Surface modified surgical instruments, devices, implants, contact lenses and the like

A method for modifying a plastic surface of an article, said surface adapted for contact with living tissue of a human or non-human animal, by electron beam-irradiation induced polymerized chemically grafted coating thereon of:

• 1) a monomer comprising N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP),
• 2) a monomer comprising 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA),
• 3) a mixture of (NVP) and (HEMA), (NVP-HEMA), or
• 4) a mixture of 1), 2) or 3) with up to about 50 wt. %, based on the total monomer weight, of an ionic monomer, salt of an ionic monomer or mixture thereof;
• so as to form a hydrophilic graft polymer coating of:
• I. polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP),
• II. poly-2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (PHEMA),
• III. a copolymer of (NVP) and (HEMA), or
• IV. a copolymer of (NVP), (HEMA) or (NVP-HEMA) and said ionic monomer, on said surface comprising:
• conducting said electron beam-irradiation induced graft polymerization in an aqueous solution under the following conditions:
• a) monomer concentration in the range of from about 0.1% to about 50%, by weight;
• b) total electron beam irradiation dose in the range of from about 0.001 to less than about 0.50 Mrad;
• and
• c) an electron beam irradiation dose rate in the a range of from about 10 to about 10.sup.8 rads/min.