From a NSF press release:

The technology breakthrough is a novel approach that bypasses a traditional planar sensor of adjacent pixels and instead relies upon an array of pixels interconnected by small wires. Using a flexible, temporary backing, the researchers can form the array into a curved shape and then transfer the array to its permanent location affixed to a glass lens.

Over the last 20 years, many researchers have tried to manufacture such electronic eye systems, but until now, none were able to create a working camera.

"This strategy opens up exciting, new engineering design possibilities by eliminating the two dimensional, planar constraints of conventional, semiconductor wafer-based optoelectronics," said John Rogers, Flory-Founder Chair Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign.

While a flat, planar sensor cannot flex without damaging its light-sensitive pixels, the new technology puts the strain on the wires, each flexing as much as 40 percent. Since the wires absorb the strain, the pixels are barely stressed, even when affixed to the retina-shaped housing of the new experimental camera.

Conventional digital cameras use planar chips based on rigid, brittle semiconductor wafer substrates that fracture at strains of less than 1 percent.

"Mechanics helps to reduce the stresses and strain in components, and guide and optimize the system design," said Yonggang Huang, Joseph Cummings Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, who worked with his team to model the mechanical properties of the design so that it could be manufactured.

The current sensor array includes only 256 pixels, but because the technology is based on established materials and manufacturing processes, the researchers ultimately expect more sophisticated sensors in higher density arrays. The same approaches can be used for nearly any class of semiconductor electronic device for a range of functions such as sensing, actuating and computing.

Videos of John Rogers of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Yonggang Huang of Northwestern University describing the workings of the camera...

Abstract in Nature...

Images: Top: Image of the newly developed camera. Side 1: This high magnification scanning electron micrograph shows a small cluster of silicon photodetector pixels and electronics interconnected by arc-shaped ribbons, all on a hemispherical substrate. These interconnects bow upward to accommodate the large mechanical strains needed to transform the planar layouts in which the systems are initially fabricated to the hemispherical geometries needed for implementation in the electronic eye. The image is colorized: pixel elements and interconnects appear gold; the substrate appears light blue. Side 2: Photo of an eye taken using the camera.

From UC Davis:

Tingrui Pan, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, and postdoctoral researcher Hailin Cong started with a material called polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). They developed a method for placing powdered silver on the PDMS in a precise pattern, to create conductive wires. The silver also has antimicrobial properties.

The researchers were able to shape the PDMS-silver into a contact-lens shape, and show that it could function as a simple pressure sensor. Glaucoma, a build-up of pressure in the eye, is a leading cause of blindness worldwide. A contact lens that could continuously measure pressure within the eye and relay the data to a computer would allow doctors to learn more about glaucoma and improve patient treatment.

The researchers plan to apply for approval to begin trials of the lenses in humans, Pan said. They are collaborating with Professor James Brandt of the Department of Ophthalmology at the UC Davis School of Medicine.

Press release: Smart Contact Lenses

Abstract in Advanced Functional Materials...

More at MIT Tech Review...

Flashbacks: Sensimed Technology: Noninvasive Intraocular Pressure Monitoring with a Contact Lens; Electronic Contact Lenses for Better Vision

From the device brochure:

SurModics has developed the I-vation Sustained Drug Delivery System for the sustained release of drugs to the back of the eye. The I-vation platform offers a great deal of versatility and flexibility for formulation and pharmacokinetics control. The sustained drug delivery system leverages SurModics’ proven polymer technology with a unique scaffold designed for minimally nvasive implantation. The implant’s small diameter enables implantation through a pars plana needlestick less than 0.5 mm in diameter. The unique helical design maximizes the surface area available for drug delivery, and ensures secure anchoring of the implant against the sclera, keeping it out of the visual field and facilitating retrieval. The thin cap is designed to reside under the conjunctival membrane of the eye.

