Color
vision deficiency (CVD) is an ocular congenital disorder
that affects 8% of males and 0.5% of females. The most prevalent form
of color vision deficiency (color blindness) affects protans and deutans
and is more commonly known as “red–green color blindness”.
Since there is no cure for this disorder, CVD patients opt for wearables
that aid in enhancing their color perception. The most common wearable
used by CVD patients is a form of tinted glass/lens. Those glasses
filter out the problematic wavelengths (540–580 nm) for the
red–green CVD patients using organic dyes. However, few studies
have addressed the fabrication of contact lenses for color vision
deficiency, and several problems related to their effectiveness and
toxicity were reported. In this study, gold nanoparticles are integrated
into contact lens material, thus forming nanocomposite contact lenses
targeted for red–green CVD application. Three distinct sets
of nanoparticles were characterized and incorporated with the hydrogel
material of the lenses (pHEMA), and their resulting optical and material
properties were assessed. The transmission spectra of the developed
nanocomposite lenses were analogous to those of the commercial CVD
wearables, and their water retention and wettability capabilities
were superior to those in some of the commercially available contact
lenses used for cosmetic/vision correction purposes. Hence, this work
demonstrates the potential of gold nanocomposite lenses in CVD management
and, more generally, color filtering applications.
Although the manufacturing processes
of contact lenses are well
established, the use of additive manufacturing for their fabrication
opens many new possibilities to explore. The current study demonstrates
the fabrication of personalized smart contract lenses utilizing additive
manufacturing. The study includes 3-dimensional (3D) modeling of contact
lenses with the assistance of a computer aided designing tool based
on standard commercial contact lens dimension, followed by the selection
of the suitable materials and 3D printing of contact lenses. The 3D
printing parameters were optimized to achieve the desired lens geometries,
and a post processing treatment was performed to achieve a smooth
surface finish. The study also presents functionalized contact lenses
with built-in sensing abilities by utilizing microchannels at the
contact lens edges. Tinted contact lenses were printed and nanopatterns
were textured onto the contact lens surfaces through holographic laser
ablation. 3D printed contact lenses have advantages over conventional
contact lenses, offering customized ophthalmic devices and the capability
to integrate with optical sensors for diagnostics.
Color vision deficiency (CVD) or color blindness is an ocular disorder that hinders the patients from distinguishing shades of certain colors. Color blind patients are often not considered for critical occupations (e.g., military, police) and cannot differentiate colors in public places or media (i.e., watching TV). The most common form of color blindness is red‐green, which is a result of either a missing or defective red or green photoreceptor cone. Since no cure for this disorder exists, sufferers opt for methods to enhance their color perception. The products and methods that have been developed to aid CVD patients are discussed. These technologies include contemporary work on gene therapy, tinted glasses, lenses, optoelectronic glasses, and advanced features developed on smartphones and computers. Among these wearables, tinted glasses, developed by companies such as Enchroma, are the most widely used by CVD patients.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.