A system for the production of collagen film contact lenses

Abstract

This invention discloses a system for fabricating collagen membrane corneal contact lenses, comprising an electrochemical deposition system, a voltage control system, and an in-situ optical measurement feedback system. The electrochemical deposition system, used to generate the corneal contact lens, includes an electrolytic cell, a cathode substrate, and an anode substrate. The electrolytic cell contains a collagen electrolyte. The cathode substrate includes a substrate material matching the concave shape of the corneal contact lens and a transparent conductive film formed on the substrate material by vapor deposition. The anode substrate consists of an array of electrode units suspended directly above the cathode substrate. The collagen electrolyte is deposited within the region of the continuous electric field formed by the electrode units to form the convex surface of the corneal contact lens. This fabrication system innovatively combines electrochemical deposition technology with precise electric field control, achieving a high degree of controllability over the lens shape and optical performance, and has broad application prospects.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of corneal contact lens fabrication, specifically to a system for fabricating collagen membrane corneal contact lenses. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing prevalence of refractive errors such as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism, the demand for high-performance contact lenses is growing. Traditional contact lenses are mainly made of synthetic polymer materials, which may have problems such as poor biocompatibility and insufficient oxygen permeability. Natural collagen, as a material with excellent biocompatibility, has promising application prospects. However, how to precisely control the shape and thickness of the collagen membrane to meet personalized optical correction needs remains a technical challenge.

[0003] Existing technologies, such as patent CN114618016B, use a cathode electrode with a specific curvature to form a collagen film that matches the shape of the cornea during electrochemical deposition. However, there are still limitations in the precise control of the convex shape and thickness, which cannot meet the complex optical correction requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a preparation system for collagen membrane corneal contact lenses. This system innovatively combines electrochemical deposition technology with precise electric field control, achieving a high degree of controllability over the lens shape and optical performance, and has broad application prospects.

[0005] A system for fabricating a collagen membrane corneal contact lens includes an electrochemical deposition system, a voltage control system, and an in-situ optical measurement feedback system.

[0006] The electrochemical deposition system is used to generate corneal contact lenses and includes an electrolytic cell, a cathode substrate, and an anode substrate. The electrolytic cell contains a collagen electrolyte. The cathode substrate is installed at the bottom of the electrolytic cell and includes a substrate material that matches the concave shape of the corneal contact lens and a transparent conductive film formed on the substrate material by physical vapor deposition or chemical vapor deposition. The anode substrate consists of an array of electrode units suspended directly above the transparent conductive film. The collagen electrolyte is deposited in the region where the continuous electric field formed by the electrode units is located to form the convex surface of the corneal contact lens.

[0007] The voltage control system is used to independently regulate the output voltage of each electrode unit in real time to deposit and form convex corneal contact lenses of different shapes and thicknesses; the in-situ optical measurement feedback system monitors the optical performance of the generated corneal contact lenses in real time and feeds it back to the voltage control system.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment of the above technical solution, both the cathode substrate and the anode substrate are made of transparent substrate.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment of the above technical solution, the cathode substrate is an electrode unit made of metallic material or arranged in the same array as the anode substrate, and is an aspherical or higher-order aspherical surface with a curvature of 7.0-9.0 mm.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment of the above technical solution, the distance between the anode substrate and the cathode substrate is 1-2 cm.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment of the above technical solution, the anode substrate is a spherical surface, conical surface, aspherical surface, or higher-order aspherical surface with a curvature of 7-15mm.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment of the above technical solution, the electrode unit is in any one of the following shapes: square, circular, or hexagonal.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment of the above technical solution, the electrode unit can be any one of a rectangular array, a ring array, or a triangular array with equidistant or non-equidistant distribution.

[0014] As a preferred embodiment of the above technical solution, the geometric center distance between two adjacent sets of electrode units is 100-500μm.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment of the above technical solution, the optical receiver of the in-situ optical measurement feedback system adopts a Shaker-Hartmann wavefront sensor.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0017] 1. Precise electric field control: High-precision control of the convex shape and thickness of the collagen membrane is achieved through independent voltage adjustment of the anode needle tip array.

[0018] 2. Personalized customization: The combination of electric field simulation and needle tip voltage can be used to customize the optical properties of the lens according to the needs of different patients.

[0019] 3. Highly biocompatible materials: Made with natural collagen and appropriate cross-linking treatment to ensure the safety and comfort of the lenses. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the electrolytic cell in the preparation system of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the preparation system of the present invention.

