Self-Lubricating, Living Contact Lenses

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Engineering
• Ophthalmology
• Contact Lens Technology

Background:

• Dry eye syndrome is increasingly prevalent, particularly in aging and digital societies.
• This condition significantly compromises long-term contact lens (CL) wear and necessitates frequent eye drop use.
• Existing CLs often fail to provide adequate lubrication, leading to discomfort and reduced wear time.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel approach to enhance and extend the lubrication properties of contact lenses.
• To introduce self-lubricating CLs capable of autonomous lubricant secretion.
• To improve long-term wear comfort and reduce reliance on lubricating eye drops.

Main Methods:

• Embedding lubricant-secreting biofactories within the CL hydrogel matrix.
• Utilizing biofactories to autonomously produce and release hyaluronic acid (HA), a natural lubricant.
• Designing a functional ring at the lens periphery to house biofactories outside the visual axis.

Main Results:

• The hydrogel matrix successfully regulated biofactory growth and HA production for over 3 weeks.
• Continuous HA release sustainably reduced the friction coefficient of the CL surface.
• The resulting self-lubricating CL prototype demonstrated cytocompatibility and met commercial CL physicochemical requirements.

Conclusions:

• The developed self-lubricating CLs offer a durable-by-design solution for improved wear comfort.
• This innovative approach has the potential to significantly minimize the need for lubricating eye drops.
• The fabrication process is compatible with existing CL manufacturing, paving the way for clinical application.