Smart contact lenses and anterior chamber electronic implants: prospects of application in ophthalmology

Abstract

Systemic and ophthalmological diseases are on the rise the world over, which is, to a large extent, caused by life expectancy growth. Therefore, early diagnosis, screening and monitoringpossibilities of human health parameters is becoming more and more important. Contact lenses, due to being fitted on the eye’s surface, are constantly wetted by tear fluid, and due to present-day microelectronics achievements may be used as a convenient technical means for locating a variety of sensors. The existing prototypes of electronic contact lenses (ECL) are able to monitor intraocular pressure (IOP), levels of glucose, hormones and other biomarkers that reflect the presence of ophthalmic and systemic diseases. The review discusses the publications focused on prototyping results and first laboratory tests. As of today, only one developed device is available for clinical practice (IOP monitoring), others are at different stages of research but have all potentials for being used widely.

Keywords

• electronic contact lenses
• intraocular pressure
• artificial iris
• diabetic retinopathy
• microelectronics
• wearable devices