Contact lenses and their manufacturing methods

Abstract

A contact lens and a method for manufacturing the same are provided. The contact lens includes a lens and a hydrophilic polymer layer. The hydrophilic polymer layer is entangled with the lens. The hydrophilic polymer layer and the lens form an interpenetrating polymer network or a semi-interpenetrating polymer network. The hydrophilic polymer layer is formed by polymerizing an initiator adsorbed on the lens with at least one hydrophilic vinyl monomer. The contact lens exhibits excellent hydrophilic properties. Because the method for manufacturing the contact lens is simple, manufacturing efficiency can be improved and manufacturing costs reduced. Furthermore, the manufacturing method can be applied to lenses of various materials for surface modification, thus having wide applicability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure pertains to a contact lens and its manufacturing method. Background Technology

[0002] Silicone hydrogel contact lenses have high oxygen permeability, allowing oxygen to reach the cornea through the lens, thus alleviating dry eyes and redness. This has made silicone hydrogel the mainstream material in the contact lens market in recent years. However, silicone hydrogel contact lenses also have some drawbacks. For example, the hydrophobic nature of the silicone base material can cause friction between the lens and the eye, leading to discomfort and dryness. Furthermore, protein adsorption and deposition can easily occur on the lens surface.

[0003] To retain the high oxygen permeability of silicone hydrogel contact lenses, surface modification techniques can be used to improve wearing comfort. However, traditional surface modification techniques have some drawbacks. For example, plasma treatment can be used for contact lens surface modification; however, contact lenses usually require drying before plasma treatment, and plasma treatment equipment is expensive, thus increasing the cost of manufacturing contact lenses. Furthermore, surface modification can be achieved by grafting hydrophilic polymers onto contact lenses; however, this method is only applicable to certain types of hydrogel contact lens materials, which must possess specific functional groups. Additionally, wetting agents can be added to the lens formulation for silicone hydrogel contact lenses; however, the wetting agent may be incompatible with the polysiloxane components in the lens formulation, leading to lens fogging and adversely affecting lens properties. Therefore, there is a need to provide a new contact lens and a new method for manufacturing contact lenses to overcome these problems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure provides a contact lens comprising a lens and a hydrophilic polymer layer. The hydrophilic polymer layer is entangled with the lens. The hydrophilic polymer layer and the lens form an interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) or a semi-interpenetrating polymer network (Semi-IPN). The hydrophilic polymer layer is formed by polymerizing an initiator adsorbed on the lens with at least one hydrophilic vinyl monomer.

[0005] In some embodiments, the initiator includes potassium persulfate (KPS), azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN), 2,2'-azobis[2-methylpropionamidine]dihydrochloride (AAPH), 2,2'-azobis-(2-methylbutyronitrile), AMBN, 2,2'-azobis(2,4-dimethyl)valeronitrile, ADVN, and 4,4'-azobis(4-cyanovaleric acid). (acid), ACVA), 2-Methylpropane-2-peroxol (TBHP), azobisisobutyrazoline hydrochloride, cumene hydroperoxide, di-tert-butyl peroxide (DTBP), benzoyl peroxide or combinations thereof.

[0006] In some embodiments, at least one hydrophilic vinyl monomer includes acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, acrylamide, methacrylamide, N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA), N,N-dimethylmethacrylamide (DMMA), N-hydroxyethylacrylamide (NHEMAA), N-[tris(hydroxymethyl)methyl]acrylamide, 2,3-dihydroxypropyl methacrylate (Glycerol monomethacrylate, GMMA), hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), 2-acryloylamino-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid, N-vinylpyrrolidone, and methyl methacrylate. methacrylate (MAA), ethylene glycol diacrylate, hydroxypropyl acrylate, hydroxypropyl methacrylate, trimethylammonium methacrylate 2-hydroxypropyl hydrochloride, aminopropyl methacrylate hydrochloride, dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, glycerol methacrylate, N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (NVP), allyl alcohol, vinylpyridine, N-vinylformamide, N-vinylacetamide, N-vinylisopropylamide, N-vinyl-N-methylacetamide, N-vinylcaprolactam or combinations thereof.

