State of the art and perspectives on the fabrication of functional contact lenses

Functional multi-purpose contact lenses have recently attracted attention as suitable means to exploit the characteristics of eyes to diagnose diseases and for drug delivery. In this paper, we provide insights into the design and fabrication of specific prototype contact lenses suitable for wearers with dry eye conditions. The main objective is to integrate a combined system, which constitutes a biosensor for hydration monitoring and a saline solution delivery system, embedded on flexible polymer based substrates. We discuss the state of art and current research progress in smart contact lenses and provide initial hints of the proposed solution and identify specific challenges.

[1]  P. Clarys,et al.  Non‐invasive electrical measurements for the evaluation of the hydration state of the skin: comparison between three conventional instruments ‐ the Comeometer®, the Skicon® and the Nova DPM® , 1999 .

[2]  Robert Langer,et al.  Design and Testing of an Impedance-Based Sensor for Monitoring Drug Delivery , 2005 .

[3]  J W Shell,et al.  Ophthalmic drug delivery systems , 1984, Survey of ophthalmology.

[4]  Joseph R Lakowicz,et al.  A glucose-sensing contact lens: from bench top to patient. , 2005, Current opinion in biotechnology.

[5]  T. Yamamoto,et al.  Dispersion and correlation of the parameters for skin impedance , 2006, Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing.

[6]  John W. Shell.  Ophthalmic drug delivery systems , 1984 .

[7]  B C Polak,et al.  [Dry eyes]. , 1982, Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde.

[8]  B. Parviz,et al.  Contact lens with integrated inorganic semiconductor devices , 2008, 2008 IEEE 21st International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems.

[9]  Woon-Hong Yeo,et al.  Epidermal Differential Impedance Sensor for Conformal Skin Hydration Monitoring , 2012, Biointerphases.

[10]  H. De Smet,et al.  Design and Wrinkling Behavior of a Contact Lens With an Integrated Liquid Crystal Light Modulator , 2012, Journal of Display Technology.

[11]  B.A. Parviz.  For your eye only , 2009, IEEE Spectrum.

[12]  Terrance E. Boult,et al.  For your eyes only , 2012, 2012 IEEE Workshop on the Applications of Computer Vision (WACV).

[13]  London,et al.  Biochemistry of the Eye , 1971 .

[14]  A. Pirie,et al.  The Biochemistry of the Eye , 1960, Nature.

[15]  John Yan.  An unpowered, wireless contact lens pressure sensor for point-of-care glaucoma diagnosis , 2011, 2011 Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society.

[16]  P. Sado,et al.  Ophthalmic drug delivery systems—Recent advances , 1998, Progress in Retinal and Eye Research.

[17]  J. Lindell,et al.  Continuous Intraocular Pressure Monitoring by Means of the Sensimed Triggerfish® System , 2011 .