How 3D Printed Contact Lenses Can Promote Healthy Living

From having thermostats that can detect changes in temperature and turn the air conditioning on or off to give you the ideal room temperature to cars that can drive themselves, it seems like there is a solution for nearly everything. Scientists are learning how to bring complex technical solutions to the world of vision. These experts are using 3D printers to change how people see and how people bring technology into their daily lives.

Lower Costs

If you need to buy contact lenses you simply need a recent prescription. These lenses will help sharpen your vision, treating both nearsightedness and farsightedness. What if there was a solution that could also help treat other eye conditions? Using standard needles can unfortunately be quite expensive to do. Researchers at Washington State University have been given a grant to explore how microneedles can be used to deliver medications directly from 3D printed contact lens to a patient’s eye.

Long-Term Treatment

Administering drugs through tiny needles in 3D printed contact lenses can be helpful for people who have conditions like diabetes or age-related macular degeneration. This high cost has prompted scientists to look for creative ways to improve efficiency and cut costs. Once these needle arrays are done delivering the drugs to the patient over a long period of time, the doctor can simply remove and dispose of the lenses somewhat similar to those from providers like Lens.com. This can be safer than giving the patient a large dosage at once and less time-consuming then having them come back to the office.