Could Contact Lenses Release Medication to your Eyes?

Lots of us wear contact lenses, sure. But did you know scientists are working on contacts that actually deliver medication through the lens, itself?  

This could be particularly beneficial for for those suffering from glaucoma, the worlds number one cause of irreversible blindness, according to researchers at Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital and MIT, who came up with the idea.

The 'smart' contact lens features a thin polymer film of latanoprost that's most commonly used to treat glaucoma. At this point, scientists have been able to confidently ensure a transfer of the medicine to the aqueous humor of the eye via the lens.

"In general, eye drops are an inefficient method of drug delivery that has notoriously poor patient adherence," said Dr. Joseph Ciolino, Massachusetts Eye and Ear cornea specialist and lead author of the paper, via Yahoo News UK. "This contact lens design can potentially be used as a treatment for glaucoma and as a platform for other ocular drug delivery applications."

Various reports note that the lenses are made from the same silicone hydrogel that's typically used in the standard 'soft' lenses. However, a medicinal polymer layer is added to the edges of the lens. Yet the center of the product is clear, just like a usual contact lens, ensuring that each individual can see properly while still being able to receive the medication.

It's estimated that over 2.2 million Americans have glaucoma, but only half of those know they have it, and in the United States alone, more than 120,000 are blind from glaucoma.

Glaucoma occurs when the eye's drainage tubes are blocked and fluid is prevented from draining properly. This creates pressure build up and can cause optic nerve damage connecting the eye to the brain, as well as the nerve fibres from the retina. It typically affects both eyes and must be treated, though there is unfortunately no cure at this time.