New Contact Lenses That are Able to Deliver Drugs Through Your Eye

A few weeks ago, I had a patient who was telling me that he heard about these new contact lenses that were able to deliver a steady stream of medication to the person wearing them. ¬†I know eye drops are a huge problem for many of our patients. ¬†It can be extremely difficult to put drops in by yourself and remembering to do them everyday, sometimes more than once a day, can also be challenging. These new contact lenses, that have yet to be approved by the FDA, supposedly are able to deliver a steady dose of the medication for as long as the lens is worn. ¬†Researchers at Auburn University claim this to be more than 100 times more effective than putting drops in your eyes. These aren‚Äôt contacts soaked in a medication that only release for a very short time. ¬†This new technology administers¬†a drug through controlled release by creating drug memory in the lens itself without changing the way the lens works. ¬†¬†These lenses can either be vision correcting or not and have the ability to to release the medication for anywhere from 24 hours to 30 days, depending on the lens. ¬†Current types of medication being tested are anti-inflamatories, antibiotics and anti-allergy drops. Although one could question whether or not someone who has trouble putting drops in, would also have a problem putting a contact lens or taking it out, ¬†this has the potential to be a huge step forward for those who already wear them.   Mary Sweetman, C.O.A. Certified Ophthalmic Assistant