Newly Developed Contacts Can Be Used To Deliver Eye Medication

Glaucoma tops the list of causes of irreversible blindness. It is commonly treated through a drug called latanoprost, which is delivered in the form of eye drops. However, eye drops have long been established as a generally inefficient drug delivery method. The idea of using contact lenses as a drug delivery vehicle is almost five decades old and it looks as if the days of eye drops may be finally coming to an end.

Hopes are running high after the success achieved by researchers from the Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They have developed contact lenses that have proved capable of prolonged latanoprost delivery. So far, the lens has been tried in animal studies and also appears to be safe in cell culture study models. It can deliver large amounts of medicine at constant rates for weeks to months. According to lead report author Joseph Ciolino, the lens can also find application as a drug-delivery vehicle for patients suffering from other eye conditions. Ciolino notes that non-invasive drug delivery could improve therapy adherence rates, helping millions of people around the world maintain their vision.

The materials used for the latanoprost-releasing contact lenses are approved for use on the eye by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They contain latanoprost-polymer films encased in hydrogel – a material commonly used for contact lenses. Details of the study findings will be available in print next month, when the report is published in the Biomaterials journal.