The I-vation system is positioned to take advantage of Sur-Modics’ patented drug delivery technology which utilizes combinations of durable and biodegradable polymers and drug. The release of drug from these coatings is controlled by the drug loading and the composition of the polymer components, both of which influence the rate at which drug diffuses out of the coating. In addition, SurModics has a range of polymer systems which confer added flexibility to the sustained delivery system, allowing for controlled delivery of a range of therapeutic molecules from small hydrophobic drugs to larger macromolecules and proteins.

I-vation device page...

I-vation™ Sustained Drug Delivery System brochure...

Press release: SurModics Announces Initiation by Merck & Co., Inc. of Phase IIb Clinical Trial for I-vation(TM) TA

From the product page at PharmaDesign:

AllerGuide is a combination compliance aid /directional facilitator that attaches to the neck of all Allergan Eye Care products. This universal attachment is designed to rest comfortably around the eye – positioning the bottle at a safe and appropriate distance. After administering a single eye drop, the user then moves an outer compliance dial attached to the neck of the bottle (i.e., Mon 1 – Mon 2 – Mon 3) – which allows the patient to keep track of their daily dosing.

Product page: Allerguide...

2008 International Design Excellence Award announcement...

Metabolic stress, and therefore disease, can be detected by measuring the intensity of cellular fluorescence in retinal tissue. In a previous study, Petty and Elner reported that high levels of flavoprotein autofluorescence (FA) act as a reliable indicator of eye disease. In their new study, Elner and Petty measured the FA levels of 21 individuals who had diabetes and compared the results to age-matched healthy controls. The Kellogg scientists found that FA activity was significantly higher for those with diabetes, regardless of severity, compared to those who did not have the disease. The results were not affected by disease severity or duration and were elevated for diabetics in each age group: 30 to 39 years, 40 to 49 years, and 50 to 59 years.

Twelve individuals in the study were known to have diabetic retinopathy, a disease in which blood vessels in the eye are damaged. The individuals with diabetic retinopathy in at least one eye had significantly greater FA activity than people with diabetes who do not have any visible eye disease.

“The abnormal readings indicated that it may be possible to use this method to monitor the severity of the disease,” says Elner.

Petty, a biophysicist and imaging expert, explains that hyperglycemia — or high blood sugar — is known to induce cell death in diabetic tissue soon after the onset of disease but before symptoms can be detected clinically.

“Increased FA activity is the earliest indicator that cell death has occurred and tissue is beginning to break down,” says Petty, professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, and professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the U-M Medical School. “FA serves as a ‘spectral-biomarker’ for metabolism gone awry, and we can use the results to detect and monitor disease.”

Petty also observes that unlike glucose monitoring, elevation of FA levels reflects ongoing tissue damage. That knowledge, he says, could motivate patients to intensify their efforts to manage the disease.

The Michigan researchers also note that elevated FA does not always mean that an individual has diabetes. “Because of the prevalence of diabetes in our population, individuals with abnormally high FA would be prompted to undergo glucose tolerance testing,” says Elner. “If the findings were negative for diabetes, we would look for other causes of ocular tissue dysfunction.”

Press release: 'Snapshots' of eyes could serve as early warning of diabetes

Abstract in Archives of Ophthalmology...

From the Review of Ophthalmology:

James F. McGinnis, PhD, professor of cell biology and ophthalmology at the Dean A. McGee Eye Institute in Oklahoma City, Okla., is using nanoceria to treat retinal damage and diseases. “The property that got me interested in nanoceria is its ability to destroy reactive oxygen species, which are extremely reactive with any other molecule,” he says. “When they’re formed inside a cell, they don’t go very far because they react with the nearest molecules. But nanoceria also has another interesting ability: It can convert the target molecule to water and then return to its pre-reaction state, so it’s ready to eliminate another molecule.

“These nanoparticles are inorganic, and because of that, they’re non-inflammatory and nonimmunogenic, at least at the concentrations we’ve tested so far,” he continues. “They’re extremely small—about 3 to 5 nm in diameter. For comparison, a red blood cell has a diameter of 7,500 nm. Also, the effective concentrations used so far have been extremely small—about 5 nanomolar, or five billionths of a mole.”

