Contact lens smart enough to deliver medication

I still have not gotten used to the idea wearing contact lenses, it feels really weird, but I guess for the many other millions out there, wearing a pair is the norm. How about a pair of smart contact lenses that are able to dispense of medication as and when the situation calls for it? Yes sir, a bunch of biomedical and chemical engineers from Alabama’s Auburn University successfully designed the first disposable lenses that can deliver controlled doses of medication – for as long as you wear it, of course. What’s the point of doing so? Well, this sure makes it easier to deliver drugs to the eyes, where traditional methods often involve them to be washed out after only half and hour thereabouts, but if your contact lenses can dispense of medication over a period of time, then in Pokemon parlance, it would be “Super Effective!”.

These new lenses will rely on hydrogels that are molecularly imprinted with therapeutic agents, allowing them to transmit light without any hindrance at all, and when working in tandem with a consistent drug-delivery rate, it would be something to see (pun not intended).

Edwin Kee
Categories: Gadgets, Medical
Tags: experiment