Currently,
bacterial conjunctivitis is treated by frequent administration of
antibiotic eye drop solutions, which is tedious and patient noncompliant.
Contact lenses could be ideal medical devices to sustain the release of ophthalmic drugs, but the incorporation of the latter can alter the optical and physical properties of the
lenses. In addition, many
contact lens users have reported the
pink eye syndrome, making them unsuitable as ocular medical devices. In the present study, we have designed a novel type of
lenses containing semi-circular rings loaded with
moxifloxacin HCl (a broad spectrum
antibiotic) and
hyaluronic acid (a comfort agent), respectively, in order to treat
bacterial conjunctivitis without altering the critical lens properties. The
drug loaded rings were implanted separately within the periphery of the
contact lenses using the modified cast moulding technology. The atomic force microscopy report showed an average roughness of 22.27 nm for the implant lens, which was significantly lower in comparison to the marketed Freshlook® (116.27 nm)
contact lens. The major amount of
moxifloxacin HCl was leached (68.16-74.55%) during the monomer extraction and wet sterilization (autoclave) steps; hence the
lenses were terminally sterilized by radiation and packaged under dry condition (dehydrated). The in vitro release data showed release for
moxifloxacin HCl and
hyaluronic acid up to 96 h. The in vivo drug release studies showed significant improvement [>MIC for Staphylococcus aureus] in the
drug residence time in comparison to the
eye drop therapy. The in vivo efficacy study in the staphylococcus aureus induced
conjunctivitis showed equivalent healing effect with the single implant
contact lens in comparison to the frequent high dose
eye drop therapy. The study demonstrated the successful application of the implantation technology to co-deliver
moxifloxacin HCl and
hyaluronic acid from the
contact lenses for the extended period of time to treat
conjunctivitis.