Contact Lens Membrane Profile for Edge Nicking and Detachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Contact lenses with inflatable regions prone to nicking, wrinkling, and folding at the peripheral edge, leading to detachment and rendering the lens unusable.
Innovation Solution
A membrane for contact lenses with a thickness of at least 10 microns at a distance of 60 microns from the peripheral edge, featuring a convex or rounded profile and a plasma bond interface to a bulk lens portion, reducing the likelihood of nicking, wrinkling, and folding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the upper lens portion is made thin to reduce weight and improve comfort, then wearability is improved, but the peripheral edge becomes prone to nicking, folding, and detachment
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane thickness is varied locally: at least 10 microns at the peripheral edge (60 microns from edge) for structural integrity, and can be thinner in the central region for weight reduction. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between overall thinness for comfort and peripheral thickness for reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The increased thickness at the peripheral edge acts as a protective cushion before damage can occur, preventing nicking and folding from happening in the first place during handling and wear.
2Reliability
If the membrane thickness is increased to prevent nicking and folding, then peripheral edge integrity is improved, but the lens weight and bulk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane is designed with non-uniform thickness: thicker (at least 10 microns) only where needed at the peripheral edge for structural integrity, while the central and intermediate regions can be thinner, thus preventing overall weight increase while maintaining reliability where critical.
3Ease of manufacture
If the membrane is made thinner to improve curing characteristics, then manufacturing is improved, but the membrane becomes more susceptible to damage during attachment
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane achieves optimal curing in thinner central regions while maintaining sufficient thickness (at least 10 microns) at the peripheral edge for damage resistance during attachment and handling, thus satisfying both manufacturing ease and attachment integrity requirements in different locations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The membrane design enhances structural integrity, improves curing characteristics, and prevents detachment, ensuring the lens's usability and comfort.
Implementation Method 1
featuring a convex or rounded profile and a plasma bond interface to a bulk lens portion
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a membrane (140) suitable for forming at least part of a contact lens (500) by bonding to a bulk lens portion (540). The membrane has a central axis (168). The membrane comprises: a first face (142); a second face (144); and a peripheral edge (160). In a cross-sectional plane passing through and parallel to the central axis of the membrane, the thickness (148) of the membrane is at least 10 microns at a distance of 60 microns from the peripheral edge. The present disclosure also relates to a contact lens (500). The contact lens comprises a membrane (140), a bulk lens portion (540), and a bonding interface (510) between at least part of the membrane and at least part of the bulk lens portion. The present disclosure also relates to a method of manufacturing a contact lens.