New vision for delivering medication comes out of UW

Some scientists are envisioning a new way to take medication: using drug delivery contact lenses, a team of researchers out of the University of Waterloo (UW) are seeing what can be prescribed.

Hydrogel is being 3D-printed onto contact lenses that can help control the amount of medication someone takes while continuously delivering it while the lens is worn.

The research team included Lyndon Jones, a professor at UW and director of the Centre for Ocular Research & Education. Jones said the drug delivery contacts can be used for a variety of eye ailments.

“It could be an infection. It could be steroids, it could be something to relieve itching, so allergies in your eye or it could be something as simple as a dry eye product,” said Jones.

“It could well be that you actually just end up putting in a contact lens and even leaving it in there all day – or ideally, you’d be able to leave it in there for a week.”

Jones said it would be convenient as it constantly delivers drugs to an eye. Adding this concept takes away issues with eye drops people tend to have.

“One of the major things about this particular concept is that we’re able to 3D-print it. So that opens up the potential option for individualized medicine.”

Jones mentioned they are trying to expand the use of the drug delivery contact lens for more ailments as well as increase the longevity.

It will still be a few years before optometrists or doctors are prescribing the drug delivery contact lens as they still have to undergo clinical trials. However, a patent has already been filed.