. Here, human contact lenses are modified with highly porous metal-organic frameworks with sustained release of brimonidine for prolonged glaucoma treatment. Various metal-organic frameworks were screened for their attachment to lenses, loading with brimonidine, and drug-release properties. Optimized therapeutic ocular lenses conjugated with MIL-101(Cr) frameworks maintain optical transparency and power. Coating of lenses with MIL-101(Cr) nanoparticles reduced brimonidine washout with tears and ensured a gradual and localized release of the drug into the eyeball through the cornea. The hybrid lenses provided a 4.5-fold better decrease in eye pressure, compared by area under the curve (AUC) value to a commercially available brimonidine tartrate solution. Therapeutic lenses did not induce any notable eye irritation or corneal damage in vivo. The newly developed hybrid lenses are expected to provide a robust platform for the therapy and prevention of various ocular diseases.</p>