METAMATERIAL ELECTRICALLY-PASSIVE SENSOR-EMBEDDED CONTACT LENS

 

The current treatment of glaucoma is limited to the control of intraocular (IOP). Conventionally, the IOP is measured only during the patient’s visit to the health-care worker. However, this approach has been found to have multiple limitations and does not provide adequate data to develop the target IOP. An emerging paradigm for the IOP measurement strategy is to record the circadian cycles of IOP variation over 24 hours and repeat this measurement periodically.

The continuous monitoring strategy has led to the development of many extra- and intra-ocular devices. Contact lens-based devices provide a practical approach to this method.

A metamaterial-inspired electrically-passive sensor-embedded contact lens for continuous intraocular pressure (IOP) monitoring has been developed by Kaya et al. The data is received by a wearable antenna patch. The sensing technology is based on the electrically passive sensor embedded in a disposable soft contact lens, and a wearable electronic readout system to collect, store, and process the data.

In comparison to the electrically active silicon-based sensors, this sensor is thin, flexible, and does not require power transmission.

A human study involving six healthy volunteers was performed under various experimental conditions and the system was found to be robust in its functions.

REFERENCE:

Kaya O, Akif Aydin M, Teymoori M, Kaan Erden O, Sadeghzadeh S, Dedeoglu UO, Demir S, Muhikanci O, Sahin A, Torun H, Dundar G, Yalcinkaya AD. A first-in-human pilot study of a novel electrically-passive metamaterial-inspired resonator-based ocular sensor embedded contact lens monitoring intraocular pressure fluctuations. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2024 Apr;47(2):102102. doi: 10.1016/j.clae.2023.102102. Epub 2023 Dec 19. PMID: 38114379.