Enhanced ophthalmic drug delivery by contact lens for electrochemically powered iontophoresis

Proper ophthalmic drug delivery is highly related to our eye health an daily life. Various approaches have been made for drug delivery into the eye. Direct injections, a traditional invasive method, offer direct drug administration but always carry risks of infections and inflammations. Eye drops, the most popular non-invasive methods, suffer from poor delivery due to the limited permeability from our tear film. To enhance the drug delivery into eye, iontophoresis has been applied to ocular system. However, conventional iontophoresis systems need an external power source connected with electrode, which can lead to inconvenience of user. Here, we developed a self-powered contact lens for iontophoresis, eliminating the need for an external power source. A galvanic discharge was used to power the lens to generate the current and electric field for iontophoresis. Cathode and anode for the discharge were fabricated by molding method to be attached onto the contact lens. Comparative analysis of drug delivery into eye was done with different designs and materials of lenses for both in-vitro and ex-vivo conditions. Cadaver porcine eyes were used for ex-vivo experiments. Drug release was higher with our electrochemically powered iontophoresis with enhanced ion transport than control. Our approach could reduce the time duration and increase the penetration depth as well, showing the potential to become a convenient method for various ophthalmic drug deliveries.