Weekly and monthly disposable water gradient contact lenses

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11256003-B2
Application number	US-201816204641-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2018
Priority date	Dec 13, 2017
Publication date	Feb 22, 2022
Grant date	Feb 22, 2022

Abstract

The invention is related to contact lenses that not only comprise the much desired water gradient structural configurations, but also have a minimized uptakes of polycationic antimicrobials and a long-lasting surface hydrophilicity and wettability even after going through a 30-days lens care regime. Because of the water gradient structural configuration and a relatively-thick, extremely-soft and water-rich hydrogel surface layer, a contact lens of the invention can provide superior wearing comfort. Further, a contact lens of the invention is compatible with multipurpose lens care solutions present in the market and can endure the harsh lens care handling conditions (e.g., digital rubbings, accidental inversion of contact lenses, etc.) encountered in a daily lens care regime. As such, they are suitable to be used as weekly- or monthly-disposable water gradient contact lenses.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A contact lens, having:
a reduction in indentation force at an indentation depth of 400 nm, Δ(IF) 400 nm , of about 50% or larger;
a polyquaternium-1 uptake of about 0.40 micrograms/lens or less; and
a water-break-up time of at least 10 seconds and/or a friction rating of about 2.0 or lower after 30 cycles of digital rubbing treatment,
wherein the contact lens comprises an anterior surface, an opposite posterior surface, and a layered structural configuration, wherein the layered structural configuration comprises, in a direction from the anterior surface to the posterior surface, an anterior outer hydrogel layer, an inner layer of a lens material, and a posterior outer hydrogel layer,
wherein the inner layer is a preformed contact lens essentially made of a silicone hydrogel material.

2. The contact lens of claim 1 , wherein when Δ(IF) 400 nm is determined in nano-indentation tests by using a probe having a tip radius of about 9.0±0.9 μm,

Δ
⁡

(
IF
)

400
⁢
m

=

1
-

(
IF
)

t

2.12
·

E
′

+
0.38

in which (IF) t is the measured indentation force at an indentation depth of 400 nm of the contact lens and E′ is the bulk elastic modulus (E′) of the contact lens.

3. The contact lens of claim 1 , wherein when Δ(IF) 400 nm is determined in microindentation tests by using 1 mm hemispherical borosilicate glass probe,

Δ
⁡

(
IF
)

400
⁢

⁢

n
⁢
m

=

1
-

(
IF
)

t

13.98
·

E
′

+
0.62

in which (IF) t is the measured indentation force at an indentation depth of 400 nm of the contact lens and E′ is the bulk elastic modulus (E′) of the contact lens.

4. The contact lens of claim 1 , wherein the contact lens has a polyquaternium-1 uptake of about 0.30 micrograms/lens or less.

5. The contact lens of claim 4 , wherein the silicone hydrogel material comprises (i) repeating units of at least one polysiloxane vinylic monomer and/or repeating units of at least one polysiloxane vinylic crosslinker and (ii) repeating units of at least one hydrophilic vinylic monomer.

6. The contact lens of claim 4 , wherein the silicone hydrogel material comprises repeating units of at least one hydrophilic N-vinyl amide monomer.

7. The contact lens of claim 4 , wherein the silicone hydrogel material comprises repeating units of at least one silicone-containing vinylic monomer having a bis(trialkylsilyloxy)alkylsilyl or tris(trialkylsilyloxy)silyl group.

8. The contact lens of claim 4 , wherein the silicone hydrogel material comprises repeating units of one or more blending vinylic monomers.

9. The contact lens of claim 4 , wherein the silicone hydrogel material comprises repeating units of one or more non-silicone vinylic crosslinking agents.

10. The contact lens of claim 4 , wherein the silicone hydrogel material has: an oxygen permeability of at least 50 barriers; and/or an equilibrium water content of from about 10% to about 70% by weight.

11. The contact lens of claim 10 , wherein the silicone hydrogel material is not naturally wettable.

12. The contact lens of claim 10 , wherein the silicone hydrogel material is naturally wettable.

13. The contact lens of claim 10 , wherein the anterior and posterior outer hydrogel layers independent of each another are a crosslinked hydrophilic polymeric material which comprises at least 25% by mole of repeating monomeric units of at least one hydrophilic vinylic monomer selected from the group consisting of an alkyl (meth)acrylamide, N-2-dimethylaminoethyl (meth)acrylamide, dimethylaminoethyl (meth)acrylate, a hydroxyl-containing acrylic monomer, a N-vinyl amide monomer, a methylene-containing pyrrolidone monomer, a (meth)acrylate monomer having a C 1 -C 4 alkoxyethoxy group, a vinyl ether monomer, an allyl ether monomer, and combinations thereof.

14. The contact lens of claim 10 , wherein the anterior and posterior outer hydrogel layers independent of each another are a crosslinked hydrophilic polymeric material which comprises at least 25% by mole of repeating monomeric units of at least one phosphrylcholine-containing vinylic monomer.

15. The contact lens of claim 10 , wherein the anterior and posterior outer hydrogel layers independent of each another are a crosslinked hydrophilic polymeric material which comprises poly(ethylene glycol) chains.

16. The contact lens of claim 11 , wherein the poly(ethylene glycol) chains are derived from: (1) a pol(ethylene glycol) having one sole functional group of —NH 2 , —SH or —COOH; (2) a poly(ethylene glycol) having two terminal functional groups selected from the group consisting of —NH 2 , —COOH, —SH, and combinations thereof; (3) a multi-arm poly(ethylene glycol) having one or more functional groups selected from the group consisting of —NH 2 , —COOH, —SH, and combinations thereof; or (4) combinations thereof.

17. The contact lens of claim 10 , wherein the anterior and posterior outer hydrogel layers independent of each another are substantially free of silicone.

18. The contact lens of claim 10 , wherein the contact lens further comprises two transition layers of a polymeric material, wherein each of the two transition layers is located between the inner layer and one of the anterior and posterior outer hydrogel layers.

19. The contact lens of claim 18 , wherein the two transition layers merge at the peripheral edge of the contact lens to completely enclose the inner layer of the lens material.

20. The contact lens of claim 19 , wherein the two transition layers have a thickness

Assignees

• Novartis Ag
• Alcon Inc

Inventors

• Qiu Yongxing
• Pruitt John Dallas
• Samuel Newton T
• Chiang Chung-Yuan
• Tucker Robert Carey
• Chang Yuan
• Leveillee Ethan

Classifications

• B05D5/00

  Processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces to obtain special surface effects, finishes or structures · CPC title

• B29D11/00125

  Auxiliary operations, e.g. removing oxygen from the mould, conveying moulds from a storage to the production line in an inert atmosphere · CPC title

• B65B55/22

  Immersing contents in protective liquids · CPC title

• B29D11/00865

  Applying coatings; tinting; colouring (printing, marking or copying processes B41M; identification in general G09F3/00; producing decorative effects in general B44C; positioning or marking of lenses B24B13/0055) · CPC title

• B29K2105/0061

  Gel or sol · CPC title