# US 2020/0399429 A1 · Silicone hydrogel contact lenses having non-uniform morphology

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- Number: US 2020/0399429 A1
- Document ID: US20200399429A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/875,164
- Filed: 2020-05-15
- Published: 2020-12-24
- Earliest claimed: 2019-06-24
- Assignees: Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.
- Applicants: Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.
- Inventors: Azaam Alli; Donald E. Riederer; Alexander Guzman; Bernardo Santa Maria
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200399429A1

## CPC

- C08J 3/075: Macromolecular gels
- C08F 230/085: {the monomer being a polymerisable silane, e.g. (meth)acryloyloxy trialkoxy silanes or vinyl trialkoxysilanes}
- C08L 83/04: Polysiloxanes
- G02B 1/043: {Contact lenses}
- C08F 230/08: containing silicon
- C08G 77/20: containing silicon bound to unsaturated aliphatic groups
- C08J 2383/04: Polysiloxanes
- C08J 2439/00: Characterised by the use of homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by a single or double bond to nitrogen or by a heterocyclic ring containing nitrogen; Derivatives of such polymers
- C08J 2439/06: Homopolymers or copolymers of N-vinyl-pyrrolidones
- C08J 2443/04: Homopolymers or copolymers of monomers containing silicon
- C08L 2203/02: for biomedical use
- C08J: WORKING-UP; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F, C08G or C08H (working, e.g. shaping, of plastics B29)
- C08F: MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING CARBON-TO-CARBON UNSATURATED BONDS
- C08L: COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS (compositions based on polymerisable monomers C08F, C08G; artificial filaments or fibres D01F; textile treating compositions D06)
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- C08G: MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED OTHERWISE THAN BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING UNSATURATED CARBON-TO-CARBON BONDS

## Abstract

Described is a silicone hydrogel contact lens having non-uniform morphology. The contact lens may be made from a reactive mixture comprising: a silicone-containing component; a hydrophilic component; a non-reactive polymeric internal wetting agent; and a polymerization initiator, the contact lens having an oxygen permeability of at least about 60 barrers, and wherein the molar ratio in the lens of the polymeric non-reactive internal wetting agent to silicone, without a surface treatment, is greater in the lens's surface than in its bulk.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A silicone hydrogel contact lens that is a reaction product of a reactive mixture comprising: a silicone-containing component; a hydrophilic component; a non-reactive polymeric internal wetting agent; and a polymerization initiator, the contact lens having an oxygen permeability of at least about 60 barrers, and wherein the molar ratio in the lens of the polymeric non-reactive internal wetting agent to silicone, without a surface treatment, is greater in the lens's surface than in its bulk.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The silicone hydrogel contact lens of claim 1 wherein the molar ratio of the polymeric non-reactive internal wetting agent to silicone is at least 1.5 times greater in the lens's surface than in its bulk.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The silicone hydrogel contact lens of claim 1 wherein the molar ratio of the polymeric non-reactive internal wetting agent to silicone is at least 2.3 times greater in the lens's surface than in its bulk.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The silicone hydrogel contact lens of claim 1 wherein the non-reactive polymeric internal wetting agent is a polyamide.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The silicone hydrogel contact lens of claim 1 wherein the non-reactive polymeric internal wetting agent is selected from polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polyvinylmethyacetamide (PVMA), polydimethylacrylamide (PDMA), polyvinylacetamide (PNVA), poly(hydroxyethyl(meth)acrylamide), polyacrylamide, and copolymers and mixtures thereof.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The silicone hydrogel contact lens of claim 1 wherein, in a lens that is the reaction product of a reactive mixture containing as little as 2.0 weight percent of the non-reactive polymeric internal wetting agent, the lens comprises an advancing contact angle of 75° or less.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The silicone hydrogel contact lens of claim 6 wherein the advancing contact angle is 50° or less.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The silicone hydrogel contact lens of claim 1 comprising up to about 95 weight percent silicone-containing component.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The silicone hydrogel contact lens of claim 1 comprising from about 1 to about 80 weight percent hydrophilic component.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The silicone hydrogel contact lens of claim 1 comprising from about 0.5 to about 35 weight percent non-reactive polymeric internal wetting agent.

### Claim 11

A method for manufacturing a contact lens, the method comprising:
(a) providing a reactive mixture comprising a silicone-containing component; a hydrophilic component; a non-reactive polymeric internal wetting agent; and a polymerization initiator; and
(b) polymerizing the reactive mixture to form the contact lens;
wherein the method is conducted under conditions such that the contact lens has a molar ratio of the polymeric non-reactive internal wetting agent to silicone, without a surface treatment, that is greater in the lens's surface than in its bulk.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11 wherein the molar ratio of the polymeric non-reactive internal wetting agent to silicone is at least 1.5 times greater in the lens's surface than in its bulk.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11 wherein the molar ratio of the polymeric non-reactive internal wetting agent to silicone is at least 2.3 times greater in the lens's surface than in its bulk.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11 wherein the non-reactive polymeric internal wetting agent is a polyamide.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11 wherein the non-reactive polymeric internal wetting agent is selected from polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polyvinylmethyacetamide (PVMA), polydimethylacrylamide (PDMA), polyvinylacetamide (PNVA), poly(hydroxyethyl(meth)acrylamide), polyacrylamide, and copolymers and mixtures thereof.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11 wherein, in a lens that is the reaction product of a reactive mixture containing as little as 2.0 weight percent of the non-reactive polymeric internal wetting agent, the lens comprises an advancing contact angle of 75° or less.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16 wherein the advancing contact angle is 50° or less.

### Claim 18 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11 wherein step (b) comprises thermally curing the reactive mixture.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18 wherein the thermally curing is conducted at a temperature from 60 to 120 degrees Celsius.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18 wherein the thermally curing is conducted at a temperature from 85 to 120 degrees Celsius.

### Claim 21 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11 wherein, following step (b) and prior to an extraction step to remove unpolymerized components from the contact lens, the contact lens contains no more than 0.3 weight percent of unpolymerized polymerizable components.

### Claim 22 (depends on 11)

A silicone hydrogel contact lens made by the method of claim 11.

### Claim 23 (depends on 1)

A method for importing the silicone hydrogel contact lens of claim 1 into a country.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The method of claim 23 wherein the country is the United States of America.