Coated ophthalmic lenses and method for coating the same
AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
InventorsTimothy C. Sandvig, Dean A. Ersfeld, Eric P. Berg
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Abstract
An ophthalmic lens and a method for providing a thin coating thereon is disclosed. The coatings render the surfaces of the devices resistant to abrasion and have an SEB abrasion resistance of at least 20 psi. They are optically clear, aberration-free, and provide essentially exactly an optical surface having the desired surface configuration. The coating compositions employed contain reactive ethylenically unsaturated groups and are applied to a mold face and partially reacted. The coated mold is then used to cast the ophthalmic device.
Claims19
A method of providing a thin, optically clear coating to at least one optical surface of an ophthalmic device comprising the steps of:
- applying a layer of a composition comprising a material containing reactive ethylenically unsaturated groups to at least a first face of a mold used to manufacture said ophthalmic device, wherein said face imparts a desired optical configuration to a first optical surface of said ophthalmic device;
- reacting said composition to a degree that said composition forms a non-abrasion-resistant film that is dry, at least weakly adhered to said first face, and exactly replicates said first face in an aberration-free manner;
- filling said mold with an organic liquid material capable of hardening to a solid, room temperature-stable state;
- and
- hardening said organic liquid material so as to form said ophthalmic device, intimately bond said film to the hardened organic material, render said film abrasion-resistant, and adhere said film to said optical surface of said hardened organic material more firmly that it adheres to said face.
A method of providing a thin, optically clear, abrasion-resistant coating on at least one optical surface of an ophthalmic device comprising the steps of:
- positioning a mold used to manufacture said ophthalmic device such that a first face thereof is at an angle of from about 45.degree. to 60.degree. from the horizontal, wherein said first face is capable of imparting a desired optical configuration on a first optical surface of said device;
- applying a quantity of a composition comprising a material containing reactive ethylenically unsaturated groups across the top edge of said first face so that said composition covers an arc having a central angle in the range of from about 140.degree. to 160.degree.;
- allowing said composition to flow across said first face and form a thin layer thereon covering said face;
- reacting said composition to a degree that said composition forms a non-abrasion resistant film that is dry, at least weakly adhered to said first face, and exactly replicates said first face in an aberration-free manner;
- filling said mold with an organic liquid material capable of hardening to a solid, room temperature stable state;
- and
- hardening said liquid material so as to form said ophthalmic device, render said dried film abrasion-resistant and adhere said dried film to the surface of said device more firmly than it adheres to said face.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.