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Research Title: Controlling myopia (short-sightedness) by developing a drug-releasing contact lens.

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Research

Abstract

It is forecast that almost half of the world’s population will have myopia (shortsightedness) by 2050. High degrees of myopia may lead to blindness. Myopia can be corrected using glasses or contact lenses. However, preventing myopia has been proposed to occur by using contact lenses (or glasses) that focus the image correctly in the center of the retina but move the focus forward of the peripheral retina. This is believed to reduce the push for the eye to elongate. Another mechanism of prevention of myopia is to apply low doses of atropine (or similar antimuscarinic agents) to children’s eyes. Atropine may work through local retinal/scleral signalling or via a cycloplegic (paralysis of the ciliary muscle of the eye, resulting in a loss of accommodation – ability to focus) effect.

Recent reports have shown that contact lenses designed to prevent the growth of the eye can reduce the progression of myopia by approximately 40-50%. In other words, overall a group of children wearing the antimyopia contact lenses had on average 40-50% less refractive change than a control group of children wearing lenses that simply correct the degree of myopia. In controlled clinical trials, low dose (0.025%) atropine can also slow the progression of myopia by 30-40%. What has not been attempted to date is the use of both contact lenses and atropine to control myopia. One hypothesis is that the combination of antimyopia contact lenses and atropine will produce a greater antimyopia effect – i.e. result in >50% less refractive change in people wearing these combination lenses.

My project will use antimyopia-designed contact lenses to deliver atropine. The contact lens will deliver atropine to the eye by controlled and sustained release. Materials will be developed that facilitate the uptake and release of atropine. Laboratory studies measuring release kinetics will be followed by applying the drug-releasing lenses onto animals’ eyes and monitoring safety. I will compare contact lenses simply soaked in atropine to contact lenses containing colloidal nanoparticles, having molecular imprinting or surface multi-layering (using a variety of polymers and plasma treatments) to control atropine’s release in laboratory studies.

Biography

Md Abdullah Aziz completed his Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) from Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh in 2010 and subsequent Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Science in 2011. Abdullah’s passion lies in the domains of material design and the development of biomaterials. He is currently a Scientia PhD candidate at UNSW School of Optometry and Vision Science where his doctoral research will focus on the controlled and sustained delivery of antimyopia drugs to the eyes from contact lenses.

Education

PhD, School of Optometry and Vision Science, UNSW Sydney (2020–current)

M.S. in Pharmaceutical Science, Department of Pharmacy, Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh (2011)

Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours), Department of Pharmacy, Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh (2007 – 2010)

Recent publication

Awards

Scientia PhD Scholarship, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia (2020–2024)

Merit Scholarship of Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh (2007-2011)

Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Society Scholarship (2009)

Affiliations and membership

Registered Pharmacist of the Pharmacy Council Bangladesh