Abstract
Contact lens is a ubiquitous technology used for vision correction and cosmetics. Sensing in contact lenses has emerged as a potential platform for minimally invasive point‐of‐care diagnostics. Here, a microlithography method is developed to fabricate microconcavities and microchannels in a hydrogel‐based contact lens via a combination of laser patterning and embedded templating. Optical microlithography parameters influencing the formation of microconcavities including ablation power (4.3 W) and beam speed (50 mm s−1) are optimized to control the microconcavity depth (100 µm) and diameter (1.5 mm). The fiber templating method allows the production of microchannels having a diameter range of 100–150 µm. Leak‐proof microchannel and microconcavity connections in contact lenses are validated through flow testing of artificial tear containing fluorescent microbeads (Ø = 1–2 µm). The microconcavities of contact lenses are functionalized with multiplexed fluorophores (2 µL) to demonstrate optical excitation and emission capability within the visible spectrum. The fabricated microfluidic contact lenses may have applications in ophthalmic monitoring of metabolic disorders at point‐of‐care settings and controlled drug release for therapeutics.
Highlights
The recorded signal was sent to wireless readout device that provided external power to the contact lens
Since the first soft contact lens was created in the 1970s, its tronic contact lens with high transparency was fabricated to composition has been continuously evolved to have perme- wirelessly measure the glucose concentration in tear fluid ability to oxygen and improve its hydrophilicity.[1]
Utilizing the optimized laser ablation engraving at a laser power at 4.3 W and beam speed at 50 mm s−1, a circular microchannel with a ≈800 μm channel width was patterned in the contact lens (Figure 3h)
Summary
The recorded signal was sent to wireless readout device that provided external power to the contact lens. While these studies demonstrated proof-of-concept sensing platforms, the correlation of blood glucose and tear glucose has not been clearly established.[10] Other studies involved coating contact lenses with graphene to reduce electromagnetic field interference and induce dehydration protection.[11]. Replication methods, such as imprinting,[12] injectionmolding,[13] and polymer casting,[14] have been developed to fabricate microfluidic devices utilizing templates with desired sizes and geometries. The fabricated microfluidic contact lenses offer the potential to sample and detect biomarkers in the tear fluid for the diagnosis of eye diseases and for sequential and controlled drug release
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