[0022] The attached figures are labeled as follows: 1-Electrochemical deposition system, 2-Voltage control system, 3-In-situ optical measurement feedback system, 4-Corneal contact lens, 5-Electrolytic cell, 6-Cathode substrate, 7-Anode substrate, 8-Collagen electrolyte, 9-Photodetector, 10-Light ray. Detailed Implementation

[0023] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0025] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 The system shown is a preparation system for a collagen membrane corneal contact lens, including an electrochemical deposition system 1, a voltage control system 2, and an in-situ optical measurement feedback system 3;

[0026] The electrochemical deposition system 1 is used to generate corneal contact lenses 4, including an electrolytic cell 5, a cathode substrate 6, and an anode substrate 7. The electrolytic cell 1 contains collagen electrolyte 8. The cathode substrate 6 is installed at the bottom of the electrolytic cell 5 and includes a substrate material that matches the concave shape of the corneal contact lens 4 and a transparent conductive film formed on the substrate material by physical vapor deposition or chemical vapor deposition. The anode substrate 7 is an array of electrode units, which are suspended directly above the transparent conductive film. The collagen electrolyte 8 is deposited in the region where the continuous electric field formed by the electrode units is located to form the convex surface of the corneal contact lens 4.

[0027] The voltage control system 2 is used to independently regulate the output voltage of each electrode unit in real time to deposit and form convex surfaces of corneal contact lenses 4 with different shapes and thicknesses; the in-situ optical measurement feedback system 3 monitors the optical performance of the generated corneal contact lenses 4 in real time and feeds it back to the voltage control system 2.

[0028] In this embodiment, both the cathode substrate 6 and the anode substrate 7 are transparent substrates.

[0029] In this embodiment, the cathode substrate 6 is an electrode unit made of metal material or arranged in the same array as the anode substrate 7, and is an aspherical or higher-order aspherical surface with a curvature of 7.0-9.0 mm.

[0030] In this embodiment, the distance between the anode substrate 7 and the cathode substrate 6 is 1-2 cm.

[0031] In this embodiment, the anode substrate 7 is a spherical surface, conical surface, aspherical surface, or higher-order aspherical surface with a curvature of 7-15 mm.

[0032] In this embodiment, the electrode unit can be any shape, such as square, circular, or hexagonal.

[0033] In this embodiment, the electrode unit can be any one of a rectangular array, a ring array, or a triangular array with equal or non-equal spacing.

[0034] In this embodiment, the geometric center distance between two adjacent sets of electrode units is 100-500 μm.

[0035] In this embodiment, the optical receiver 9 of the in-situ optical measurement feedback system 3 adopts a Shaker-Hartmann wavefront sensor.

[0036] A method for preparing a collagen membrane corneal contact lens, using any of the preparation systems described above, with the specific preparation process as follows:

[0037] Step 1: System assembly. Fix the cathode substrate 6 to the bottom of the electrolytic cell 5 and suspend the anode substrate 7 above the cathode substrate 6 with a suspension distance of 1-2 cm. Then slowly inject the prepared collagen electrolyte 8 to ensure no bubbles are generated. Finally, connect and turn on the voltage control system 2 and the in-situ optical measurement feedback system 3.

[0038] Step 2: Shape and generate the concave surface of the corneal contact lens 4. A transparent conductive film with good conductivity and high light transmittance is deposited on the cathode substrate 6 with a predetermined curvature by physical vapor deposition or chemical vapor deposition. The concave surface of the transparent conductive film is the concave surface of the corneal contact lens 4.

[0039] Step 3: The convex surface of the corneal contact lens 4 is formed by electrochemical deposition. The transparent conductive film formed in step 2 is the cathode of the electrochemical deposition. The voltage control system 2 is used to independently adjust the output voltage of each electrode unit in real time to deposit convex surfaces of corneal contact lenses 4 with different shapes and thicknesses on the transparent conductive film.

[0040] Step four: Adjust the convex shape of the corneal contact lens 4 in real time. Use the in-situ optical measurement feedback system 3 to monitor the optical performance of the generated corneal contact lens 4 in real time and feed it back to the voltage control system 2. The voltage control system 2 adjusts the voltage of the electrode units at different positions in real time according to the preset convex shape and thickness to correct the collagen deposition rate in different local areas, thereby accurately controlling the final convex shape and thickness of the collagen membrane, that is, to prepare a specific corneal contact lens 4.

