Recent Advances in New Copolymer Hydrogel‐Formed Contact Lenses for Ophthalmic Drug Delivery

Abstract Pharmaceuticals delivery to the eye sites of interest via the means of contact lenses (CLs) has attracted significant research attention in recent years. Compared with the conventional formulation in eye treatment such as eye drops, CLs administration has shown remarkable advantages in overcoming the challenges involved in ocular drug delivery such as higher bioavailability, longer drug residence and better medication compliance. This review will first detail each of the material components which have been used in the context of CLs, including HEMA, MAA, DMA, NVP, EGDMA, TRIS and PDMS. The pros and cons of each material in tailoring drug release rates of different encapsulated payloads will be discussed, with special focus on their impact on the therapeutic efficiency. In addition, the advancement of recent emerging copolymer CLs hydrogels, originated from these sophisticated monomers with distinct functions, are further summarized into several synthetic strategies in the means of copolymer architecture design and function‐performance relationship in ophthalmic applications. Finally, the possible considerations for future design of multifunctional CLs hydrogels by combing material selection rationales with biological interface science are proposed.