Biocompatible Contact Lenses

	The Berkeley Lab/Sunsoft team has developed two new contact lens materials for increased biocompatibility. One is now being prepared for clinical trials.

Imagine being able to wear your contact lenses for a month at a time with no more worries about infection, eye damage, or drying out? Leave them in while you sleep, swim, bathe, or put on makeup. That day may not be far off.

Operating under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between Berkeley Lab and Sunsoft Corporation, a research team led by Carolyn Bertozzi of the Materials Sciences Division has developed two new biocompatible materials for contact lenses. The first is a coating that will decrease protein binding (reducing the growth of bacteria) and increase water binding to the surface of the contact lens (allowing for necessary oxygen flow). The second is a contact lens design that resembles the carbohydrate-coated surface of a human cell.

This is a big step in the development of materials that have surfaces that can interact with living cells. The artificial material must "look" like, or mimic, those cells. The possibilities for such biomimetic coatings are enormous, including biomedical implants such as pacemakers and artificial organs, and electronic devices that can warn of dangerous chemical or biological toxins in the environment.

For more information on the processes that allow these contact lenses to work, see the Berkeley Lab Highlights article, Health: For a Soft and Lingering Touch.