Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Contact lens embedded sensor for ocular hypertension and glaucoma monitoring

Project description

Wearing a contact lens for a day could improve early diagnosis of glaucoma risk

Eyes are amazing organs, fluid-filled spheres with layers of tissues along the internal wall sensing light, and optic nerves carrying signals to the brain. The intraocular fluid is essential for eye health, supplying nutrients where needed and maintaining intraocular pressure (IOP) to avoid ocular collapse. However, excessive IOP can cause glaucoma, a family of conditions that damage the optic nerve. Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in people over 60, and conventional diagnostics rely on a single office evaluation. However, IOP can vary throughout a given 24-hour period, rendering these 'snapshots in time' inaccurate for diagnostic purposes. The lack of sufficient diagnostic information also limits the ability of the ophthalmologists to devise (and revise) an effective personalized treatment algorithm. The EU-funded Savesight project is helping Turkish SME GlakoLens launch a continuous IOP monitoring solution in the form of a non-invasive contact lens-based biosensor platform, which promises to save the sight of millions.

Objective

Glaucoma affects over 70 million people worldwide (>12 million in Europe), and this number is expected to grow steadily to reach 111 million by 2040. Glaucoma is a chronic condition with no permanent cure and is the second leading cause of blindness. It significantly reduces the quality of life and presents a heavy burden on healthcare systems. Its most prominent and stealthy form, namely open-angle glaucoma, is mainly caused by chronic ocular hypertension (high intraocular pressure [IOP]). Conventional methods used to diagnose elevated IOP, monitor the progression of glaucoma and create treatment algorithms rely on a single IOP measurement conducted at the clinic. Due to the diurnal cycle of IOP, conventional methods do not provide sufficient and reliable information to evaluate the condition of the patients accurately. GlakoLens has been developing a non-invasive contact lens embedded sensor system that will aid medical professionals to overcome this issue by continuous 24-hour monitorization of the IOP changes. GlakoLens' proprietary technology (1 granted and 3 pending international patents) based on years of cutting-edge scientific research enables superior features for the patient (better comfort, electrical and mechanical safety, and full field-of-view) at a fraction of the cost of the only direct competitor in the market while providing better measurement accuracy and reliability. Four more indirect competitors have recognised the need in the market and are developing products using different technologies to address this need. According to a report by Marketscope, IOP monitoring market is expected to reach €1.5 billion by 2021. Glakolens plans to enter the market by the end of 2022, with estimated revenues equal to about €294.6 million in 2026.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020

See all projects funded under this call

Coordinator

GLAKOLENS BIYOMEDIKAL BIYOTEKNOLOJISANAYI VE TICARET ANONIM SIRKETI
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 50 000,00
Address
RUMELIHISARI MAH.BEBEK YOLU SK. BOGAZICI UNIVERSITESI KUZEY KAMPUSU TEKNOPARK 2/5/ IC KAPI 302
34470 SARIYER, ISTANBUL
Türkiye

See on map

SME

The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.

Yes
Region
İstanbul İstanbul İstanbul
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 71 429,00
My booklet 0 0