Smart Contact Lenses as Wearable Ophthalmic Devices for Disease Monitoring and Health Management

Abstract

The eye contains a complex network of physiological information and biomarkers for monitoring disease and managing health, and ocular devices can be used to effectively perform point-of-care diagnosis and disease management. This comprehensive review describes the target biomarkers and various diseases, including ophthalmic diseases, metabolic diseases, and neurological diseases, based on the physiological and anatomical background of the eye. This review also includes the recent technologies utilized in eyewearable medical devices and the latest trends in wearable ophthalmic devices, specifically smart contact lenses for the purpose of disease management. After introducing other ocular devices such as the retinal prosthesis, we further discuss the current challenges and potential possibilities of smart contact lenses.

Smart molecules in ophthalmology: Hydrogels as responsive systems for ophthalmic applications

“…Although smart contact lenses for monitoring blood glucose levels have been developed, there are various challenges associated with these devices, including opaque electronic components obstructing the wearer's vision, costly signal detection equipment, and the requirement of a power supply. [74] Moreover, many current glucose sensors are dependent upon enzymes to convert glucose into electrochemical signals. [75] This constitutes several limitations for clinical translation as enzymes often have limited lifespan and their function can easily be deformed by changes in the environment.…”

Interfacially Confined Dynamic Reaction Resulted to Fluorescent Nanofilms Depicting High-Performance Ammonia Sensing

“…With the rapid growth of industries related to the Internet of Things, wearable devices, and intelligent life, there has been an increasing recognition of the significance of development of sensing technologies and relevant devices. − Excited-state-based fluorescence sensing, being a pivotal and cutting-edge technology, is contributing to the flourishing advancement of the domains. − Benefiting from exceptional sensing capabilities, remarkable designability, and strong integration, research on film-based fluorescent sensors (FFSs) has made remarkable strides over the past two decades. − These advances led to their recognition as one of the Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry for 2022 of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry . Despite the substantial advancements in chemical and physical sensing, currently, only FFSs for concealed explosives and illicit drugs have been deployed in real-life applications. − One of the bottle necks for the delayed applications of the technology is lack of qualified sensing materials, which must satisfy a variety of requirements such as “3S + 1R” (sensitivity, selectivity, speed, and reversibility) and great photochemical stability. − Therefore, the ongoing pursuit of sensing materials with superior performance is of urgent significance.…”

Smart Contact Lenses for Healthcare Monitoring and Therapy

“…Biomarker molecules in tears diffuse from the blood through the tear–blood barrier, and exhibit a strong correlation with their concentration in blood. Thus, the physical and chemical signals provided by the eye can be used to develop contact lens biosensors (all these signal-generating phenomena or molecules are physical, chemical, or biological in nature, and are in this review referred to as biomarkers). − For example, based on the relationship between tear glucose and blood glucose, glucose concentration in tears can be monitored to reflect the glucose level in the blood, , and changes in intraocular pressure (IOP) can be monitored to reflect the severity of glaucoma. , These physical and chemical signals reflect the physiological state of the eye and the body, and provide a solution for prediction and early treatment of human eye diseases. Thus, the potential applications of contact lens biosensors in eye disease monitoring and therapy have attracted the interest from scientists. ,, …”