(730f) Cyclosporin A Delivery by Commercial Contact Lenses for Chronic Dry Eye Treatment

Cyclosporine A (CyA) is an immunosuppressant drug commonly used for treatment of chronic dry eye, and its delivery has been shown to be effective in treatment of contact lens mediated dry eyes as well. Current CyA treatment in the form of emulsion eye drop suffers from low bioavailability, since only less than 5% of applied drug reaches target tissues, while the remains could enter systemic circulation and then other tissues through transnasal or conjunctival absorption, which might cause serious side effects

This talk will focus on delivery of CyA by soft contact lenses. The talk will describe the transport of drug in the lens, including its binding to the polymer, and the transport of drug in the tear film. Results will be presented for two types of commercial ydrogel lenses: daily-disposable 1-Day ACUVUE®, which is based on hydrophilic poly-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (p-HEMA) material, and NIGHT&DAYTM, O2OPTIXTM, ACUVUE® OASYSTM and Pure VisionTM , which contain hydrophobic silicone hydrogel. Additionally, a novel approach will be presented for increasing the release duration from lenses by incorporation of Vitamin E barriers. Models will be presented for the transport of the drug both with and without Vitamin E barriers.

This pilot study conclusively demonstrates the promising potential of using CyA loaded contact lens as a more efficient extended delivery vehicle for treatment of chronic dry eyes and also for reducing the discomfort and dryness frequently associated with contact lens wear.