Wireless Contact Lens with Strain Sensor for Glaucoma Monitoring
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current glaucoma treatment systems face challenges in accurately diagnosing and treating intraocular pressure due to individual variability, leading to drug side effects and limitations in continuous monitoring and treatment cycles.
Innovation Solution
A wirelessly driven contact lens with a high-sensitivity, transparent strain sensor and drug reservoir that measures intraocular pressure changes and releases medication accordingly, minimizing side effects and maximizing treatment efficacy through real-time monitoring and feedback-controlled drug delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a drug is administered continuously to treat glaucoma, then treatment effectiveness is maintained, but side effects increase and individual variability cannot be addressed
Solution Approach 1:
The contact lens system incorporates a strain sensor that continuously monitors intraocular pressure and provides real-time feedback. When the sensor detects pressure changes indicating glaucoma risk, it triggers drug release from the reservoir. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables on-demand drug administration rather than continuous dosing, reducing side effects while maintaining treatment effectiveness by administering medication only when clinically necessary.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static continuous drug administration to dynamic on-demand delivery. The drug reservoir is designed to release medication dynamically based on real-time intraocular pressure conditions detected by the strain sensor. This dynamic approach adapts the treatment to individual patient needs and actual physiological states, eliminating the need for continuous dosing and reducing cumulative side effects.
2Measurement precision
If existing intraocular pressure measurement systems are used, then diagnosis is enabled, but continuous monitoring and treatment cycle control are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the measurement function and treatment function into a single integrated contact lens system. The strain sensor measures intraocular pressure, and the drug reservoir is positioned to deliver medication directly to the eye based on sensor readings. This combination enables continuous monitoring and immediate treatment response within one device, providing both diagnostic capability and therapeutic control that existing separate systems cannot achieve.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact lens system performs self-monitoring and self-treatment. The strain sensor continuously assesses intraocular pressure conditions, and when abnormality is detected, the system automatically triggers drug release from the reservoir without requiring external intervention. This self-service capability enables continuous monitoring and autonomous treatment cycle control, addressing the limitations of existing systems that require separate diagnosis and treatment processes.
3Illumination intensity
If a transparent strain sensor is used in the contact lens, then field of vision is maintained, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The strain sensor is constructed as a thin transparent film that can be integrated into the contact lens substrate. This thin-film approach maintains optical transparency for field of vision while enabling the sensor functionality. The flexible nature of the thin film allows it to conform to the contact lens curvature and integrate with the drug reservoir structure, managing manufacturing complexity through material selection and design.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact lens employs composite materials combining transparent sensor materials with the lens substrate and drug reservoir components. The strain sensor uses transparent conductive materials or optical interference patterns that maintain visibility while providing measurement capability. This composite approach integrates multiple functions (optical clarity, sensing, drug delivery) into a unified structure that manages manufacturing complexity through material properties rather than separate components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables real-time intraocular pressure monitoring and targeted drug delivery, reducing side effects and enhancing glaucoma treatment effectiveness by providing a personal therapy system that adapts to individual patient needs.
Implementation Method 1
The strain sensor may measure a change in resistance due to a change in intraocular pressure
Implementation Method 2
dissolving gold of an electrode pattern sealing a drug well of a drug reservoir through chlorine ions to form AuCl4− and opening the drug reservoir
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a wirelessly driven contact lens including a strain sensor capable of detecting an increase in intraocular pressure in real time and a drug reservoir capable of lowering the intraocular pressure by releasing a drug based on the increase in intraocular pressure. In the present invention, there may be provided a personal therapy system that measures intraocular pressure in real time and properly releases a therapeutic drug according to the intraocular pressure that is measured through the strain sensor and the drug reservoir for releasing a drug based on an intraocular pressure state of a glaucoma patient.