Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE), School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada; Centre for Eye and Vision Research (CEVR), 17W Hong Kong Science Park, Hong Kong.
School of Optometry and Vision Science, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2021 Apr;44(2):398-430. doi: 10.1016/j.clae.2021.02.007. Epub 2021 Mar 25.
Contact lenses in the future will likely have functions other than correction of refractive error. Lenses designed to control the development of myopia are already commercially available. Contact lenses as drug delivery devices and powered through advancements in nanotechnology will open up further opportunities for unique uses of contact lenses. This review examines the use, or potential use, of contact lenses aside from their role to correct refractive error. Contact lenses can be used to detect systemic and ocular surface diseases, treat and manage various ocular conditions and as devices that can correct presbyopia, control the development of myopia or be used for augmented vision. There is also discussion of new developments in contact lens packaging and storage cases. The use of contact lenses as devices to detect systemic disease has mostly focussed on detecting changes to glucose levels in tears for monitoring diabetic control. Glucose can be detected using changes in colour, fluorescence or generation of electric signals by embedded sensors such as boronic acid, concanavalin A or glucose oxidase. Contact lenses that have gained regulatory approval can measure changes in intraocular pressure to monitor glaucoma by measuring small changes in corneal shape. Challenges include integrating sensors into contact lenses and detecting the signals generated. Various techniques are used to optimise uptake and release of the drugs to the ocular surface to treat diseases such as dry eye, glaucoma, infection and allergy. Contact lenses that either mechanically or electronically change their shape are being investigated for the management of presbyopia. Contact lenses that slow the development of myopia are based upon incorporating concentric rings of plus power, peripheral optical zone(s) with add power or non-monotonic variations in power. Various forms of these lenses have shown a reduction in myopia in clinical trials and are available in various markets.
未来的隐形眼镜可能具有除矫正屈光不正以外的功能。旨在控制近视发展的镜片已经商业化。通过纳米技术的进步，隐形眼镜作为药物输送装置和动力装置，将为隐形眼镜的独特用途开辟更多机会。这篇综述探讨了隐形眼镜除了矫正屈光不正之外的用途或潜在用途。隐形眼镜可用于检测全身和眼表疾病，治疗和管理各种眼部疾病，以及作为可以矫正远视、控制近视发展或用于增强视力的设备。还讨论了隐形眼镜包装和储存盒的新发展。隐形眼镜作为检测全身疾病的设备的使用主要集中在检测泪液中葡萄糖水平的变化，以监测糖尿病的控制情况。可以通过嵌入的传感器（如硼酸、刀豆球蛋白 A 或葡萄糖氧化酶）检测颜色、荧光或产生的电信号来检测葡萄糖。已经获得监管部门批准的隐形眼镜可以通过测量角膜形状的微小变化来测量眼压变化，从而监测青光眼。挑战包括将传感器集成到隐形眼镜中并检测生成的信号。各种技术被用于优化药物对眼表面的吸收和释放，以治疗干眼症、青光眼、感染和过敏等疾病。正在研究通过机械或电子方式改变形状的隐形眼镜来管理远视。旨在减缓近视发展的隐形眼镜基于包含正球镜同心环、周边光学区（具有附加屈光度）或屈光度非单调变化。临床试验表明，这些镜片的各种形式都能减少近视，并且已经在不同的市场中应用。
