Contact lens-based lysozyme detection in tear using a mobile and cost-effective sensor (Conference Presentation)

We demonstrate a contact-lens (CL) based mobile sensing system which can be used to measure protein levels in human tear. By using a cost-effective mobile-phone-based well-plate reader and a fluorescent assay, we quantify lysozyme nonspecifically bound to CLs. We monitored the lysozyme levels of 9 healthy volunteers to establish individual baselines, and then compared these measurements to participants who had been diagnosed with Dry Eye Disease (N=6), observing a statistically significant difference in their means. Due to its non-invasive and simple operation, this method could be used for tear-based sensing and health monitoring applications in point-of-care settings and at home.