Contact lenses that slowly release allergy eye medicine
Official title: Drug delivery platform for ocular allergy therapy
Funded at Lynthera Corporation · NIH-11172532 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A one-day contact lens that releases olopatadine to help contact-lens wearers with itchy, allergic eyes stay comfortable for longer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Lynthera Corporation NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Lancaster, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $900,003 |
| NIH project number | 5R44EY033611-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11172532 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who regularly wear contact lenses and suffer from itchy, red, or watery eyes due to seasonal or perennial allergic conjunctivitis are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People who do not wear contact lenses, who are allergic to olopatadine or the proposed lens materials, or who have severe ocular disease are unlikely to benefit from this approach.
What this research studies
You would wear a daily disposable contact lens engineered to slowly release the allergy medicine olopatadine using charged boundary modifiers that control drug release. The developers plan to pair the most effective anti-allergy drug with highly breathable lens materials so you don’t have to trade comfort for relief. They will measure drug-release and lens performance in the lab and advance to safety and comfort testing in people. The aim is to provide longer-lasting relief than current medicated lenses that only help for a few hours.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could let contact-lens wearers with allergic conjunctivitis wear lenses comfortably for much longer without needing frequent eye drops.
How similar studies have gone: A ketotifen-releasing contact lens (ACUVUE Theravision) has been approved but provides only a few hours of relief, and olopatadine eye drops have shown better symptom relief than ketotifen, so this project builds on prior work while seeking longer duration.
Where this research is happening
-
Lynthera Corporation
Lancaster, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Yang, Arthur — Lynthera Corporation
- Study coordinator: Yang, Arthur
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.