Nanotechnology in Smart Contact Lenses: Highlights on Sensor Technologies and Future Prospects

Abstract

The eye is a complex organ in the body containing a repertoire of metabolite indicators such as glucose, peptides, specialized ions, and many critical biological data such as intraocular pressure (IOP), corneal temperature, and pH. Contact lens research and patient care have progressed substantially throughout the last three decades; hence smart contact lenses were developed with significant advancements in material biocompatibility, better lens layouts, the healthcare system, and more flexible and efficient modalities. Smart contact lenses are adjustable sophisticated visual prosthesis devices that monitor various significant physical and biochemical changes in ocular disorders, which are noninvasive and continuous. Wearable systems that utilize bodily fluids like sweat tears, saliva, and electrochemical interactions with steady physiological state and illness monitoring are currently developing. Because of its ease of access, fabrication, and noninvasiveness, tear fluid is commonly used to assess ocular disorders, blood glucose, and even cancers. Furthermore, the integration of nanotechnology into contact lenses has emerged as a promising platform for noninvasive point-of-care diagnostics. Utilizing nano-based contact lenses for ocular drug delivery is a new study area in bioengineering and innovative medical techniques. Despite all of the research done in this area, new technologies are still in their early stages of development, and more work in terms of clinical trials is required to commercialize nanotechnology-based contact lenses. This article encompasses nanotechnology-based smart contact lens technology, including materials, advancements, applications, sensor technologies, and prospects.