Wearable Contact Lenses for Advanced Ocular Drug Delivery: Progress and Challenges

Abstract The prevalence of ocular diseases significantly impairs the daily lives of billions of people worldwide. Conventional topical formulations, such as eye drops, face significant limitations due to poor ocular bioavailability and the risk of systemic adverse effects. Due to their non‐invasive nature and ability to enhance drug residence time on the cornea, contact lenses have gained recognition as effective carriers for ocular drug delivery. This review explores the evolution of drug delivery strategies using contact lenses, tracing the progression from simple soaking approaches to drug‐eluting strategies. This includes creating Vitamin E diffusion barriers, embedding nanoparticles, fabricating molecularly imprinted hydrogels, and incorporating functional molecules to extend drug release duration. A significant advancement is the development of stimuli‐responsive contact lenses that release drugs in response to specific ocular microenvironmental cues, such as pH, temperature, enzyme activity, or intraocular pressure, enabling more precise disease management. Notably, real‐time monitoring of ocular biomarkers is achievable by the integration of drug reservoirs, biosensors, and wireless communication technologies into smart contact lenses, which heralds a new era for on‐demand personalized therapy. Despite these technological advances, challenges remaining in clinical translation and market adoption are also discussed. Both the progress achieved and the hurdles faced by therapeutic contact lenses in ocular disease management are highlighted.