Recent advances in smart contact lenses

Official URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biosx.2025.100734

The growing demand for healthcare services and recent advances in materials and biosensing technologies have accelerated the development of point-of-care (POC) diagnostics, with smart contact lenses (SmCLs) emerging as a promising platform. This review systematically evaluates the role of tear fluid as a noninvasive diagnostic medium, highlighting its biochemical composition and challenges in sample collection. We examine the design parameters essential for functional SmCLs, including biocompatibility, oxygen permeability, wettability, and mechanical properties, which collectively determine long-term comfort and device performance. SmCLs can significantly improve the bioavailability of drug delivery while addressing the limitations of traditional ocular treatments, such as the rapid dissipation of eye medications through the nasolacrimal duct. Furthermore, the potential of SmCLs in disease diagnosis through chemical and physical biomarker detection is highlighted, showcasing their ability to monitor glucose levels and intraocular pressure in real-time. Overall, current evidence supports SmCLs as multifunctional devices capable of combining diagnostics and therapy in real time. However, large-scale validation studies are required to establish clinical accuracy, patient adherence, and cost-effectiveness. This review concludes that SmCLs represents an innovative direction in personalized healthcare, integrating materials science, biosensing, and drug delivery for noninvasive, continuous health monitoring of ocular and system diseases.