verily | Smart Contact Lens

Context

Joint development project between Verily and Alcon to address presbyopia without requiring glasses.

Goal

Create a battery-powered, accommodating contact lens

My role

1 of 2 PD engineers on the team, responsible for lens fit and comfort

Sensor

Proprietary electromechanical ocular sensor

Sensor function

Trigger battery-powered accommodation

My contributions

• Cross-functional ideation of sensor DOEs and their feasibility

• Generated lens and custom fixture CAD, drawings, design reviews, and ECOs

• Monitored build metrology and clinical outcomes

Prototypes

• Class II FDA and ISO-compliant contact lenses

• Fit to study participants by in-house optometrists

Fabrication Techniques

• Diamond-point lathe

• Injection molding

• Cast molding

• Machining

Outcomes

• Successfully defined sensor's spatial and architectural constraints

• Demonstrated battery-powered accommodation on human eye with sensor performing as intended

Project status

Paused in 2020 after our partner, Alcon, was spun out from Novartis

Additional contributions

• Averaged 1 new design tested on human eye, per week, for 18 consecutive months

• Increased wear time from 5 minutes to 7 days through a 20% reduction in overall thickness