BME-IBSC PhD Defense Announcement for Seul Ah Lee (C.H. Lee, advisor)

Everyone is invited to attend the public presentation beginning at 9:00 AM.

Title of Thesis Research: Development of Vision and Eye Care Smart Contact Lens

Date, time, and place: Thursday, November 30^th at 9:00 AM in MJIS 2001. Hybrid link: 
https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/j/97547949189

Thesis Committee: Dr. Chi Hwan Lee (Chair), Dr. Young L. Kim, Dr. Hugh Hyowon Lee, and Dr. Shin Ae Park (College of Veterinary Medicine)

Abstract: Groundbreaking research has been done on smart contact lenses, especially as a minimally invasive diagnostic platform and a drug delivery system. The eyes provide rich physiological and broad diagnostic information, making contact lens sensors a promising disease diagnostic tool. A smart contact lens, one such contact lens sensor, can quantify the concentrations of various biomolecules and electrolytes in ocular fluids and physical biomarkers of the eye, such as intraocular pressure (IOP). Continuous and non- or minimally invasive contact lens sensors can be directly utilized in a clinical or point-of-care setting. Here, we introduce the incorporation of contact lens sensors and their fabrication, sensitivity, power source, and readout mechanisms. The incorporation is to monitor glaucoma and conditions associated with eye health, such as dry eye syndrome and inflammation. The contact lens sensors fit seamlessly across different corneal curvatures and thicknesses in human eyes. The lens can also wirelessly capture the intraocular pressure by utilizing the principle of the mechanical deformation of the microfluidic channel under ambulatory conditions. Also, we will discuss the colorimetric ocular electrolyte tear fluid sensor to detect the color change of dry eye disease and inflammation. We assessed the in vitro biocompatibility, ex vivo functionality, and in vivo safety of the soft contact lens sensor.