Oxygen performance of a prototype nonconventional hydrogel

INTRODUCTION. Oxygen permeability (Dk) of available hydrogel materials used for soft contact lenses is currently restricted by the oxygen permeability of water at 80 Dk units. A predicted upper limit for conventional hydrogels amenable for use as a contact lens, has been 37 Dk units obtained with a water content of 80%. Methods for increasing oxygen permeability beyond that determined by water content must be explored, in order to further advance the physiological compatibility of hydrogel contact lenses.

Oxygen transport characteristics of a prototype nonconventional hydrogel contact lens material were derived in terms of human equivalent oxygen percentage (EOP) and thickness (L). The oxygen permeability of the material and oxygen transmissibilities (Dk/L) of various thicknesses were computed on the bases of a recently published nonlinear EOP vs. Dk/L relationship.

The material's oxygen permeability (Dk) was determined to be approximately 35 Dk units compared to 12.7 Dk units calculated for a conventional gel material having the same water content (52% H2O). Oxygen permeability equivalent to that obtained with high-water conventional gels was achieved using this mid-water nonconventional hydrogel. The prototype material was apparently also capable of low critical thicknesses typical of low-water conventional gels.

Should new gel materials be durable with critical thicknesses in the "ultra-thin" range, nonconventional gel lenses could be capable of super and perhaps even hyper transmissibility with central minus lens EOP between 15-18.5% and Dk/L between 50-90 Dk/L units. The conventional relationships between water content and oxygen transmissibility of hydrogel contact lenses appear to have been surpassed. However, significant additional hurdles have yet to be overcome before nonconventional hydrogel materials can be ready for the ophthalmic marketplace.