Researchers develop new tool to improve healing of eye injuries

• Published date: 24 March 2024
• Author: JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

A cross-disciplinary team at Ontario's University of Waterloo has developed a patented, new contact-lens material that could act as a bandage for corneal wounds while releasing drugs in a controlled manner to help the eye heal faster

Corneal injury and subsequent damage to the corneal epithelium can lead to corneal scarring, vision loss, and even blindness. An estimated 1.5 to two million cases of monocular blindness in the world are caused by ocular trauma and corneal ulceration annually. Historically, the standard treatment for a corneal abrasion is the insertion of a lubricant onto the ocular surface, followed by patching the eye to prevent blinking, permitting the epithelium to heal under the patch.

However, the use of an eye patch leads to frustration for the patient due to the loss of vision in two eyes. Furthermore, if the eye patch is not worn appropriately, then it can lead to delays in recovery of the epithelium. It is also cumbersome for clinicians to assess the wound healing progress, as this requires the removal of the patch.

Typically, corneal abrasion patients spend seven to 10 days wearing a clear, oxygen-permeable bandage contact lens, often containing antibiotic eyedrops – but the one-time antibiotic application makes it difficult to ensure enough drugs remain on the eye for sustained treatment.

"It's a targeted-release drug delivery system that is responsive to the body," said Prof. Lyndon Jones at the Canadian university's School of Optometry and Vision Science and director of the Center for Ocular Research and Education. "The more injured you are, the more drug gets delivered, which is unique and potentially a game changer."

Jones knew there was a market for a drug-delivering bandage contact lens that could treat the eye and allow it to heal simultaneously; the question was how to develop it.

Disrupting the boundaries of health

As the university has several researchers and entrepreneurs working on technology to disrupt the boundaries of health, Jones was able to team up with Dr. Susmita Bose, Dr. Chau-Minh Phan, and chemical engineering Prof. Evelyn Yim to work on collagen-based materials. Also collaborating were Dr. Muhammad Rizwan, a former postdoctoral fellow, and John Waylon Tse, a former graduate student, both with Yim's lab.

They...