Researchers from Nanbiosis, a Spanish biomaterial company, have successfully modified contact lenses to incorporate antibacterial properties.
Contact lenses, especially soft ones, pose a risk of ocular microbial infection that can eventually lead to loss of vision, said Dr Jordi Esquena, Nanbiosis’ scientific director. “These new contact lenses inhibit the formation of bacterial biofilms and could prevent ocular keratitis.”
In the study, researchers inserted bactericidal activity into hydrogel contact lenses through antimicrobial peptides anchored to the lens surface. The trial demonstrated that the peptide-modified contact lenses were able to dramatically reduce bacterial adhesion and viability when exposed to Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, said Dr Esquena, thus minimising corneal bacterial infection.
The study was published in Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces.
