# Antibiotic eluting contact lenses for the treatment of bacterial keratitis

> **NIH NIH R01** · SCHEPENS EYE RESEARCH INSTITUTE · 2020 · $488,559

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
 Bacterial keratitis is one of the leading causes of corneal blindness. The primary medical
therapy involves an intensive regimen of hourly antibiotic drops to eradicate the infection. A
major unmet need for the treatment of bacterial keratitis is a sustained method of topical drug
delivery to improve treatment efficacy and patient adherence. This proposal seeks to develop
and test an antibiotic-eluting therapeutic contact lens (TCL) for the treatment of bacterial keratitis.
The proposed research will test the hypothesis that because of continuous administration at
therapeutic doses, an antibiotic-eluting TCL can safely and more effectively treat bacterial
keratitis than the current standard of care, topical antibiotic drops. Moreover, we also
hypothesize that TCLs can locally delivery high enough antibiotic concentrations so that it can
overcome resistance and be used to treat “fluoroquinolone-resistant” bacterial keratitis. Our
approach uses a TCL design that incorporates a thin drug-polymer film within the periphery of a
standard contact lens; this enables the release of large amounts of drug over days to weeks,
while allowing unimpeded vision through the lens, and used materials that are all FDA-approved
for use on the eye. Our preliminary studies that support this approach have demonstrated that a
steroid-eluting contact lens can provide continuous drug levels to the cornea that exceeds that of
hourly drops. We have formulated fluoroquinolone-eluting contact lenses that demonstrated
controlled drug release for 2 days. The Specific Aims for this project are designed to
systematically evaluate our hypotheses and evaluate the potential of this approach. In Aim 1 we
confirm in vitro antibacterial effectiveness, perform cytotoxicity studies, and evaluate drug flux
and biocompatibility in normal rabbit eyes.To ensure that the antibiotic-eluting TCL maintains the
physical properties required for safe wear, we will characterize light transmittance, O2
transmissibility, water content, hydrophobicity, and elasticity of the TCL. In Aim 2 we will compare
the efficacy of TCLs with hourly commercially available fluoroquinolone eye drops for the
treatment of keratitis resulting from fluoroquinolone-susceptible Gram-negative (Pseudomonas
aeruginosa) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria, which are two of the most
common causes of bacterial keratitis. In Aim 3, we will test the hypothesis that TCLs can provide
enough antibiotic to overcome resistance and we will compare the treatment of TCL with
vancomycin drops for the treatment of fluoroquinolone-resistant Staphylococcus aureus keratitis
and with tobramycin drops for the treatment of fluoroquinolone-resistant Pseudomonas
aeruginosa.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9875461
- **Project number:** 5R01EY026640-04
- **Recipient organization:** SCHEPENS EYE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
- **Principal Investigator:** Joseph B. Ciolino
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $488,559
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-03-01 → 2022-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9875461

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9875461, Antibiotic eluting contact lenses for the treatment of bacterial keratitis (5R01EY026640-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9875461. Licensed CC0.

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