Kirigami Design Smart Contact Lens for Highly Sensitive Eyelid Pressure Measurement

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Eyelid pressure is vital for ocular health and refractive status.
• Current measurement methods face challenges in flexibility, sensitivity, and regional specificity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel smart contact lens for precise and simultaneous multi-regional eyelid pressure monitoring.
• To enhance flexibility, conformability, and sensitivity in eyelid pressure sensing.

Main Methods:

• Integration of kirigami designs and an iontronic capacitive sensing array into a contact lens.
• In vivo evaluation of sensor efficacy and accuracy in rabbit and porcine eyes under various physiological conditions.
• Comparison with conventional single-point sensors.

Main Results:

• The smart contact lens demonstrated enhanced flexibility, conformability, and sensitivity.
• Accurate detection of eyelid pressure was confirmed across different conditions, including anesthesia and awake states, and with intraocular pressure fluctuations.
• Superior performance compared to traditional single-point sensors.

Conclusions:

• The kirigami-based smart contact lens offers a promising solution for accurate, multi-regional eyelid pressure monitoring.
• This technology has the potential to significantly advance the diagnosis and management of eyelid-related ocular diseases.