Methods of surface treatment for enhancing the performance of a floating phakic refractive lens design
OwnerIgor Valyunin, Christopher D. Wilcox +1inventors
InventorsIgor Valyunin, Christopher D. Wilcox, Stephen Q. Zhou
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Abstract
A method of preparing phakic intraocular lenses from hydrophobic materials is described. In this process, the lens is tested to determine whether it can float submerged in an aqueous medium. If it cannot (e.g., if it remains on top of the aqueous medium), the lens is surface treated (for example, by vacuum UV or corona discharge processes) to increase its wetting ability (e.g., to reduce its hydrophobicity). The lenses prepared by this process are also described.
Claims36
A method for surface treatment of a phakic refractive lens (PRL) made from hydrophobic materials so that the treated PRL can float submerged in an aqueous medium, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) testing the hydrophobic PRL in an aqueous medium to ascertain whether the PRL can float submerged in the aqueous medium;
- if the untreated PRL can only float on the surface of the aqueous medium instead of float submerged in the aqueous medium, then
- (b) performing a surface treatment process on the untreated PRL.
A phakic refractive lens made from a soft hydrophobic material, which floats submerged when placed in an aqueous medium.
A phakic refractive lens which has a neutral buoyancy in an aqueous medium.
A phakic refractive lens made from a hydrophobic material which has negative buoyancy measured as the gravity velocity of about 27 mm/second or less in an aqueous medium.
A posterior chamber phakic refractive lens made from a hydrophobic material, which floats submerged when placed in an aqueous medium.
A method of manufacturing a phakic refractive lens comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a lens made from a soft hydrophobic material, said lens having a positive buoyancy;
- and
- (b) treating the surface of said lens thereby providing said lens with a negative buoyancy as measured by a gravity velocity of about 27 mm/sec. or less in an aqueous medium.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.