Blog

June 19, 2015April 24, 2018

Waterloo Student Wins $100,000 Grant to Develop Smart Contact Lenses

The Thiel Foundation announced last week that its class of 2015 Thiel Fellows includes University of Waterloo student Harry Gandhi, co-founder and CEO of Medella Health, a Canadian start-up which plans to develop glucose-monitoring “smart” contact lenses to aid in diabetes management.

Recipients of the Thiel Fellowship receive $100,000 over two years and only students under 22 are eligible.

The search for continuous, non-invasive glucose monitors for the estimated 387 million diabetes sufferers worldwide is a hot topic among researchers and technology companies. Last year Alcon and Google announced that they were forming a partnership to develop glucose-monitoring contact lenses, as well as an accompanying mobile app, though experts estimate that smart contact lenses are at least five years away from being a commercial product.

Further information: http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/peter-thiel-fellowship-awarded-to-4-canadian-entrepreneurs-1.3102670

UPDATE: Medella Health closes $1.4 Mio Seed Capital Financing.

June 19, 2015April 24, 2018

Briot Alta Pulse – At the Heart of Your Business

The Alta Pulse is built for reliability and flexibility, and is specially designed for mid-sized practices.

It offers drilling with variable tilt/inclined grooving and delivers highest accuracy in finishing and ease of use.

Briot’s Alta Pulse is compatible with the XS or XLd tracer/blocker units.

For more information contact Briot at 1 800 667 3019

More information is available at: www.briot.com/canada

June 18, 2015April 24, 2018

Google Patents Biometric Contact Lens

According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark office, Google has been awarded a patent on several designs and implementations of contact lenses capable of scanning the wearer’s iris and using it as a biometric “fingerprint”.

One of the patented contact lens designs includes multiple sensors that measure the light filtered through the iris, circuitry which can communicate with remote devices, and a power source. This information would be used for the purposes of authentication and identification.

Iris recognition scans are considered by security experts to be more accurate and difficult to fake than fingerprints, but current iris scanning technology is unable to distinguish a real eye from a high quality photograph.

Further information: http://www.healio.com/optometry/contact-lenses-eye-wear/news/online/%7Bc8f5d97a-d495-4c2a-a4e1-a2e978102b4e%7D/google-patents-contact-lenses-with-iris-scanning-technology/

June 17, 2015April 24, 2018

Drug Delivering Contact Lenses Improve with UV-blocking

Researchers at the University of Florida, found that UV-blocking contact lenses protected photosensitive drugs from degrading and showed that contact lenses could be an effective way to deliver photosensitive extended-release drugs.

The research team loaded UV-blocking and non-UV-blocking contact lenses with dexamethasone, an anti-inflammatory steroid medication that is sensitive to UV light, and measured the amount of drug which remained after exposing the contact lenses to a UV lamp.

After 20 hours less than 1% of the dexamethasone in the UV-blocking lens had degraded, compared to 85% degradation in the regular contact lens. A third contact lens loaded with vitamin E, which has UV-absorbing properties, had 30% of the drug degraded. While the results suggest that both UV-blocking lenses and Vitamin E prevent degradation, the UV-blocking lenses did so more effectively. The researchers point out, however, that Vitamin E also improves drug stability and release profile.

Further information: http://journals.lww.com/optvissci/Abstract/publishahead/Photoprotection_and_Extended_Drug_Delivery_by_UV.98710.aspx

June 17, 2015April 24, 2018

Transitions Optical Expands Dragon Partnership

Adaptive sunglass lenses automatically react to light to optimize vision during outdoor sports and activities

PINELLAS PARK, Fla.– Transitions Optical, Inc. and Dragon have announced an expanded product portfolio, launching EnduroX trail sunglasses with Transitions^® adaptive sun lens technology, ideal for mountain biking and trail running environments. Last year, Dragon Alliance and Transitions Optical partnered to produce a snow goggle with Transitions adaptive technology incorporated into the goggle lenses.

“There isn’t a better time than on the heels of a tremendously successful first winter season with Dragon to announce our product expansion into the EnduroX sunglasses,” said Larissa Bryan, director, sunwear, Transitions Optical. “From skis and snowboards in the winter months to hiking and mountain biking in the spring, summer and fall, Dragon loyalists can now enjoy the adaptive technology they’ve come to know in their snow goggles in sunglasses.”

With a minimalist lightweight frame and fully adjustable temples and nosebridge, the Dragon EnduroX combines a classic semi-rimless sport frame with state-of-the-art innovation to perform in a range of outdoor activities, including mountain biking and trail running. In addition, the light-weight injected TR90 frame material contains integrated frame ventilation for maximum air flow. Currently the EnduroX is available in a Jet / Transitions lens (yellow to gray).

The partner expansion with Dragon aligns with National Sunglasses Day (June 27) – an annual day that increases awareness on the importance of UV protective eyewear. And over the coming months, Transitions Optical will further its adaptive sunwear technology to include new offerings from other best-in-class partners.

Check out the EnduroX sunglass and find a retailer near you at http://www.timebombtrading.com/ or e-mail cs@timebomb.bc.ca. To learn more about Transitions adaptive sun lens technology, visit Transitions.com/sunwear.