Method for Making Improved UV-Absorbing Ophthalmic Lenses
AssigneeNovartis AG
InventorsHarald Bothe, Peter Hagmann
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Abstract
Described herein is a cost-effective and time-efficient method for making UV-absorbing contact lenses. In contrast to the conventional method for making UV-absorbing contact lenses which involves copolymerizing a lens forming composition including a UV-absorbing vinylic monomer, a method of the invention involves dipping a contact lens in a solution of UV-absorbing polymer comprising carboxyl-containing monomeric units, UV-absorbing monomeric units and covalently bound radical-initiating moieties to form a UV-absorbing coating on the contact lens.
Claims20
A method for producing UV-absorbing contact lenses, comprising the steps of:
- obtaining an ophthalmic lens;
- dipping the ophthalmic lens in a coating solution comprising an organic solvent and a UV-absorbing polymer for a period of time sufficient to form a UV-absorbing coating on the ophthalmic lens, wherein the UV-absorbing polymer comprises
- a) UV-absorbing monomeric units,
- b) covalently bound radical-initiating moieties,
- c) and at least about 50% by mole of carboxyl-containing monomeric units;
- irradiating the ophthalmic lens after the dipping step to obtain a photo-induced grafting of the UV-absorbing polymer to the ophthalmic lens, optionally in the presence of a hydrophilic vinylic monomer or crosslinker.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.