Session: 06-05-01: Biomedical Devices, Sensors, and Actuators

Paper Number: 141168

141168 - Multimaterial 3d Printing of Functionalized Components on Contact Lenses for Color Vision Correction and Controlled Drug Delivery 

Smart contact lenses have recently gained attention due to their diverse capabilities. Functionalities of vision correction, real-time health monitoring, and controlled drug delivery can be simultaneously performed by these contact lenses. Smart contact lenses enable early detection, control, and treatment of various ocular illnesses. However, the fabrication of smart contact lenses is rather challenging. Typically, these contact lenses are produced through multiple stages of complex processes like chemical vapor deposition, etching, and photolithography. Sophisticated production processes lead to higher costs, which in turn makes these contact lenses uneconomical. 3D printing offers an inexpensive method for accurate layer-by-layer deposition of multiple materials in predetermined patterns. Hence, the use of 3D printing for smart contact lenses production is an attractive option. Vat photopolymerization is a low-cost high-resolution 3D printing process that is highly compatible with hydrogels. Vat photopolymerization printers can also print a variety of materials like nanocomposites, conductive materials, and ceramics. Herein, a novel vat photopolymerization technique is used for 3D printing multifunctional components on commercial contact lenses with color vision correction dyes and suitable drugs.  Inexpensive commercial contact lenses can be thereby converted to patient-specific multifunctional contact lenses with color vision correction and controlled drug delivery functionalities. In this technique, commercial contact lenses are first attached to the 3D printer buildplate.  High-resolution hydrogel structures are then 3D printed on the attached contact lens. Prior incorporation of dyes or drugs in the hydrogel resin enables functionalization of 3D printed components. Multiple functionalized components can be 3D printed subsequently with different materials at suitable locations on the contact lens. The technique enables economical production of multifunctional contact lenses. In this work, the dyes and drugs are incorporated in hydroxyethyl methacrylate, polyethylene glycol diacrylate (HEMA:PEGDA) hydrogels which are easy to 3D print and are biocompatible. The hydrogels are 3D printed on commercial Acuvue Oasys Hydraluxe contact lenses. Central disks printed on the contact lens with Atto dyes enable color blindness correction, while peripheral drug-loaded hydrogel structures offer sustained drug release. Atto565 dye provides the suitable wavelength filtering effect for red-green color blindness correction. Atto488 dye, on the other hand, filters suitable wavelengths for blue-yellow color blindness correction. For correction of both red-green and blue-yellow color blindness, the two dyes are 3D printed in subsequent steps, one on top of the other. Commercial ocular drugs and eye drops are utilized for drug release study. The drugs are added to liquid hydrogel resin prior to 3D printing. These drugs are then 3D printed on the contact lenses to form components that provide sustained drug release. The drug release is studied with respect to the hydrogel composition. The addition of different amounts of DI water in the hydrogel resin changes the pore size of crosslinked hydrogels and thus varies the drug release rate. The 3D printed components possessed excellent optical quality along with ideal material characteristics. HEMA:PEGDA hydrogels were biocompatible, and possess excellent optical, water absorption, and mechanical properties. These hydrogels are highly suitable as contact lens materials. 3D printed central disks on the contact lens with Atto565 and Atto488 provided excellent wavelength filtering for red-green and blue-yellow color vision correction. Atto dyes bonded well the hydrogel material and thus remained within the hydrogel without leakage. The optical spectra of multimaterial disks with both Atto565 and Atto488 closely matched the spectra of commercial Enchroma color vision correction glass. Drug loaded peripheral hydrogel structures displayed excellent drug release behavior. The drug release rate can be easily customized by varying the hydrogel composition. The results suggest that vat photopolymerization 3D printing can pave the way towards inexpensive production of smart multifunctional contact lenses.

Presenting Author: Muhammed Hisham Khalifa University

Presenting Author Biography: Muhammed Hisham is a Ph.D. Candidate in Mechanical Engineering Department at Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi. He completed his M.S. Degree in Interdisciplinary Engineering from Indian Institute of Madras, India in 2021. He received B.Tech. Degree in Mechanical Engineering from National Institute of Technology Calicut, India in 2016. His research interest includes additive manufacturing, hydrogels, color vision correction and multifunctional contact lenses.

Authors:

Muhammed Hisham Khalifa University
Sungmun Lee Khalifa University
Haider Butt Khalifa University