Method for making embedded hydrogel contact lenses

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12194698-B2
Application number	US-202217701819-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2022
Priority date	Mar 24, 2021
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing embedded hydrogel contact lenses each having a magnetized insert that comprises magnetic particles and is centrally embedded in the bulk hydrogel material of the embedded hydrogel contact lens. During molding, a magnetized insert can be centered and held in position in a lens mold by using a magnet placed below the lens mold. The invention also relates to an embedded hydrogel contact lens produced from a method of the invention.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for producing embedded hydrogel contact lenses, comprising the steps of:
(1) obtaining a magnetized insert which comprises a front surface, an opposite back surface and a diameter up to about 13.0 mm, wherein the insert is made of a polymeric material and comprises magnetic particles;
(2) obtaining a lens mold, wherein the lens mold comprises a female mold half having a first molding surface and a male mold half having a second molding surface, wherein the female and male mold halves are configured to receive each other such that a mold cavity is formed between the first and second molding surfaces when the mold is closed;
(3) in no particular order, placing the magnetized insert in the lens mold and introducing a lens-forming composition in the lens mold, wherein the magnetized insert is immersed in the lens-forming composition in the lens mold and centered and held in position in the lens mold by using a magnet which is place below the lens mold;
(4) curing the lens-forming composition in the lens mold while holding the magnetized insert centered in the lens mold by the magnet to form an unprocessed embedded hydrogel contact lens that comprise a bulk hydrogel material formed from the lens-forming composition and the magnetized insert embedded in the bulk hydrogel material and centered in the unprocessed embedded hydrogel contact lens;
(5) separating the lens mold obtained in step (4) into the male and female mold halves, with the unprocessed embedded hydrogel contact lens adhered on a lens-adhered mold half which is one of the male and female mold halves;
(6) removing the unprocessed embedded hydrogel contact lens from the lens-adhered mold half (preferably before the unprocessed embedded hydrogel contact lens is contact with water or any liquid); and
(7) subjecting the unprocessed embedded hydrogel contact lens to post-molding processes including a hydration process and one or more other processes selected from the group consisting of extraction, surface treatment, packaging, sterilization, and combinations thereof.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of (4) curing the lens-forming composition is carried out actinically by using UV and/or visible light.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of (4) curing the lens-forming composition is carried out thermally by heating the first molding assembly in an oven at one or more curing temperatures selected from about 40° C. to about 100° C.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the magnetized insert comprises the magnetic particles which are distributed in the polymeric material of the magnetized insert.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the magnetized insert comprises a magnetic coating on one of the front and back surfaces, wherein the magnetic coating comprises the magnetic particles.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the magnetized insert comprises a magnetic color image printed on one of the front and back surfaces with at least one ink comprising magnetic particles, wherein the magnetic color image is comprises the magnetic particles.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the magnetic color image comprises an annular ring.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric material of the magnetized insert comprises repeating units of at least one polymerizable photochromic compound (i.e., photochromic vinylic monomer), at least one UV-absorbing vinylic monomer, at least one UV/HEVL-absorbing vinylic monomer, at least one fluorescent vinylic monomer, or combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the magnetized insert comprises at least one color-filtering material for correcting color blindness, a diffractive material, a high refractive-index material, or combinations.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric material of the magnetized insert is a hard plastic material.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric material of the magnetized insert is a crosslinked silicone polymer that has three-dimensional polymer networks, is insoluble in water, and has an equilibrium water content of about 5% or less by weight.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric material of the magnetized insert is a rigid gas permeable material.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric material of the magnetized insert is a hydrophobic crosslinked acrylic material that has an equilibrium water content of less than 5% by weight and comprises at least 55% by mole of repeating units of one or more acrylic monomers and/or one or more acrylic crosslinker and at least about 6% by mole of repeating units of at least one vinylic crosslinking agent.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the hydrophobic insert is rigid.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bulk hydrogel material is a non-silicone hydrogel material comprising at least 50% by mole of repeating units of at least one hydroxyl-containing vinylic monomer.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein said at least one hydroxyl-containing vinylic monomer is selected from the group consisting of hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate, glycerol (meth)acrylate, 3-hydroxypropyl (meth)acrylate, 2-hydroxypropyl (meth)acrylate, 3-amino-2-hydroxypropyl (meth)acrylate, N-2-hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylamide, N-3-hydroxypropyl (meth)acrylamide, N-2-hydroxypropyl (meth)acrylamide, N-2,3-dihydroxypropyl (meth)acrylamide, N-tris(hydroxymethyl) methyl (meth)acrylamide, vinyl alcohol, allyl alcohol, and combinations thereof.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bulk hydrogel material is a silicone hydrogel material.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the bulk hydrogel material comprises (a) repeating units of at least one first polysiloxane vinylic crosslinker comprising hydrophilized siloxane units each having one methyl substituent and one organic radical including at least one H-bond donor and (b) repeating units of at least one hydrophilic vinylic monomer, wherein the content of said at least one H-bond donor is at least about 0.8 meq/g relative to the molecular weight of said at least one first polysiloxane vinylic crosslinker.

19. An embedded hydrogel contact lens, comprising:
an anterior surface, an opposite posterior surface, a bulk hydrogel material, and a magnetized insert embedded in the bulk hydrogel material,
wherein the magnetized insert is made of a polymeric material and comprises magnetic particles, wherein the magnetized insert has a front surface, an opposite back surface and a diameter up to about 13.0 mm, wherein the magnetized insert is located in a central portion of the embedded hydrogel contact lens, wherein the embedded hydrogel contact lens is not susceptible to delamination as demonstrated by being free of bubble that can be observed under microscopy at interfaces between the insert and the bulk material within the embedded silicone hydrogel contact lens after being autoclaved in a packaging solution in a sealed package, wherein the packaging solution is a buffered saline having a pH of 7.1±0.2.

Assignees

• Alcon Inc

Inventors

• Breitkopf Richard Charles
• Bassampour Zahra
• Kolluru Chandana
• Zhang Steve Yun

Classifications

• B29C33/3842

  Manufacturing moulds, e.g. shaping the mould surface by machining · CPC title

• B29C45/14065

  Positioning or centering articles in the mould · CPC title

• B29D11/00346

  having nanosize structures or features, e.g. fillers · CPC title

• B29D11/00807

  Producing lenses combined with electronics, e.g. chips · CPC title

• B29D11/00038 Primary

  Production of contact lenses · CPC title