[0007] In some embodiments, at least one hydrophilic vinyl monomer comprises different first hydrophilic vinyl monomers and second hydrophilic vinyl monomers, wherein the weight ratio of the first hydrophilic vinyl monomer to the second hydrophilic vinyl monomer is 20:1 to 1:1.

[0008] In some embodiments, at least one hydrophilic vinyl monomer includes different first hydrophilic vinyl monomers, second hydrophilic vinyl monomers, and third hydrophilic vinyl monomers.

[0009] In some implementations, the lens includes a hydrogel lens or a silicone hydrogel lens.

[0010] This disclosure provides a method for manufacturing contact lenses, comprising the following steps: Adsorbing an initiator onto a lens; and polymerizing the initiator adsorbed on the lens with at least one hydrophilic vinyl monomer to form a hydrophilic polymer layer that is entangled with the lens, wherein the hydrophilic polymer layer and the lens form an interpenetrating polymer network or a semi-interpenetrating polymer network.

[0011] In some embodiments, causing the lens to adsorb the initiator includes immersing the lens in an initiator solution containing the initiator.

[0012] In some embodiments, the concentration of the initiator in the initiator solution is from 0.1 wt% to 10 wt%.

[0013] In some embodiments, the polymerization reaction of the initiator adsorbed on the lens with at least one hydrophilic vinyl monomer includes the following steps: immersing the lens with the adsorbed initiator in a monomer solution containing at least one hydrophilic vinyl monomer; and heating the lens and the monomer solution.

[0014] In some embodiments, the temperature of the heated lens and monomer solution is 60°C to 130°C.

[0015] In some embodiments, the heating time for the lens and monomer solution is from 0.5 minutes to 140 minutes.

[0016] In some embodiments, the heating time for the lens and monomer solution is 30 to 120 minutes.

[0017] In some embodiments, the initiator includes potassium persulfate (KPS), azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN), 2,2'-azobisisobutyramidine dihydrochloride (AAPH), 2,2'-azo-di-(2-methylbutyronitrile) (AMBN), 2,2'-azo-di-(2,4-dimethylpentanonitrile) (ADVN), 4,4'-azo-4-cyanopentanoic acid (ACVA), tert-butanol peroxide (TBHP), azobisisobutyramidazole hydrochloride, cumene hydroperoxide, di-tert-butyl peroxide (DTBP), benzoyl peroxide, or combinations thereof.

[0018] In some embodiments, at least one hydrophilic vinyl monomer includes acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, acrylamide, methacrylamide, N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA), N,N-dimethylmethacrylamide (DMMA), N-hydroxyethylacrylamide (NHEMAA), N-[tris(hydroxymethyl)methyl]acrylamide, 2,3-dihydroxypropyl methacrylate (GMMA), hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), 2-acryloylamino-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid, and N-vinylpyrrole. Alkyl ketone, methyl methacrylate (MAA), ethylene glycol diacrylate, hydroxypropyl acrylate, hydroxypropyl methacrylate, trimethylammonium methacrylate 2-hydroxypropyl hydrochloride, aminopropyl methacrylate hydrochloride, dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, glycerol methacrylate, N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (NVP), allyl alcohol, vinylpyridine, N-vinylformamide, N-vinylacetamide, N-vinylisopropionamide, N-vinyl-N-methylacetamide, N-vinylcaprolactam, or combinations thereof.

[0019] These and other features, characteristics, and advantages of this disclosure can be better understood by referring to the following description and the attached claims.

[0020] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following specific description are merely exemplary and explanatory, and are intended to provide further explanation of the claimed content of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0021] In this document, the range expressed as "from one value to another" is a concise way of representing a range to avoid listing all the values ​​in that range in the specification. Therefore, the description of a particular range of values ​​covers any value within that range as well as the smaller range of values ​​defined by that value, just as if the arbitrary value and the smaller range of values ​​were explicitly stated in the specification.

