Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 29, 2025
08:28
Development of an In Vitro Ocular Platform to Test Contact Lenses
Published on: April 6, 2016
10.6K
A surface-engineered contact lens for tear fluid biomolecule sensing.
Aravind M1, Sajan D George1,2
1Department of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India - 576104. sajan.george@manipal.edu.
Lab on a Chip
|April 2, 2024
Summary
Researchers developed a novel contact lens that separates tear fluid for disease monitoring. This adhesive contrast lens detects lactoferrin levels using fluorescence and colorimetric methods, offering a new diagnostic tool.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Ophthalmology
- Materials Science
Background:
- The eye's tear film contains valuable physiological data for healthcare monitoring.
- Wearable contact lenses offer a non-invasive method for probing tear constituents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel adhesive contrast contact lens platform for tear film analysis.
- To enable early disease detection through tear fluid analysis.
Main Methods:
- Grafting a lubricant onto a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based contact lens to create adhesive contrast for tear film splitting.
- Utilizing fluorescent spectroscopic and colorimetric techniques for detection.
- Employing terbium (Tb3+) ions to sensitize split droplets for lactoferrin detection.
Main Results:
- The adhesive contrast contact lens successfully split tear film via natural tear secretion and blinking.
- Lactoferrin levels were detected down to 0.25 mg mL-1 using fluorescence spectroscopy.
- Colorimetric detection of lactoferrin achieved a limit of detection within the physiological range (0.5 mg mL-1).
Conclusions:
- The developed contact lens platform demonstrates potential for non-invasive tear fluid analysis.
- This technology enables sensitive detection of biomarkers like lactoferrin for diagnostic purposes.
- The adhesive contrast contact lens offers a promising approach for wearable healthcare monitoring.
