Use of surfactants in extraction procedures for silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lenses
First Claim
1. A method of producing a silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens, comprising:
- polymerizing a polymerizable silicone hydrogel lens forming composition in an ophthalmic lens mold assembly to produce a polymerized silicone hydrogel lens product;
removing the polymerized silicone hydrogel lens product from a concave lens-defining surface and a convex lens-defining surface of the mold assembly to produce a demolded and delensed ophthalmic lens product;
prior to contacting the demolded and delensed lens product with any liquid, placing the demolded and delensed ophthalmic lens product in a lens carrier that has physical features on its surface which the lens product can contact;
extracting materials from the delensed ophthalmic lens product by contacting the demolded and delensed ophthalmic lens product with a liquid composition that comprises alcohol, water, and a surfactant;
subsequently contacting the demolded and delensed ophthalmic lens product with water to produce a hydrated silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens;
wherein the physical features comprise openings or holes located within pockets or recesses; and
wherein the resulting ophthalmic lens product has no surface distortion or has less surface distortion as compared to a substantially identical resulting ophthalmic lens product produced from a substantially identical demolded and delensed ophthalmic lens product by a substantially identical process but without the surfactant present in the liquid composition.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods of producing silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lenses include contacting one or more delensed silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens with a liquid composition that contains alcohol, water, and a surfactant. The methods can be steps of an extraction/hydration procedure used in the production of silicone hydrogel contact lenses. In some examples, contacting silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens products with a liquid composition that contains alcohol, water, and a surfactant can significantly reduce or prevent surface distortion of the ophthalmic lens resulting from the extraction procedure. Some methods include subsequently contacting the silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens with a liquid composition consisting essentially of water and a surfactant.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method of producing a silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens, comprising:
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polymerizing a polymerizable silicone hydrogel lens forming composition in an ophthalmic lens mold assembly to produce a polymerized silicone hydrogel lens product; removing the polymerized silicone hydrogel lens product from a concave lens-defining surface and a convex lens-defining surface of the mold assembly to produce a demolded and delensed ophthalmic lens product; prior to contacting the demolded and delensed lens product with any liquid, placing the demolded and delensed ophthalmic lens product in a lens carrier that has physical features on its surface which the lens product can contact; extracting materials from the delensed ophthalmic lens product by contacting the demolded and delensed ophthalmic lens product with a liquid composition that comprises alcohol, water, and a surfactant; subsequently contacting the demolded and delensed ophthalmic lens product with water to produce a hydrated silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens; wherein the physical features comprise openings or holes located within pockets or recesses; and wherein the resulting ophthalmic lens product has no surface distortion or has less surface distortion as compared to a substantially identical resulting ophthalmic lens product produced from a substantially identical demolded and delensed ophthalmic lens product by a substantially identical process but without the surfactant present in the liquid composition. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 20, 21)
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6. A method of preventing surface distortion in a silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens resulting from extraction and hydration procedures during the manufacture of the silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens, comprising:
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prior to contacting a demolded and delensed polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens product with any liquid, placing the demolded and delensed polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens product in a lens carrier that has physical features on its surface which the lens product can contact; extracting materials from the demolded and delensed polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens product by contacting the demolded and delensed polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens product with a liquid composition comprising alcohol, water, and a surface distortion preventing amount of a surfactant; wherein the physical features comprise openings or holes located within recesses or pockets; and wherein the resulting polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens product has no distortion or has less distortion as compared to a substantially identical resulting polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens product produced from a substantially identical demolded and delensed polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens product by a substantially identical process but without the surfactant present in the liquid composition. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 22)
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10. A method of reducing surface distortion in a batch of silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lenses resulting from extraction and hydration procedures during the manufacture of the batch of silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lenses, comprising:
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prior to contacting a batch of demolded and delensed polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens products with any liquid, placing the batch of demolded and delensed polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens products in a lens carrier that has physical features on its surface which the lens products can contact; extracting materials from the batch of demolded and delensed polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens products by contacting the batch of demolded and delensed polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens products with a liquid composition including alcohol, water, and a surface distortion reducing amount of a surfactant; wherein the physical features comprise openings or holes located within pockets or recesses; and wherein the amount of surface distortion present in the resulting batch of lens products is less than the amount of surface distortion present in a resulting batch of substantially identical resulting polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens products produced from a batch of substantially identical demolded and delensed polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens product using a substantially identical process except the batch of substantially identical demolded and delensed product is contacted with a liquid composition comprising alcohol, water, and no surfactant.
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11. An extraction and hydration method for a silicone hydrogel lens product, the method comprising:
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prior to contacting a demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product with any liquid, placing the demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product in a lens carrier that has physical features on its surface which the lens product can contact; extracting materials from the demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product by contacting the demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product with at least a first liquid composition comprising alcohol, water, and a surfactant; contacting the demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product with at least a second liquid composition comprising water; wherein physical features comprise openings or holes located within pockets or recesses; and wherein the amount of surface distortion present in the resulting delensed silicone hydrogel lens product is less than the amount of surface distortion present in a substantially identical resulting silicone hydrogel lens product produced using a substantially identical process except the substantially identical demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product is contacted with a liquid composition comprising alcohol, water, and no surfactant. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 23, 24)
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16. An extraction and hydration method for a silicone hydrogel lens product, the method comprising:
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prior to contacting a demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product with any liquid, placing the demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product in a lens carrier that has physical features on its surfaces which the lens product can contact; extracting materials from the demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product by contacting the demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product with a first liquid composition comprising an organic solvent; contacting the demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product with a second liquid composition comprising an organic solvent, water and a surfactant; contacting the demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product with a third liquid composition comprising water; wherein the physical features comprise holes or openings located within pockets or recesses; and wherein the resulting silicone hydrogel lens product has no surface distortion or has less surface distortion as compared to a substantially identical resulting silicone hydrogel lens product produced from a substantially identical demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product by a substantially identical process but without the surfactant present in the liquid composition. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 25)
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Specification