Review of Potential Drug-Eluting Contact Lens Technologies.
Tina Lovrec-KrstičKristjan OrthaberUroš MaverTomislav SarenacPublished in: Materials (Basel, Switzerland) (2023)
The field of ophthalmology is expanding exponentially, both in terms of diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities, as well as the worldwide increasing incidence of eye-related diseases. Due to an ageing population and climate change, the number of ophthalmic patients will continue to increase, overwhelming healthcare systems and likely leading to under-treatment of chronic eye diseases. Since drops are the mainstay of therapy, clinicians have long emphasised the unmet need for ocular drug delivery. Alternative methods, i.e., with better compliance, stability and longevity of drug delivery, would be preferred. Several approaches and materials are being studied and used to overcome these drawbacks. We believe that drug-loaded contact lenses are among the most promising and are a real step toward dropless ocular therapy, potentially leading to a transformation in clinical ophthalmic practice. In this review, we outline the current role of contact lenses in ocular drug delivery, focusing on materials, drug binding and preparation, concluding with a look at future developments.
Keyphrases
- drug delivery
- climate change
- healthcare
- cancer therapy
- end stage renal disease
- cataract surgery
- drug release
- chronic kidney disease
- ejection fraction
- newly diagnosed
- drug induced
- optic nerve
- human health
- palliative care
- prognostic factors
- risk factors
- peritoneal dialysis
- primary care
- emergency department
- stem cells
- electronic health record
- social media
- quality improvement
- machine learning
- dna binding
- current status
- cell therapy
- bone marrow
- smoking cessation
- solid phase extraction