Week 2 - Contact lens materials Flashcards
What would the properties of an ideal contact lens do?
• Meet cornea’s oxygen requirements
• Physiological inert: Biocompatible
• Excellent in vivo wetting: Comfort
• Resist spoilation
- Maintains good optical performance
- Helps to maintain comfort
- Reduces risk of CL-associated Papillary Conjunctivitis (CLAPC)
- Reduces risk of Microbial Keratitis
What are the different types of materials used for CLs?
Rigid
• PMMA
• RGP
Soft Lenses
• pHEMA
• Other hydrogels
• Silicone Hydrogels
What are the basic polymer chemistry?
Polymers’ unique properties arise from the ability of certain atoms to link together to form long chains;
• Carbon (C)
Can link with four (C) atoms or
(H) Hydrogen
(0) Oxygen
(N) Nitrogen
(S) Sulphur
(CI) Chlorine
(FI) Fluorine
(Si) Silicone
Why is silicone polymer chemistry important?
• Silicone has a similar ability to Carbon in bond formation but different inherent chemical properties.
• These differences are exploited in the formation of a new generation of contact lens materials.
What happens when you combine two monomers?
• 2 monomers are polymerised creating a CO-POLYMER
- e.g. styrene and methyl-methacrylate monomers
Give a styrene methyl-methacrylate polymer.
• Most CL materials are Co-polymers
Why is changing the chemical nature of a polymer significant?
By changing the chemical nature of the polymer chain we can change the physical properties and obtain e.g. either flexible, elastomeric behaviour such a silicone rubber, or hard glassy behaviour such as PMMA.
What were the first rigid lenses, and how did they come about?
• Polymeric contact lenses made from Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA): PlexiGlass
- First suggested as Contact lenses as result of WW2 pilots having shattered cockpit screens embedded in eye - with good reaction
So what is PMMA?
• Free radical polymerisation turns Methyl Methacrylate into PolyMethyl methacrylate
- Good optical properties, ease of manufacture and to sterilise
- Virtually impermeable to oxygen
- Now little used as a CL material
What is silicone rubber and its value for contact lenses?
• Widely used in a range of applications - medical, industrial& household
• Has very high oxygen permeability
• BUT highly hydrophobic and elastic nature means they grip the cornea with every blink - causes lens binding
• Never used successfully as a contact lens
What monomers comprise a Rigid gas permeability lens?
• Copolymer of PMMA and Silicone Rubber
- Tris (trimethyl-siloxy)-methacyloxy-propylsilane (TRIS)
So what are the properties of RGP for a contact lens?
• Has high oxygen permeability than PMMA
• Better wetability than Silicone Rubber
Further developments have been made
- Incorporation of Fluorocarbons to further increase 02 transmission
- Use of hydrophilic monomers such as methacrylic acid to improve wetability
How are RGP Lenses produced?
Polymer buttons are cut using a computer controlled lathe then polished
Are RGP’s still being fitted today?
• Although initially successful, their new fitting has been declining rapidly.
What are the 10 reasons to the demise of RGP lenses?
- Initial discomfort comfort compared to soft lenses
- Intractable RGP - induced corneal & lid pathology
- Soft lens advertising
- Superior soft lens fitting logistics
- Lack of RGP clinical training opportunities
- RGP problem solver function redundant
- Improved soft toric and bifocal/varifocal lenses
- Limited uptake of orthokeratology
- Lack of investment in RGP lens technology
- Emergence of aberration control soft lenses
What are the soft contact lens materials?
• poly-HEMA
• other hydrogels
• silicone hydrogels
Who, how and what are pHEMA lenses?
• Czechoslovakia in the 1950’s and 1960’s
• Commercialised USA in the 1970’s
• Polymer made of HEMA
• When fully hydrated has 40% water
• Water is bound by the OH group
• Poor O, transmission (transmission is via the HO)
• Good wetability and biocompatibility
• Good comfort - gel like mechanical properties