More in Review of Ophthamology: Nanoparticles: Into the New Frontier...

Flashback: Oven Cleaner as Glaucoma Medicine?

The Sightmate contains twin high-resolution 640x480 full color 24 bit LCD displays with a 2 mega pixel digital imager. It's zoom capability close-up is set to 16 inches with a 3X Optical Zoom and 4X Digital Zoom and its distance zoom at 20 feet has a magnification of 0.5X - 6X. The system also helps improve color blindness with an adjustable algorithm that is activated by a button on the Sightmate controller. The unit also has image inversion and snap and pan capabilities.

The SightMate LV920 vision tool can help approximately 40 to 60 percent of patients improve their visual acuity, and hence their quality of life. Tests have demonstrated that people with a 20/70 to 20/200 acuity in their better eye have been able to increase their reading and distance acuity to the range of 20/20 to 20/40 using their remaining peripheral vision while wearing the SightMate. SightMate improves the visual acuity of individuals with central vision loss by allowing them to magnify images or text and pan across it. The magnified images or text are viewed by vision that has not been lost to disease.

More from product page: Sightmate LV920

(hat tip: DailyTech )

Features of the device from the press release:

Capable of creating a corneal flap during the LASIK procedure in less than 10 seconds, the iFS(TM) Advanced Femtosecond Laser's unique inverted bevel-in side cut angle is designed to provide a virtually effortless flap lift, increase post-operative flap adhesion and enhance the biomechanical stability of the post-LASIK cornea. With full customization capabilities, it also produces an elliptical flap to enhance surgical options and includes IntraLase-Enabled Keratoplasty (IEK).

Additional features of the 5th generation IntraLase femtosecond technology include:

Higher repetition rate

Tighter spot separation; lower energy

High-resolution digital video microscope

New contemporary user interface, keyboard and touch screen

Ergonomic design for maximum surgeon comfort

Press release: Advanced Medical Optics Receives FDA Clearance For iFS(TM) Advanced Femtosecond Laser ...

From the Times Online:

Linda Moorfoot is one of a few American patients to be fitted with the current version of the implant. She had been totally blind for more than a decade with the inherited condition retinitis pigmentosa.

But, with the aid of the camera mounted on a pair of sunglasses, she can now see a rough image of the world made up of light and dark blocks.

She told Sky News: "When I go to the grandkids' hockey game or soccer game I can see which direction the game is moving in. I can shoot baskets with my grandson, and I can see my granddaughter dancing across the stage. It's wonderful."

Ms Moorfoot's implant has just 16 electrodes but the US surgeons have helped to fit an even more advanced device to the two British patients.

The updated model has 60 electrodes to give a clearer image. Meanwhile in California, scientists are developing an implant with 1,000 electrodes, which should allow facial recognition.

More at the Times Online...

Flashbacks: Second Sight Medical Retinal Prosthesis Receives FDA Approval for Clinical Trials ; Second Sight Implant: Positive Results Reported in the Study; Diamond Coating for Second Sight Implant

Here's how the company outlines its technology:

We propose a novel approach to intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement allowing 24-hour continuous IOP monitoring, regardless of patient position and activities. The key element of this innovative measurement method is a soft disposable contact lens with a MEMS sensor embedded - the CLS - allowing the measurement of the cornea deformation due to IOP changes. As the system is placed in the same way as a corrective contact lens, no anaesthesia is required and patient vision remain almost unimpaired. A telemetry microprocessor and an antenna are also embedded into the CLS for wireless power and data transfer.

CLS System

The CLS System comprises a pair of glasses (or patch for overnight measurements) and a pocket unit - the CLS Reader. Thru the glasses energy is sent to the CLS and data are retrieved wirelessly and stored in the pocket unit to be worn by the patient elsewhere.

The company has been around since at least 2004, so we are not really sure what was the reason for Red Herring to select it now. On the other hand, the company had almost a €4.8 million venture capital infusion in January, so things are not as static as they might appear to be.

Sensimed AG...