Created contact lenses that moisturize the eyes when worn

Researchers from the American Institute for Biomedical Innovation Terasaki developed a prototype contact lens that prevents the sensation of dryness in the eye thanks to tiny channels in the lens material.

Thanks to microchannels, tears can get under the lens during blinking, moisturizing the eye. So far, the system has only been used on a special setup with an artificial eye and a system that simulates blinking. Experiments have shown that tears in this scenario do indeed pass through the channels and reach the eye. This helps to minimize dryness caused by contact lenses.

The next stage is tests on animals with dry eye syndrome, then the technology will be tested on humans.

There is no talk of mass production of contact lenses with microchannels yet, but the authors of the study express the hope that the technology will find commercial application. According to them, such lenses will solve the problem of dry eyes faced by millions of people around the world.