[0022] As used herein, “about,” “approximately,” “essentially,” or “substantially” includes the value and the average value within an acceptable range of deviations from a particular value as determined by one of ordinary skill in the art, taking into account the measurement in question and a particular number of errors associated with the measurement (i.e., limitations of the measurement system). For example, “about” may mean within one or more standard deviations of the value, or, for example, within ±30%, ±20%, ±15%, ±10%, ±5%. Furthermore, the use of “about,” “approximately,” “essentially,” or “substantially” herein may be chosen to select a more acceptable range of deviations or standard deviations depending on the nature of the measurement, the coating, or other properties, and a single standard deviation may not be applicable to all properties.

[0023] Although the methods disclosed herein are illustrated using a series of operations or steps, the order in which these operations or steps are shown should not be construed as a limitation of this disclosure. For example, some operations or steps may be performed in a different order and / or simultaneously with other steps. Furthermore, it is not necessary to perform all illustrated operations, steps, and / or features to achieve the implementation of this disclosure. In addition, each operation or step described herein may comprise several sub-steps or actions.

[0024] This disclosure provides a contact lens comprising a lens and a hydrophilic polymer layer. The hydrophilic polymer layer is entangled with the lens. The hydrophilic polymer layer and the lens form an interpenetrating polymer network or a semi-interpenetrating polymer network. The hydrophilic polymer layer is formed by polymerizing an initiator adsorbed on the lens with at least one hydrophilic vinyl monomer. In some embodiments, the hydrophilic polymer layer is a hydrophilic polymer network.

[0025] More specifically, because contact lenses have a mesh structure, the initiator is adsorbed onto the surface of the contact lens and also penetrates into the interior of the mesh structure. Therefore, when the initiator generates free radicals and undergoes a polymerization reaction with the hydrophilic vinyl monomer, an interwoven structure is formed where the network of the hydrophilic polymer layer is intertwined with the mesh structure of the contact lens, thereby modifying the lens surface. In the contact lenses disclosed herein, the hydrophilic polymer layer is not fixed to the lens by forming covalent bonds with it. In some embodiments, no covalent bonds are formed between the hydrophilic polymer layer and the lens. The surface properties of the lens can be modified by the hydrophilic polymer layer, resulting in good hydrophilicity. In some embodiments, the hysteresis angle of the contact lens is 4 to 63 degrees. For example, the hysteresis angle is 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, or 63 degrees.

[0026] In some embodiments, the initiator includes potassium persulfate (KPS), azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN), 2,2'-azobisisobutyramidine dihydrochloride (AAPH), 2,2'-azo-di-(2-methylbutyronitrile) (AMBN), 2,2'-azo-di-(2,4-dimethylpentanonitrile) (ADVN), 4,4'-azo-4-cyanopentanoic acid (ACVA), tert-butanol peroxide (TBHP), azobisisobutyramidazole hydrochloride, cumene hydroperoxide, di-tert-butyl peroxide (DTBP), benzoyl peroxide, or combinations thereof.

[0027] In some embodiments, at least one hydrophilic vinyl monomer includes acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, acrylamide, methacrylamide, N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA), N,N-dimethylmethacrylamide (DMMA), N-hydroxyethylacrylamide (NHEMAA), N-[tris(hydroxymethyl)methyl]acrylamide, 2,3-dihydroxypropyl methacrylate (GMMA), hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), 2-acryloylamino-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid, and N-vinylpyrrole. Alkyl ketone, methyl methacrylate (MAA), ethylene glycol diacrylate, hydroxypropyl acrylate, hydroxypropyl methacrylate, trimethylammonium methacrylate 2-hydroxypropyl hydrochloride, aminopropyl methacrylate hydrochloride, dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, glycerol methacrylate, N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (NVP), allyl alcohol, vinylpyridine, N-vinylformamide, N-vinylacetamide, N-vinylisopropionamide, N-vinyl-N-methylacetamide, N-vinylcaprolactam, or combinations thereof.

