FOR CONTACT LENS practitioners, 3-dimensional (3D) printing holds particular promise for the design and fabrication of next-generation contact lenses for the estimated 140 million wearers worldwide (Dumbleton et al, 2013). This article highlights how broader innovations in 3D-printed biomaterials are shaping the future of personalized medicine and therapeutic devices.
Advancements in additive manufacturing, the process of building an object by layers, have demonstrated feasibility in customizing contact lenses for various needs. Hisham and colleagues (2023) developed a layer-by-layer approach to print a multi-material contact lens with complex patterns using 2 dye-incorporated materials. This prototype lens provides an improved color spectrum for individuals who have color deficiency. Alam and coworkers (2021) fabricated microchannels along the lens edge, suggesting that it could be used as an optical transducer for dry eye monitoring by detecting spacing differences between channels. To date, these innovations have primarily focused on modifying the functionalities of standard lens designs.
Customized Lens Shapes
Patients who have extensive ectasia, post-corneal grafting, or scarring after corneal trauma have markedly irregular-shaped corneas and are often unable to wear standard contact lenses comfortably. Emerging research proposes a custom 3D-printed lens based on a patient’s corneal topography, ensuring improved fit and optics.
A topographic map of the cornea (and sclera in some cases) can be used to generate a clinically accurate digital 3D model in seconds. Varying thickness in the center and at the edges of the model can be customized based on the patient’s needs, and this data can be sent to a printer, resulting in a 3D printed rigid lens within 10 to 15 minutes. Researchers are developing materials and methodologies to achieve these results, including the use of printable hydrophilic and viscoelastic silicone materials (Tang and Golzar, 2024).
However, the current limitations of 3D-printed contact lenses include discomfort and light scattering caused by the relatively rough surfaces resulting from the layer-by-layer deposition of materials. It is anticipated that a smooth surface profile will soon be achieved with high-resolution printing and postprint coating/washing. Spin coating controlled by a mathematical model and grayscale masks are potential solutions for precisely smoothening 3D-printed surfaces (Shan et al, 2024; Xu et al, 2022).
Customized Drug-eluting Lenses
Beyond vision correction, there is exciting potential for customized drug loading in 3D-printed contact lenses. A drug-eluting contact lens system increases ocular drug bioavailability to more than 50% compared to conventional eye drops (~1% to 5%), enabling more effective therapy (Hsu et al, 2014).
Various 3D printing approaches have been used to enhance drug delivery capabilities in contact lenses by enabling precise drug distribution and controlled release. Mohamodeen and colleagues (2022) demonstrated a lens printed with fused deposition modeling (FDM) that had a smooth surface and provided sustained release of timolol maleate over 3 days. Ganguly and coworkers (2024) fabricated a hydrophilic silicone-based contact lens compatible with extrusion printing; this lens enables stable amoxicillin encapsulation and tunable extended release through a dual drug release mechanism of diffusion and polymer chain rearrangement. Garg and colleagues (2025) employed stereolithography to produce a custom-fit contact lens loaded with polyvinyl alcohol, which maintains high lens shape fidelity, transparency, and a sustained release profile suitable for the treatment of dry eye.
Future Outlook
The development of these technologies promises significant advancements in the personalization of contact lenses, offering custom shape and drug loading in one shot.
References
1. Dumbleton K, Caffery B, Dogru M, et al; members of the TFOS International Workshop on Contact Lens Discomfort. The TFOS International Workshop on Contact Lens Discomfort: report of the subcommittee on epidemiology. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2013;54(11):TFOS20-TFOS36. doi: 10.1167/iovs.13-13125
2. Hisham M, Salih AE, Butt H. 3D Printing of Multimaterial Contact Lenses. ACS Biomater Sci Eng. 2023;9(7):4381-4391. doi: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.3c00175
3. Alam F, Elsherif M, AlQattan B, et al. 3D Printed Contact Lenses. ACS Biomater Sci Eng. 2021;7(2):794-803. doi: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.0c01470.
4. Tang, XS, Golzar H. Printable hydrophilic and viscoelastic silicone material and method of manufacturing same. US Patent #US-2024150528-A1. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/patent/US-2024150528-A1
5. Shan Y, Hua J, Mao H. 3D printing of optical lenses assisted by precision spin coating. Adv Funct Mat. 2024;34:2407165. doi: 10.1002/adfm.202407165
6. Xu Y, Huang P, To S, Zhu LM, Zhu Z. Low‐cost volumetric 3d printing of high‐precision miniature lenses in seconds. Adv Opt Mat. 2022;10:2200488. doi: 10.1002/adom.202200488
7. Mohamdeen YMG, Tabriz AG, Tighsazzadeh M, U. et al. Development of 3D printed drug-eluting contact lenses. J Pharm Pharmacol. 2022;74(10):1467-1476.
8. Hsu KH, Gause S, Chauhan A. Review of ophthalmic drug delivery by contact lenses. J Drug Del Sci Tech. 2014;24(2):123-135. doi: 10.1016/S1773-2247(14)50021-4
9. Ganguly S, Wulff D, Phan CM, Jones LW, Tang XS. Injectable and 3D extrusion printable hydrophilic silicone-based hydrogels for controlled ocular delivery of ophthalmic drugs. ACS Appl Bio Mater. 2024;7(9):6286-6296.
10. Garg P, Shokrollahi P, Darge HF, Phan CM, Jones L. 3D-Printed Contact Lenses to Release Polyvinyl Alcohol as a Therapeutic Agent for the Treatment of Dry Eyes. Pharmaceutics. 2025;17(2):219. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics17020219
