High-Water Hydrogel Contact Lens Composition for Wetting and Oxygen Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Contact lenses often cause dryness and eye irritation due to insufficient wetting, which can be alleviated by using wetting drops but is ideally prevented, and existing non-silicone hydrogels struggle to balance high-water content with oxygen permeability and stability.
Innovation Solution
A biomedical device comprising a polymerization product of grafted glycosaminoglycan polymers and non-silicone biomedical device-forming monomers, which are polymerized and hydrated to create a high-water content lens with enhanced oxygen permeability and wettability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If high-water content non-silicone hydrogels are used to improve wettability and comfort, then tear fluid wettability is improved, but oxygen permeability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials by combining glycosaminoglycan polymers (which provide high water content and wettability) with silicone polymers (which provide oxygen permeability). This creates a silicone hydrogel composite that simultaneously achieves both high tear fluid wettability and high oxygen permeability, resolving the contradiction between these two properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the hydrogel by incorporating specific glycosaminoglycans (hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate, heparin, heparan sulfate) with specific molecular weights and sulfation patterns. This allows optimization of both water content for wettability and polymer structure for oxygen permeability, resolving the contradiction through parameter optimization.
2Ease of operation
If high-water content polymers are used to improve comfort, then wettability is improved, but material stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite material system where glycosaminoglycan polymers provide high water content for comfort and wettability, while the silicone polymer matrix provides structural stability. The crosslinked network structure of the silicone hydrogel maintains material stability even at high water contents (up to 90% or more), resolving the contradiction between comfort and stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by having different regions or phases within the material serve different functions: the glycosaminoglycan-rich phases provide water retention and wettability for comfort, while the silicone polymer phases provide structural integrity and stability. This spatial differentiation resolves the contradiction between comfort and stability.
3Ease of manufacture
If glycosaminoglycan polymers are grafted with ethylenically unsaturated residues to enable polymerization, then reactivity is improved, but molecular structure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-grafting ethylenically unsaturated residues (such as methacryloyl or acryloyl groups) onto the glycosaminoglycan polymer chains before the final device assembly. This pre-functionalization step enables subsequent easy polymerization with silicone monomers while maintaining relatively simple molecular structures, resolving the contradiction between reactivity and structural complexity.
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 device achieves both high oxygen permeability and tear fluid wettability, reducing dryness and irritation, while maintaining stability and comfort for prolonged wear.
Implementation Method 1
a polymerization product of a biomedical device-forming mixture comprising (a) one or more grafted glycosaminoglycan polymers... and (b) one or more non-silicone biomedical device-forming monomers
Implementation Method 2
hydrating the polymerized biomedical device
Implementation Method 3
Due to high polarity and water affinity, they can be found in many systems of human and animal bodies
Data Source
AI summary
A biomedical device is disclosed. The biomedical device includes a polymerization product of a biomedical device-forming mixture containing (a) one or more grafted glycosaminoglycan polymers including a glycosaminoglycan having a polymer backbone and one or more side chains comprising an ethylenically unsaturated reactive-containing residue grafted onto the polymer backbone, and (b) one or more non-silicone biomedical device-forming monomers.