Alcon-Google partnership advances contact lens technology

PHILADELPHIA — Alcon’s partnership with Google is making strides in contact lens technology, focusing on products for presbyopia correction and for health monitoring in patients with diabetes, according to a presentation at the Wills Vision Research Center at Jefferson annual symposium.

Jeff George, president and global head of Alcon, discussed progress in the development of smart contact lenses since the Alcon-Google partnership was announced in July 2014.

“It’s great to see a company in technology that really doesn’t have a deep medical background leveraging a non-invasive sensor technology miniaturization microchip to effectively all but put a computer inside of a contact lens,” George said.

Clinical testing is underway for a glucose-sensing lens that works in collaboration with cell phone technology to monitor the need for insulin therapy in patients with diabetes, George said. Also being tested is a smart contact lens that would incorporate an accommodating lens program using camera technology for presbyopic patients.

Google has received more than 100 patents for its glucose-sensing lens and 50 patents for its accommodating lens, George said. – by Kristie L. Kahl

Disclosure: George is the president and global head of Alcon.