TWI551912B - Method of manufacturing contact lens and contact lens - Google Patents

Description

Method of making contact lenses and contact lenses

The present invention relates to a contact lens, and more particularly to a filterable infrared contact lens.

Lenses have been developed for a long time and are used in various fields such as optical instruments or glasses. Most lenses or glasses emphasize the design and optical lens functions. The prior art has so-called optical lenses of various materials, including plastics, glass, and the like. In order to meet the trend of thinness and lightness, the general spectacle lens is made of plastic and can be coated thereon, such as an anti-reflection film, an anti-UV film, etc., but such a process requires a coating machine such as a spin coater to apply the film layer. . And such a device is not worth the cost, so not only expensive equipment, but also many additional steps and man-hours are required. Since the film layer is applied to the surface of the lens, it is easily scratched, and the effect of the entire lens itself containing the ultraviolet resistant material is limited.

With the development of contact lenses, the main functions are still the same as traditional glasses for vision correction, including: myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, presbyopia, aberrations, etc. In terms of the appearance color evolution, the development of contact lenses from the early transparent film to the later water blue film is to facilitate the wearer to easily identify the self-care liquid. In general, the main components of most contact lenses today are high molecular polymers, and the development of materials emphasizes the development of high oxygen permeability and comfort. Among them, the hydrophobic glue can be made into a lens with oxygen permeability of more than 100, which is much higher than that of the traditional lens. According to the period of use, contact lenses can be divided into: daily throwing, weekly throwing, double-week throwing, monthly throwing, quarter throwing, half-year throwing and long wearing type of more than one year.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a contact lens, and more particularly to a photo-chromic lens.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a contact lens having an infrared absorbing function.

A method of making a contact lens, comprising: preparing a base material and a photochromic dye (photo-chromic dyne), wherein the base material comprises a polymer; the photochromic dye is fused to the base material; and the base material is formed The procedure is to make a contact lens comprising the photochromic dye in a shaped contact lens to facilitate color change in different environments; wherein the temperature of the molding process is lower than the dissociation temperature of the photochromic dye.

The fusing process comprises mixing the photochromic dye with the base material and heating and melting; or incorporating the photochromic dye into the base material solution to dissolve and mix, and the molding process adds a light stabilizer, a UV absorber or a combination thereof. The form of the photochromic dye comprises microcapsules, liquids, powders or masterbatches. The molding process for making contact lenses includes injection molding, rotary molding, or a combination of the above. The ratio of the base material and the photochromic dye is one to tens of thousands to one ten thousandth; one to one ten thousandth to one ten thousandth; one to five ten thousand to one ratio One thousandth; one thousandth to one hundredth of a ratio, wherein the above basic materials include polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), gas permeable semi-rigid lens (RGP), polymethyl methacrylate Ethyl ester (HEMA), GMMA or silicone hydrogel.

A contact lens comprises a base material; and the photochromic dye is distributed in the base material, so that the contact lens is exposed to sunlight or ultraviolet light, and based on Photochromic dyes absorb ultraviolet light and change the structure to produce discoloration, wherein the base material comprises a polymer. Wherein the above contact lens comprises a light stabilizer, a UV absorber or a combination thereof. The base material described above comprises polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), gas permeable semi-rigid lens (RGP), polyhydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), GMMA or silicone hydrogel.

A method for making a contact lens, comprising: preparing a base material and a metal halide, wherein the base material comprises a polymer; mixing the halogenated metal in the base material; and performing a molding process on the base material to form the contact lens, The halogenated metal is included in the formed contact lens to facilitate color change in different environments. The above halogenated metal comprises silver bromide. 3. The method of making a contact lens according to claim 1, wherein the base material comprises polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), a gas permeable semi-rigid lens (RGP), and polyhydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). , GMMA or silicone hydrogel. Wherein the molding process comprises injection molding, a rotary die or a combination thereof, wherein the mixing ratio of the base material and the halogenated metal is one to several tens of thousands to one ten thousandth; or one to one ten thousand to one More than five thousandth; or one to five thousand to one thousandth. The present invention also discloses a contact lens produced by the above method of making a photochromic contact lens. The base material described above comprises polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), gas permeable semi-rigid lens (RGP), polyhydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), GMMA or silicone hydrogel.