[0041] The following is a detailed description of this embodiment:

[0042] 1. Cathode substrate design (concave formation): A spherical cathode with a radius of curvature preferably of 7.5-8.5 mm is used, or a more complex aspherical or higher-order aspherical cathode. The material selected is metal, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the preferred materials are titanium, stainless steel, or easily machinable metal mold materials, with or without surface polishing.

[0043] A transparent electrode can also be used as the cathode. For example, a transparent conductive film with good conductivity and high transmittance is uniformly deposited on a transparent substrate (such as optical-grade glass, quartz, or a specific acid-resistant transparent polymer) with a predetermined curvature (such as a spherical, aspherical, or higher-order aspherical surface matching the target posterior corneal surface) by methods such as physical vapor deposition (PVD, such as magnetron sputtering) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Commonly used transparent conductive materials include, but are not limited to, indium tin oxide (ITO), fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO), or aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO). This transparent conductive layer serves as the cathode for electrochemical deposition. The advantage of using a transparent cathode is that it facilitates observation of the deposition process or optical detection from the cathode side.

[0044] 2. 7-array design of dot matrix anode substrate (convex surface control):

[0045] The needles are arranged using an array of independently controllable voltages. The needles can be arranged in rectangular, circular, equidistant triangular, or non-equidistant arrays. The needles can be arranged in planar, spherical, or more complex conic non-spherical surfaces with a radius of curvature of 7-15 mm, or even higher-order non-spherical surfaces, depending on the desired convex shape. The needle spacing is set to 100-500 μm.

[0046] Transparent electrodes can be used, and this transparent anode array can be designed similarly to the pixel electrode array in an active matrix display (such as LCD or OLED). Specifically, on a transparent substrate (which can be planar or have a specific radius of curvature, such as a sphere, conic surface, aspherical surface, or higher-order aspherical surface of 7-15 mm), tiny, arrayed transparent electrode units are fabricated by depositing transparent conductive materials (such as ITO, FTO, AZO) and using patterning techniques (such as photolithography, etching, or laser direct writing). Each electrode unit can be connected to an external voltage control system 2 via an independent wire (which can also be a transparent conductive material or a metal wire covered by an insulating layer), thereby achieving independent and precise voltage control (e.g., 0-10V range) for each unit. The shape of the electrode units can be square, circular, hexagonal, or other suitable shapes, and their arrangement (such as rectangular arrays, ring arrays, equidistant or non-equidistant triangular arrays, etc.) and center spacing (e.g., 100-500 μm or less) can be designed according to the required convex shape accuracy and deposition control resolution.

[0047] Both the cathode and anode can use lattice arrays, such as Figure 2 As shown.

[0048] 3. In-situ optical measurement:

[0049] When both the cathode substrate 6 and the anode substrate 7 arrays employ the aforementioned transparent electrode design, the entire electrochemical deposition system (including electrodes, electrolyte, and the growing collagen film) is largely transparent to visible light. This characteristic greatly facilitates the introduction of real-time, in-situ optical measurement techniques during the deposition process. For example, a collimated detection beam 10 can be passed through the entire system, and the optical power or surface morphology of each region of the forming lens can be measured in real time by analyzing the wavefront information of the transmitted light (e.g., using a Shaker-Hartmann wavefront sensor, interferometer, or similar equipment). The optical parameters obtained in real time (e.g., optical power distribution map) are compared with the preset target optical design parameters, and the difference can be input as an error signal into the voltage control system 2. The voltage control system 2 can then dynamically and finely adjust the voltage of each transparent electrode unit on the anode array to correct the collagen deposition rate in local areas, thereby more accurately controlling the final convex shape and thickness distribution of the collagen film, ensuring that the final corneal contact lens 4 has highly accurate and personalized optical correction functions. This closed-loop feedback control method is key to realizing complex optical designs (such as multifocal and high-order aberration correction).

[0050] 4. Electric field setting:

[0051] Voltage parameter settings: Cathode grounded or set to reference potential; Anode tip voltage range is 0-10V, the specific value is determined based on simulation results, and can be precisely adjusted according to different needs of the deposition area to optimize the thickness distribution and shape of the collagen film.

[0052] 5. Electrochemical deposition process:

[0053] 5.1 Solution preparation:

[0054] Collagen electrolyte: Prepare a collagen acetic acid solution with a concentration of 1-20 mg / mL.

[0055] Additives: Add hydrogen peroxide at a final concentration of 50-100 μL / mL to promote cross-linking of collagen fibers.

