Quantitation of cholesterol and phospholipid sorption on silicone hydrogel contact lenses

The introduction of silicone hydrogel (SiHy) contact lenses to the consumer marketplace necessitates study of the susceptibility of these lenses to spontaneous deposition by hydrophobic lipid components of ocular tears. The use of radioisotopes to measure lipid sorption on SiHy contact lenses gives precise and accurate results but requires institutional infrastructure and compels efficient lipid removal from the lens. This study compares three methods of quantitating phospholipid and cholesterol sorption on SiHy lenses using radiolabeled cholesterol and phosphatidylcholine that were sorbed on lenses from an artificial tear fluid. A triple extraction technique using n-propanol gives the most reliable results. Comparison of sorption on SiHy lenses shows that balafilcon A and senofilcon A lenses sorb similar amounts, while lotrafilcon B lenses sorb comparatively less.