April 2011
Volume 52, Issue 14
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ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   April 2011
An Antifungal Contact Lens
Joseph B. Ciolino; Sarah Hudson; Ashley N. Mobbs; Todd R. Hoare; Gerald R. Fink; Naomi Iwata; Daniel S. Kohane
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Joseph B. Ciolino
    Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, Massachusetts
    Anesthesiology, Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
  • Sarah Hudson
    Chemical Engineering,
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
    Materials and Surface Science Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
  • Ashley N. Mobbs
    Chemical Engineering,
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
  • Todd R. Hoare
    Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
  • Gerald R. Fink
    Whitehead Institute,
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
  • Naomi Iwata
    Chemical Engineering,
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
  • Daniel S. Kohane
    Anesthesiology, Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships  Joseph B. Ciolino, Inventor (P); Sarah Hudson, None; Ashley N. Mobbs, None; Todd R. Hoare, Inventor (P); Gerald R. Fink, None; Naomi Iwata, None; Daniel S. Kohane, Inventor (P)
  • Footnotes
    Support  NEI 1K08EY019686-01 (JBC), NIGMS GM073626 (DSK), MCOIF-CT2007-040150 (SPH), NSERC PDF Fellowship (TRH), GM035010 (GRF), GM40266 (GRF), CIMIT / J&J Young Investigator Award (DSK)
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science April 2011, Vol.52, 6545. doi:
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      Joseph B. Ciolino, Sarah Hudson, Ashley N. Mobbs, Todd R. Hoare, Gerald R. Fink, Naomi Iwata, Daniel S. Kohane; An Antifungal Contact Lens. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2011;52(14):6545.

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Abstract
 
Purpose:
 

To design a contact lens to treat and prevent fungal ocular infections.

 
Methods:
 

Curved contact lenses were created by encapsulating econazole-impregnated PLGA (poly[lactic-co-glycolic acid]) films in pHEMA (poly[hydroxyethyl methacrylate]) using ultraviolet photopolymerization. Release studies were conducted in phosphate buffered saline at 37°C with continuous shaking. The contact lenses and their release media were tested in an antifungal assay against Candida albicans. Cross-sections of the pre-release and post-release contact lenses were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and by Raman spectroscopy.

 
Results:
 

Econazole-eluting contact lenses provided extended antifungal activity (over 3 weeks) against Candida albicans fungi. Fungicidal activity varied in duration and effectiveness depending on the mass of the econazole-PLGA film encapsulated in the contact lens (Figure 1).

 
Conclusions:
 

An econazole eluting contact lens could potentially be used as a treatment for fungal ocular infections.  

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Keywords: contact lens • fungal disease • antibiotics/antifungals/antiparasitics 
© 2011, The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc., all rights reserved. Permission to republish any abstract or part of an abstract in any form must be obtained in writing from the ARVO Office prior to publication.
Copyright © 2025 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.
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