Washington: Contact lenses laced with
Vitamin E that can hold eye-drops for almost 100 times longer,
have been developed by American scientists.
The medicated lenses, developed by a team of researchers
led by India-born Anuj Chauhan from University of Florida in
Gainesville, would help treat various eye-ailments more
effectively, researchers claimed.
Speaking at the National Meeting of the American Chemical
Society in San Fransisco, Chauhan said: "The problem is within
about two to five minutes of putting drops in the eye, tears
carry the drug away and it doesn`t reach the targeted tissue."
"Only about one to five per cent of drugs in eye drops
actually reach the cornea of the eye," he said.
Describing the new lenses, Chauhan said: The vitamin E
molecules in the lenses form `nano-bricks` like invisible
clusters that act as a `transport barriers` and "slow down the
elusion of medication from the lens into the eye."
The drug released from the lens into the eye stays in the
tears far longer than the 2-5 minutes with eye drops, leading
to more effective therapy, Chauhan said.
The team in laboratory tests on animals observed that the
lenses containing vitamin E nanobricks administered drugs up
to 100 times longer than most commercial lenses.
Chauhan said, "Vitamin E is a proven nutraceutical that
in small amounts is good for the eye because of its
anti-oxidant properties. Its presence in the lenses blocks UV
radiation leading to increased protection against UV light."
"Our research has shown that the vitamin can be loaded
into the lenses without any reduction in transparency. We
believe it could be helpful in disease treatment and in
prevention as well," he said.
The lenses, clinical trials for which would begin in next
2 years, could be designed for continuous wear for up to a
month, he added.
PTI