[0028] In some embodiments, this disclosure allows for the simultaneous reaction of two different hydrophilic vinyl monomers with an initiator. Using two hydrophilic vinyl monomers allows for better hydrophilicity and wettability of the contact lens compared to reacting with a single hydrophilic vinyl monomer and an initiator. The type and weight ratio of the hydrophilic vinyl monomers can be adjusted according to lens design requirements. In some embodiments, at least one hydrophilic vinyl monomer comprises different first and second hydrophilic vinyl monomers. In some embodiments, the first hydrophilic vinyl monomer has an amino group, and the second hydrophilic vinyl monomer has a hydroxyl group. For example, the first hydrophilic vinyl monomer is N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA), and the second hydrophilic vinyl monomer is 2,3-dihydroxypropyl methacrylate (GMMA). For example, the weight ratio of the first hydrophilic vinyl monomer to the second hydrophilic vinyl monomer is from 20:1 to 1:1. For example: 20:1, 18:1, 16:1, 14:1, 12:1, 10:1, 8:1, 6:1, 4:1, 2:1, or 1:1. When the weight ratio falls within the above range, the contact lenses can have good hydrophilicity and wettability.

[0029] In some embodiments, this disclosure allows for the simultaneous reaction of three or more different hydrophilic vinyl monomers with an initiator. Compared to reacting with a single hydrophilic vinyl monomer with an initiator, using three hydrophilic vinyl monomers can result in contact lenses with better hydrophilicity and wettability. The types and weight ratios of the hydrophilic vinyl monomers can be adjusted according to lens design requirements. In some embodiments, at least one hydrophilic vinyl monomer comprises different first, second, and third hydrophilic vinyl monomers. In some embodiments, the first hydrophilic vinyl monomer has an amino group, the second hydrophilic vinyl monomer has a hydroxyl group, and the third hydrophilic vinyl monomer has a functional group. For example, the first hydrophilic vinyl monomer is N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA), the second hydrophilic vinyl monomer is 2,3-dihydroxypropyl methacrylate (GMMA), and the third hydrophilic vinyl monomer is N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (NVP).

[0030] In some embodiments, the lens comprises a hydrogel lens or a silicone hydrogel lens. In some embodiments, the hydrogel lens is made of a non-silicone hydrogel material, which includes at least one hydroxyl vinyl monomer, a hydrophilic monomer, a crosslinking monomer, and an initiator. In some embodiments, the silicone hydrogel lens is made of a silicone hydrogel material, which includes at least one polysiloxane monomer, a hydrophilic monomer, a crosslinking monomer, and an initiator. Lenses of various materials can be surface-modified using the manufacturing method disclosed herein, therefore this manufacturing method has wide applicability.

[0031] This disclosure provides a method for manufacturing contact lenses, comprising the following steps: (a) adsorbing an initiator onto a lens; (b) polymerizing the initiator adsorbed on the lens with at least one hydrophilic vinyl monomer to form a hydrophilic polymer layer that is entangled with the lens, wherein the hydrophilic polymer layer and the lens form an interpenetrating polymer network or a semi-interpenetrating polymer network. Embodiments of the initiator, hydrophilic vinyl monomer, and lens are as described above and will not be repeated here.

[0032] In some embodiments, the manufacturing method disclosed herein can effectively improve the comfort of wearing contact lenses by forming a hydrophilic polymer layer on the lens through a single modification. The manufacturing process is simple, improving manufacturing efficiency. Furthermore, compared to processes that treat lenses with plasma, the manufacturing method disclosed herein uses lower-cost equipment, thus reducing manufacturing costs. The manufacturing method disclosed herein can be applied to the surface of modified hydrogel lenses or silicone hydrogel lenses, thus having wide applicability.

[0033] In some embodiments, allowing the lens to absorb the initiator includes immersing the lens in an initiator solution containing the initiator. In some embodiments, the concentration of the initiator in the initiator solution is from 0.1 wt% to 10 wt%. For example, concentrations of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 wt%. When the initiator concentration is below 0.1 wt%, the contact lens may lack sufficient hydrophilicity, thus reducing the comfort of wearing the lens. When the initiator concentration is above 10 wt%, the contact lens can also have excellent hydrophilicity. However, the above concentration ranges are sufficient to give the contact lens adequate hydrophilicity. In some embodiments, the immersion time is from 0.5 minutes to 60 minutes. For example: 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, or 60 minutes.

