Patent ID: 8273366

Claim:
A drug delivery system comprising a contact lens having dispersed throughout as nanoparticles an ophthalmic drug nanoencapsulated with an encapsulation material, wherein said encapsulation material is selected dependent upon ophthalmic drug characteristics wherein a hydrophobic encapsulation material is selected for a hydrophobic ophthalmic drug and a hydrophilic encapsulation material is selected for a hydrophilic ophthalmic drug; wherein said ophthalmic drug is capable of diffusion into and migration through said contact lens and into the post-lens tear film when said contact lens is placed on the eye; wherein said diffusion results in extended or time-release delivery of said ophthalmic drug; and wherein said nanoparticles are dispersed within said contact lens in an amount such that said contact lens remains optically transparent, wherein optically transparent is a degree of transparency equal to that of p-HEMA or other material employed as a contact lens.