Ophthalmic Drug Delivery System

The Ophthalmic Drug Delivery Device Challenge

Create an ophthalmic drug delivery device that allows patients to self-administer eye drops while keeping the head upright.

The Ophthalmic Device Development Process

Many patients, especially elderly patients, have a hard time administering eye drops correctly for a number of reasons. This patient population often has limited hand dexterity and limited head tilt. In collaboration with a major NC University eye research center, we sought to solve this problem. This led to the creation of the upright eye dropper dispenser. A bottle container is placed upside down into the device and a mechanism pierces the bottle, pulling medication into a small chamber. A closed system with hydrophobic filtration prevents any bacteria from entering. Pulling the trigger releases pressure, squirting out a stream of medication into the eye. The device measures proper dosage, with one pre-measured dose being released per “click” and reduces the chance of tip contamination.

The Ophthalmic Drug Delivery Device Outcome

An upright drug delivery eye dropper dispenser that has the ability to assist patients with eye drop placement, improving the experience with drop instillation and increasing compliance.