Contact Lenses "Improve" Delivery of Medications

A small CL loaded with medication slowly
releases medication, then dissolves.

"If you've ever had an eye infection, you know how annoying it can be to get drops of medicine on the eyeball a few times a day. It's an even harder task with children or for older adults who don't always have the dexterity to squeeze they used to," reports NPR. "That's why researchers have developed an ultra-thin contact that can be placed on the eye to deliver drugs slowly — in a matter of hours or they hope even days — before dissolving away. Called nanowafers, these lenses are one-twentieth the thickness of a contact lens. Each wafer, made of a thin resin called polyvinyl alcohol, contains tiny reservoirs that can be filled with drugs that are released gradually." Read more.

Meanwhile, "a new study published in Nature Communications reveals how scientists have created an injectable hydrogel that can deliver drugs over specific time periods, eliminating the surgical implantation required with existing hydrogels. The researchers say the new hydrogel could help treat a number of diseases, including macular degeneration, heart disease and cancer." That's the report from Medical News Today. Read more.