Contact Lens Surface Coating for Hydrophilicity and Lubricity

The patent replaces complex plasma irradiation equipment or ultraviolet irradiation equipment with a simple heating apparatus. The mechanical/physical complexity of plasma generators or UV light sources is substituted by a straightforward thermal processing system that heats the polymer solution to a specific temperature range (20-100°C) to enable graft polymerization on the lens surface.

The patent employs a cost-effective polymer solution that can be applied in a single-use manner. The polymer solution serves as a disposable coating medium that provides the necessary hydrophilic groups without requiring expensive, maintainable equipment like plasma or UV systems. This approach eliminates ongoing maintenance costs and equipment complexity.

The patent combines the hydrophilization process with the lens manufacturing process itself. The polymer solution is applied to the lens during or after lens formation, and the graft polymerization occurs in-situ during heating. This merges multiple steps (coating, curing, hydrophilization) into a single integrated process, eliminating the need for separate plasma or UV treatment steps.

The patent performs preliminary graft polymerization of the polymer to the lens surface during the manufacturing process itself. By pre-grafting the polymer chains to the lens surface before final lens completion, the hydrophilic modification is built-in from the start, eliminating subsequent separate treatment steps and reducing overall process complexity.

The patent uses a polymer with a composite molecular structure containing both hydrophilic groups (such as carboxyl, hydroxyl, or amide groups) and lubricious segments. This composite polymer structure simultaneously provides both hydrophilicity for corneal comfort and lubricity for smooth lens movement, resolving the contradiction between these two surface properties.

The patent introduces specific functional groups (hydrophilic groups) at particular locations within the polymer chains that contact the lens surface. By localizing these hydrophilic groups at the polymer-lens interface while maintaining lubricious outer segments, the polymer simultaneously achieves both hydrophilicity enhancement and lubricity improvement on the lens surface.