[0034] In some embodiments, the polymerization reaction of the initiator adsorbed on the lens with at least one hydrophilic vinyl monomer includes the following steps: Immersing the lens with the adsorbed initiator in a monomer solution containing at least one hydrophilic vinyl monomer; Heating the lens and the monomer solution. It is noteworthy that in this disclosure, the lens is first immersed in the initiator solution, and then immersed in another monomer solution, with the initiator solution and the monomer solution stored in different containers. Therefore, the manufacturing method of this disclosure includes two steps of immersing the lens. Compared to the method of immersing the lens in a solution simultaneously containing the initiator and the hydrophilic vinyl monomer, the manufacturing method of this disclosure allows for the reuse of the initiator solution, saving manufacturing costs and avoiding waste of the initiator.

[0035] In some embodiments, the temperature of the heated lens and monomer solution is between 60°C and 130°C. For example, the temperature is 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, or 130°C. In some embodiments, the heating time of the lens and monomer solution is between 0.5 minutes and 140 minutes. In some embodiments, the heating time of the lens and monomer solution is between 30 minutes and 120 minutes. For example, the time is 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, or 140 minutes. Within the above temperature and time ranges, the initiator adsorbed on the lens undergoes a polymerization reaction with the hydrophilic vinyl monomer, thereby stably and firmly bonding with the lens, achieving a good lens modification effect and giving the lens excellent hydrophilic properties.

[0036] The features of this disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to Examples 1 to 4. Although the following embodiments are described, the materials used, their quantities and ratios, processing details, and processing procedures may be appropriately changed without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure should not be interpreted restrictively based on the embodiments described below.

[0037] Experiment Example 1: Manufacturing Contact Lenses

[0038] The dried silicone hydrogel lenses from Examples 1 to 4 were immersed for 30 minutes in initiator solutions containing different initiator concentrations, with 2,2'-azobisisobutylamidine dihydrochloride (AAPH) as the initiator. The lenses were then transferred to a monomer solution containing 8 wt% N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA) and 1 wt% 2,3-dihydroxypropyl methacrylate (GMMA) and heated in a 90°C oven for 40 minutes to allow the AAPH adsorbed on the silicone hydrogel lenses to polymerize with the DMA and GMMA, forming a hydrophilic polymer layer on the lenses. The lenses were then immersed in a 70°C saline solution for 60 minutes and sterilized by encapsulation with saline solution to obtain contact lenses coated with the hydrophilic polymer layer. The dynamic contact angle (DCA) of the contact lenses was tested. The contact lens was placed submerged in saline solution, and the advancing and receding angles were measured using the captive bubble method. The difference between these two angles was used to calculate the hysteresis angle, also known as contact angle hysteresis. A smaller hysteresis angle indicates better hydrophilicity of the contact lens. N represents the number of contact lenses used to calculate the average hysteresis angle. The experimental results are shown in Table 1 below.

[0039] Table 1

[0040]

[0041] As shown in Table 1, adding 0.1 wt% of initiator to the initiator solution can give the lens surface good hydrophilic properties, adding 1 wt% of initiator can further improve the hydrophilic properties of the lens surface, and adding 2 wt% of initiator can give the lens surface the best hydrophilic properties.

[0042] Experiment Example 2: Manufacturing Contact Lenses

[0043] The dried silicone hydrogel lenses of Examples 5 to 10 were immersed in a 2 wt% initiator solution for 30 minutes. The initiator was 2,2'-azobisisobutylamidine dihydrochloride (AAPH). The lenses were then transferred to monomer solutions containing different components and concentrations and heated in an oven at 90°C. This allowed the AAPH adsorbed on the silicone hydrogel lenses to polymerize with the monomers in the monomer solution for 60 minutes, forming a hydrophilic polymer layer on the lenses. The lenses were then immersed in a saline solution at 70°C for 60 minutes and sterilized by encapsulation with saline solution to obtain contact lenses covered with a hydrophilic polymer layer. The hysteresis angle of the contact lenses was calculated. The experimental results are shown in Table 2 below. Table 3 below lists the commercially available contact lenses of Comparative Examples 1 and 2 for comparison with Examples 5 to 10.

