by Joel Harrison
7. February 2012 11:08
Researchers from Auburn University have announced another breakthrough in contact lenses technology, which may make us forget about eye drops forever.
The new contact lenses are extremely effective in delivering medicines to the eye evenly for longer periods of time. In fact, they release medicines as long as they are in the eye, which makes most treatments much more effective.
The problem with eye drops is that they are often washed away within 30 minutes after their application, which results in (depending on the condition they treat) the need to take another dose or fluctuations in effectiveness.
The lenses developed by Auburn University scientists are very precise delivery systems, which can be programmed to release the desired amount of a medication steadily, facilitating fast recovery or preventing dangerous complications. They can be both corrective (ideal for those who need to wear contact lenses on a daily basis) and plano (for those who do not need vision correction).
Patients suffering from chronic eye conditions, such as glaucoma, should benefit from the new lenses the most, but even people with simple cases of conjunctivitis can greatly benefit from the continuous drug doses provided by the lenses.
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