A 2016 laboratory study tested a microfluidic device designed to assess contact-lens care solutions using a tiny sample of a person’s tears. It found differences in cleaning and disinfection outcomes between subjects and between types of bacterial growth. It did not name a best solution, validate a routine test for patients, or show that switching products improves wearer outcomes.
How the contact lens solution test worked
In “A contact-lens-on-a-chip companion diagnostic tool for personalized medicine,” Allan Guan, Yi Wang, K. Scott Phillips, and Zhenyu Li described a microfluidic platform that combined 1 μL of human tears with commercial contact-lens materials to assess lens-care solution performance. The paper appeared in Lab on a Chip in 2016. The Royal Society of Chemistry article and abstract describe the platform and its purpose.
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The idea was to investigate whether a small-volume, patient-specific assay could reveal differences that generalized testing might not capture. The study examined performance in a laboratory setting; it was not a consumer product comparison.
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What the study found
The authors reported significant differences in cleaning and disinfection outcomes both between subjects and between biofilms and planktonic bacteria. As the abstract puts it: “This device enabled the detection of significant differences in cleaning and disinfection outcomes between subjects and between biofilms vs. planktonic bacteria.”
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Differences between subjects
The results indicate that measured outcomes varied across the study subjects. That supports the platform’s potential for personalized assessment, but does not show that every wearer needs a different solution or that a test-guided change would improve anyone’s results.
Differences between bacterial growth types
Biofilms are communities of bacteria attached to a surface; planktonic bacteria are free-floating. The study reported different outcomes across these two experimental conditions. This distinction helps explain what the device assessed, but it should not be read as a prediction of a particular wearer’s real-world risk.
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- HYDRATES: Biotrue provides up to 20 hours of moisture (based on a laboratory study). Biotrue offers all day comfort. Biotrue is gentle and helps lenses stay comfortable when using digital devices.
- NATURALLY INSPIRED FEATURES: We believe that the best inspiration comes from nature. That's why our formula is inspired by the biology of the eye. Biotrue contact lens solution contains hyaluronan (HA), a moisturizer found naturally in tears. Biotrue also matches the pH of healthy tears to help make contacts comfortable when you put them in.
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Does the study say which contact lens solution is best?
No. The reviewed abstract reports variation in outcomes, but does not identify a winning retail solution, rank brands, or establish that a specific product failed. The findings are about what the prototype could detect under laboratory conditions, not a shopping recommendation.
Was the chip available in eye clinics?
Contemporaneous coverage described adapting the device for point-of-care testing in eye clinics as a possible future application. Chemistry World’s 2016 report and the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Lab on a Chip blog presented clinic use as a possibility, not an established service. The sources do not establish that the device is currently commercially available or that clinics routinely use it.
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- CLEANS & DISINFECTS: Biotrue Hydration Plus contact lens solution provides exceptional cleaning and disinfection. It removes dirt and dissolves protein buildup for clean, clear lenses.
- MORE HYDRATION (vs. original Biotrue Multi-Purpose Solution): It's in the name: Biotrue Hydration Plus. It provides up to 20 hours of moisture (based on a laboratory study). Biotrue Hydration Plus offers all day comfort. It’s enhanced to keep EVEN MORE MOISTURE on your contacts (for 12 hours compared to original Biotrue Multi-Purpose Solution, based on a laboratory study).
- NATURALLY INSPIRED FEATURES: Biotrue Hydration Plus contains naturally inspired ingredients, inspired by the biology of the eye: it’s enhanced with 25% more hyaluronan (a.k.a. HA, a moisturizer found naturally in tears) vs. original Biotrue Multi-Purpose Solution; contains an antioxidant (protects HA against free radicals); as well as potassium (an electrolyte found naturally in tears). Biotrue Hydration Plus also matches the pH of healthy tears to help make contacts comfortable when you put them in.
- MULTI-PURPOSE SOLUTION: Biotrue Hydration Plus contact lens solution can be used to store, clean, and disinfect contacts in a lens case when not being worn, or to rinse contacts before wear. Available in 4 fl oz bottles, 10 fl oz bottles, and packs of two 10 fl oz bottles. For soft contact lenses including silicone hydrogel lenses. BIO.0050.USA.23
What contact lens wearers can take from it
The study is an early research example of using microfluidics to assess lens-care performance in a personalized way. It does not provide evidence for choosing one consumer solution over another or replacing established lens-care guidance with this test. For the bibliographic record and abstract, see the PubMed record.
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