[0056] pH adjustment: Adjust the pH of the solution to 3.0-4.0 to stabilize collagen molecules.

[0057] 5.2. Sedimentary conditions:

[0058] Temperature control: Maintain a room temperature of 25℃, and adjust the temperature as needed.

[0059] Current density: set to 1-6.67 mA / cm² 2 It is controlled by voltage and solution resistivity.

[0060] Deposition time: Adjust within the range of 10-120 minutes, depending on the required film thickness.

[0061] 5.3 Deposition Steps:

[0062] Electrode assembly: The cathode is fixed at the bottom of the electrolytic cell, and the anode base 7 is suspended above the cathode base 6 in a matrix array, with an electrode spacing of 1-2 cm.

[0063] Solution injection: Slowly inject the prepared collagen electrolyte solution, ensuring no air bubbles are generated.

[0064] Electric field application: Based on the electric field simulation results, the anode tip voltage is adjusted to initiate the electrochemical deposition process.

[0065] Monitoring deposition: The stability of the deposition process is ensured by monitoring current and voltage in real time.

[0066] 5.4 Membrane post-treatment:

[0067] Demolding and cleaning: After deposition, carefully remove the collagen membrane and rinse off any remaining solution with ultrapure water.

[0068] Crosslinking treatment:

[0069] Photochemical crosslinking: Irradiate with 365nm ultraviolet light for 10-30 minutes.

[0070] Drying and shaping: In a clean environment, fix the collagen membrane according to the predetermined shape and dry it slowly to prevent deformation.

[0071] 5.5 Implementation of optical correction function:

[0072] Thickness distribution control:

[0073] Hyperopia correction: Increase the thickness in the central area of ​​the lens to enhance refractive power, which is achieved by increasing the voltage at the corresponding pin tip.

[0074] Myopia correction: Increase the thickness in the peripheral area to create an appropriate refractive adjustment.

[0075] Astigmatism correction: By asymmetrically adjusting the tip voltage, the thickness change in a specific direction can be controlled.

[0076] Aspherical design: Based on the patient's corneal morphology, the tip voltage is adjusted using electric field simulation to achieve complex aspherical lens designs that meet individual needs.

[0077] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A system for making a collagen film contact lens, characterized by: This includes an electrochemical deposition system, a voltage control system, and an in-situ optical measurement feedback system; The electrochemical deposition system is used to generate corneal contact lenses, including an electrolytic cell, a cathode substrate, and an anode substrate. The electrolytic cell contains a collagen electrolyte, and the cathode substrate is installed at the bottom of the electrolytic cell. It includes a substrate material that matches the concave shape of the corneal contact lens and a transparent conductive film formed on the substrate material by physical vapor deposition or chemical vapor deposition. The anode substrate is an array of electrode units, which are suspended directly above the transparent conductive film. The collagen electrolyte is deposited in the region where the continuous electric field formed by the electrode units is located to form the convex surface of the corneal contact lens. The voltage control system is used to independently regulate the output voltage of each electrode unit in real time to deposit and form convex corneal contact lenses of different shapes and thicknesses; the in-situ optical measurement feedback system monitors the optical performance of the generated corneal contact lenses in real time and feeds it back to the voltage control system.

2. The system for preparing a collagen membrane corneal contact lens according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both the cathode substrate and the anode substrate are made of transparent substrate.

3. The system for preparing a collagen membrane corneal contact lens according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cathode substrate is an electrode unit made of metallic material or arranged in the same array as the anode substrate, and is an aspherical or higher-order aspherical surface with a curvature of 7.0-9.0 mm.

4. The system for preparing a collagen membrane corneal contact lens according to claim 1, characterized in that: The distance between the anode substrate and the cathode substrate is 1-2 cm.

5. The system for preparing a collagen membrane corneal contact lens according to claim 1, characterized in that: The anode substrate is a spherical, conical, aspherical, or higher-order aspherical surface with a curvature of 7-15 mm.

6. The system for preparing a collagen membrane corneal contact lens according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electrode unit can be square, circular, or hexagonal in shape.

7. The system for preparing a collagen membrane corneal contact lens according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electrode unit can be any one of a rectangular array, a ring array, or a triangular array with equidistant or non-equidistant distribution.

8. The system for preparing a collagen membrane corneal contact lens according to claim 1, characterized in that: The geometric center distance between two adjacent sets of electrode units is 100-500 μm.

9. The system for preparing a collagen membrane corneal contact lens according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical receiver of the in-situ optical measurement feedback system uses a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor.

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