Scientists have been working toward addressing the fact that up to 59 percent of glaucoma patients regularly skip their drops, even though untreated glaucoma can lead to blindness. A possible solution is a method that utilizes the contact lens to dispense the drug into the body.
According to the wired.com article:
Researchers have been working for nearly a decade on drug-dispensing contact lenses that could deliver eye medication more effectively, but they've struggled to design a lens that releases a continuous supply of the meds. Now, scientists report that they've created a contact lens that can deliver a high concentration of antibiotic at a constant rate for more than 30 days.
Apparently, doughnut shape of drug-containing portion of the lens allows the drug to be absorbed without affecting the wearer's vision.
To make their lens, the researchers took a biodegradable polymer called PLGA and dissolved it in an organic solvent, and then they added their drug. As the solvent evaporated, they were left with drug mixed into a polymer film. Finally, they coated the film in a hydrogel called pHEMA, which is the same material that’s used to make regular contact lenses.
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