Smart contact lenses are potential new weapons against glaucoma and other eye diseases: the devices, developed by a research group led by Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (USA), are able to monitor values such as eye pressure in real time and release the drug necessary to correct any anomalies.
What is glaucoma
As the Istituto Superiore di Sanità explains, glaucoma is a disease that damages the optic nerve gradually, slowly but seriously, causing alterations in the visual field with limitations of the external field of vision (peripheral vision) and which in more advanced cases can lead to blindness.
According to the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, it is estimated that over 80 million people are affected by glaucoma, and the numbers are expected to grow as the population ages. In Italy there are around one million patients, but at least half do not know they have the disease. In the absence of particular risk factors, a first targeted check for glaucoma should be carried out around the age of 40. Control should begin earlier in the presence of risk factors such as family history of glaucoma, high eye pressure, medium-high myopia, diabetes, hypertension, prolonged use of corticosteroids and in people of African and Latin American origin.
Current therapies
Glaucoma is essentially fought by keeping eye pressure under control: for this purpose, various eye drops on the market can be used, which have very few side effects and often excellent effectiveness, at least in the initial stages.
Furthermore, since glaucoma is in fact a neurodegenerative pathology (progressively affecting the optic nerve), neuroprotective drugs (such as cytolin) can also be used, which aim to stop the death process of neurons, thus slowing down the progression of the pathology. When nothing is effective anymore, surgery is resorted to.
But doctors always repeat: the visual damage caused by glaucoma cannot be repaired, so the first and most important weapon against glaucoma (as with many diseases) is prevention. An early diagnosis can make the difference, making preventative care as timely as possible.
The new hope
We may soon have a new weapon, smart contact lenses, which integrate AI-based real-time intraocular pressure monitoring with a closed-loop treatment delivery system.
By combining continuous sensing, intelligent data interpretation, and responsive drug release in a single wearable platform, the researchers write, this technology represents an important advance in the management of ocular conditions such as glaucoma.
The technology has shown promising results in the laboratory, paving the way for future clinical translation.
Our goal was to create a platform that not only monitored the disease in real time, but also intervened immediately – explains Yangzhi Zhu, who led the study – By integrating detection and drug delivery into a single smart contact lens, we are moving towards a more precise and patient-friendly approach to treating eye diseases. We hope that this technology will ultimately improve patients’ quality of life by reducing the burden of traditional treatment methods
The study was published on Science Translational Medicine.
Sources: Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation / Science Translational Medicine