[0044] Table 2

[0045]

[0046]

[0047] Table 3

[0048] Contact lenses Mean hysteresis angle (N=5) Comparative Example 1 20. DAILIES TOTAL1 21、4.9 Comparative Example 2 22. ACUVUE oasys 23、6.4

[0049] As shown in Tables 2 (Examples 5-9), the DMA concentration in the monomer solution is 1 wt% to 12 wt%, which gives the contact lenses excellent hydrophilic properties. As shown in Examples 6-7, reacting with a monomer solution containing two different monomers results in better hydrophilic properties compared to reacting with a monomer solution containing a single monomer. As shown in Examples 7-8, reacting with a monomer solution containing three different monomers results in better hydrophilic properties compared to reacting with a monomer solution containing a single monomer. The average hysteresis angle of the contact lenses in Examples 6, 8, and 9 is similar to that of the contact lenses in Comparative Examples 1 and 2 in Table 3, demonstrating that the contact lenses disclosed herein possess generally excellent hydrophilic properties comparable to commercially available contact lenses.

[0050] Experiment Example 3: Manufacturing Contact Lenses

[0051] The dried silicone hydrogel lenses from Examples 11 to 15 were immersed in a 2 wt% initiator solution (2,2'-azobisisobutylamidine dihydrochloride, AAPH) for 30 minutes. The lenses were then transferred to a monomer solution containing 8 wt% DMA and 1 wt% GMMA and heated in a 90°C oven. This allowed the AAPH adsorbed on the silicone hydrogel lenses to polymerize with the monomers in the monomer solution at different times, forming a hydrophilic polymer layer on the lenses. The lenses were then immersed in a 70°C saline solution for 60 minutes and sterilized by encapsulation with saline solution, yielding contact lenses coated with the hydrophilic polymer layer. The hysteresis angle of the contact lenses was calculated. The experimental results are shown in Table 4 below.

[0052] Table 4

[0053]

[0054] As shown in Table 4, the hydrophilicity of contact lenses increases with increasing polymerization time, thus the average hysteresis angle decreases with increasing polymerization time. When the polymerization time is 20 minutes, the contact lenses exhibit hydrophilic modification; when the polymerization time is 30 minutes, the contact lenses have good hydrophilic properties; and when the polymerization time is 60 minutes, the contact lenses have optimal hydrophilic properties.

[0055] Experiment Example 4: Manufacturing Contact Lenses

[0056] Silicone hydrogel lenses and HEMA hydrogel lenses were immersed in a 2 wt% initiator solution (2,2'-azobisisobutylamidine dihydrochloride, AAPH) for 30 minutes. The lenses were then transferred to a monomer solution containing 8 wt% DMA and 1 wt% GMMA and heated in a 90°C oven for 40 minutes to allow the AAPH adsorbed on the silicone hydrogel lenses to polymerize with the DMA and GMMA, forming a hydrophilic polymer layer on the lenses. The lenses were then immersed in a 70°C saline solution for 60 minutes and sterilized by encapsulation with saline solution, yielding contact lenses coated with the hydrophilic polymer layer. The experimental results are shown in Table 5 below.

[0057] Table 5

[0058]

[0059] As shown in Table 5, the manufacturing method disclosed herein can be applied to lenses of different materials, and can produce contact lenses with good hydrophilicity covered with a hydrophilic polymer layer.

[0060] In summary, this disclosure provides a contact lens and a method for manufacturing the same. The manufacturing method includes: adsorbing an initiator onto the lens; and then polymerizing the initiator adsorbed on the lens with at least one hydrophilic vinyl monomer to form a hydrophilic polymer layer that entangles with the lens, thereby modifying the lens and giving the contact lens excellent hydrophilicity. The manufacturing method of this disclosure is simple, improves manufacturing efficiency, and uses low-cost equipment, thus reducing manufacturing costs. Furthermore, this manufacturing method can be applied to modify the surface of hydrogel or silicone hydrogel lenses; therefore, lenses of various materials can be surface modified using this method, making it widely applicable. The contact lens of this disclosure exhibits excellent hydrophilic properties, with a hysteresis angle as low as 4.9 degrees.

