A contact lens to treat depression?

South Korean researchers have described a prototype contact lens that aims to treat depression by delivering electrical stimulation through the cornea to the retina – and ultimately the brain.

Writing in Cell Reports Physical Science, the scientists highlighted that in a mouse model of depression, the contact lens enhanced behavioral resilience and normalised depression-related biomarkers.

The researchers noted that previous smart contact lens applications have been limited to diagnosing metabolic disease or monitoring and treating ocular pathology.

“One area that has remained largely unaddressed is the application of contact lens platforms to mental health disorders, such as depression,” the scientists stated.

The soft lens developed by the researchers incorporates a temporal-interference-based transcorneal electrical stimulation system (TI-TES) – which is designed as a non-invasive therapy for depression.

“By utilising the retina as an accessible interface to the eye-brain axis, this platform circumvents the invasiveness and limited tolerability of conventional brain stimulation therapies,” the authors explained.

The researchers highlighted that despite “promising” pre-clinical findings, in order to trial the contact lens in humans several practical challenges would need to be overcome.

These included developing a wireless version of the contact lens, personalising the contact lens to ensure correct dosing between individuals and assessing the long-term biocompatibility of the contact lens.