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A Microfluidic Contact Lens to Address Contact Lens-Induced Dry Eye |
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| Authors: | Yangzhi Zhu Rohollah Nasiri Elham Davoodi Shiming Zhang Sourav Saha Matthew Linn Lu Jiang Reihaneh Haghniaz Martin C Hartel Vadim Jucaud Mehmet R Dokmeci Anna Herland Ehsan Toyserkani Ali Khademhosseini |
| Affiliation: | 1. Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation, Los Angeles, CA, 90064 USA;2. Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation, Los Angeles, CA, 90064 USA
Division of Nanobiotechnology, Department of Protein Science, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Solna, 17165 Sweden;3. Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation, Los Angeles, CA, 90064 USA Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China;4. CooperVision Inc., Pleasanton, CA, 94588 USA;5. Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation, Los Angeles, CA, 90064 USA Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095 USA;6. Division of Nanobiotechnology, Department of Protein Science, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Solna, 17165 Sweden;7. Multi-scale Additive Manufacturing Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1 Canada |
| Abstract: | The contact lens (CL) industry has made great strides in improving CL-wearing experiences. However, a large amount of CL wearers continue to experience ocular dryness, known as contact lens-induced dry eye (CLIDE), stemming from the reduction in tear volume, tear film instability, increased tear osmolarity followed by inflammation and resulting in ocular discomfort and visual disturbances. In this article, to address tear film thinning between the CL and the ocular surface, the concept of using a CL with microchannels to deliver the tears from the pre-lens tear film (PrLTF) to the post-lens ocular surface using in vitro eye-blink motion is investigated. This study reports an eye-blink mimicking system with microfluidic poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (poly(HEMA)) hydrogel with integrated microchannels to demonstrate eye-blink assisted flow through microchannels. This in vitro experimental study provides a proof-of-concept result that tear transport from PrLTF to post-lens tear film can be enhanced by an artificial eyelid motion in a pressure range of 0.1–5 kPa (similar to human eyelid pressure) through poly(HEMA) microchannels. Simulation is conducted to support the hypothesis. This work demonstrates the feasibility of developing microfluidic CLs with the potential to help prevent or minimize CLIDE and discomfort by the enhanced transport of pre-lens tears to the post-lens ocular surface. |
| Keywords: | contact lens-induced dry eyes microchannels microfluidic ocular healthcare smart contact lenses |