[0061] Although this disclosure has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain embodiments, other embodiments may also be possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the embodiments included herein.

[0062] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of this disclosure without departing from its scope or spirit. In view of the foregoing, this disclosure is intended to cover any modifications and variations of this disclosure that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A contact lens, characterized in that, include: lens; as well as A hydrophilic polymer layer is entangled with the lens, forming an interpenetrating polymer network or a semi-interpenetrating polymer network with the lens. The hydrophilic polymer layer is formed by polymerizing an initiator adsorbed on the lens with at least one hydrophilic vinyl monomer, wherein the at least one hydrophilic vinyl monomer includes: The first hydrophilic vinyl monomer and a second hydrophilic vinyl monomer, or the first hydrophilic vinyl monomer, the second hydrophilic vinyl monomer and a third hydrophilic vinyl monomer, wherein the first hydrophilic vinyl monomer is N,N-dimethylacrylamide, the second hydrophilic vinyl monomer is 2,3-dihydroxypropyl methacrylate, and the third hydrophilic vinyl monomer is N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone, and the weight ratio of the first hydrophilic vinyl monomer to the second hydrophilic vinyl monomer is from 20:1 to 1:

1. The hysteresis angle of this contact lens is 4 to 30 degrees.

2. The contact lens according to claim 1, characterized in that, The initiators include potassium persulfate, azobisisobutyronitrile, 2,2'-azobisisobutyranin dihydrochloride, 2,2'-azo-di-(2-methylbutyronitrile), 2,2'-azo-di-(2,4-dimethylpentanonitrile), 4,4'-azo-4-cyanopentanoic acid, tert-butanol peroxide, azobisisobutyrazoline hydrochloride, cumene hydroperoxide, di-tert-butyl peroxide, benzoyl peroxide, or combinations thereof.

3. The contact lens according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lenses include hydrogel lenses or silicone hydrogel lenses.

4. A method for manufacturing contact lenses, characterized in that, include: To allow a lens to adsorb an initiator, the method includes: immersing the lens in an initiator solution containing the initiator, wherein the concentration of the initiator is 1 wt% to 10 wt%; and The initiator adsorbed on the lens is subjected to a polymerization reaction with at least one hydrophilic vinyl monomer to form a hydrophilic polymer layer that is entangled with the lens, wherein the hydrophilic polymer layer and the lens form an interpenetrating polymer network or a semi-interpenetrating polymer network. The polymerization reaction of the initiator adsorbed on the lens with the at least one hydrophilic vinyl monomer includes: The lens, having adsorbed the initiator, is immersed in a monomer solution containing at least one hydrophilic vinyl monomer; and The lens and the monomer solution are heated for 30 to 140 minutes. The at least one hydrophilic ethylene monomer includes: The first hydrophilic vinyl monomer and the second hydrophilic vinyl monomer, or the first hydrophilic vinyl monomer, the second hydrophilic vinyl monomer and the third hydrophilic vinyl monomer, wherein the first hydrophilic vinyl monomer is N,N-dimethylacrylamide, the second hydrophilic vinyl monomer is 2,3-dihydroxypropyl methacrylate, and the third hydrophilic vinyl monomer is N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone, and the weight ratio of the first hydrophilic vinyl monomer to the second hydrophilic vinyl monomer is 20:1 to 1:

1.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The temperature for heating the lens and the monomer solution is 60°C to 130°C.

6. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The time for heating the lens and the monomer solution is 30 to 120 minutes.

7. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The initiators include potassium persulfate, azobisisobutyronitrile, 2,2'-azobisisobutyranin dihydrochloride, 2,2'-azo-di-(2-methylbutyronitrile), 2,2'-azo-di-(2,4-dimethylpentanonitrile), 4,4'-azo-4-cyanopentanoic acid, tert-butanol peroxide, azobisisobutyrazoline hydrochloride, cumene hydroperoxide, di-tert-butyl peroxide, benzoyl peroxide, or combinations thereof.

Images