A method for manufacturing a contact lens, comprising: preparing a base material and an infrared absorbing material, wherein the base material comprises a polymer; mixing the infrared absorbing material in the base material; and implementing the base material Forming the lens to make the contact lens, the infrared absorbing material is included in the formed contact lens to facilitate absorption of infrared rays, wherein the infrared absorbing material is about 80 to 300 nm, wherein the base material comprises polymethacrylic acid. Methyl ester (PMMA), breathable semi-rigid lens (RGP), polyhydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), GMMA or silicone hydrogel. The ratio of the base material and the infrared absorbing material is one to tens of thousands to one ten thousandth; or one to one ten thousandth to one ten thousandth; or one to five thousand to one ratio thousandth. The present invention also discloses a contact lens made by the above method of making a photochromic contact lens. The base material described above comprises polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), gas permeable semi-rigid lens (RGP), polyhydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), GMMA or silicone hydrogel.

In the following description, various specific details are set forth to provide a comprehensive understanding of the embodiments of the invention. The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings. It will also be understood by those skilled in the art that the practice of the invention does not require one or more specific details or other specific methods. The present invention can be applied to various contact lenses, and the following description will be made.

The production process of the contact lens of the present invention can use a mold to make a contact lens, including an injection mold or a rotary mold. Injection molding is suitable for use as a short-day disposable lens or medical use. The rotary molding method is to inject a specially formulated quantitative liquid monomer into a mold of a set rotation speed, and the liquid monomer forms a film by the centrifugal force of the mold rotating at a high speed. The curvature of the lens is changed from the shape of the mold to the mold. Speed control, because it is made of lens with better toughness, it is suitable for long-wearing or long-day disposable lens.

In the process of making the contact lens, the color pigment is attached to the surface of the lens, and if it is produced by the spin molding method, the color pigment can be coated in the high molecular polymer, and the halo dyeing process can make the color distribution on the lens reach the outside. The edge color is darker and the inner circular visible optic area remains clear and transparent. The present invention is characterized in that a photochromic dye (light tunable material) is added to the above polymer. The material is plated on the surface of the lens by the conventional method of coating, which cannot be applied based on the consideration of contact lenses. Photochromic materials can absorb sunlight or ultraviolet light to change the structure to produce color change, and can be mixed in a medium such as a high molecular polymer. In addition to doping the dye into the high molecular polymer, it can also be produced by microcapsule technology. The photochromic dye powder, the liquid, the masterbatch or the microcapsules are mixed with the high molecular polymer, and then the monomers are formed by rotational molding or injection molding, and when mixed, a suitable temperature can be provided to melt the polymer to cause photochromism. The dye is distributed therein or dissolved in a solution in which the photochromic dye is added to the high molecular polymer. Therefore, the polymer base material and the photochromic dye 100 are first prepared, see the first figure.

Subsequently, a fusion step or program 110 of the two is performed, and the fusion process can mix the photochromic dye with the base material according to a ratio and heat-melt to facilitate injection molding; or dissolve the photochromic dye into the base material solution to dissolve mixing. The chemical structure changes after exposure to sunlight or ultraviolet rays to cause discoloration; when not exposed to sunlight or ultraviolet rays, the original color can be restored. The photochromic dye can be selectively doped into the high molecular polymer with a light stabilizer, a UV absorber, or the like. Adding an antioxidant or / and UV absorber to polymer polymerization Things can increase resistance to light fatigue. The above photochromic material may be spiropyrans, spiroxazines, fulgide, fulgimides, benzopyran, naphthopyran, spirobenzopyran, spironaphthopyran, spirobenzoxazine or spironaphthoxazine, but is not limited to the above examples. The contact lens base material comprises polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), breathable semi-rigid lens (RGP), polyhydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), GMMA or silicone hydrogel.

A photochromic dye may be used or a discoloration molecule may be added to the polymer or the resin material, and the photochromic dye may be uniformly distributed throughout the substrate. Therefore, in addition to absorbing ultraviolet light, it can cause changes in the color of the lens and increase the fashion effect. Adding antioxidants and/or UV absorbers can increase light fatigue. The ratio of photochromic dye to polymer is about 0.01% to 0.5% by weight (w/w); or 0.5% to 0.1% or 0.1% to 1.5%. The processing temperature is lower than the dissociation temperature of the photochromic material described above. For example, 1.5% photochromic material and 98.5% polymer can be mixed, and the processing temperature is less than 250 °C. In terms of optical properties, PMMA transparency is about 92%.

In the production process, it may be necessary to dry the polymer plastic, depending on the amount and material, 1 to 5 hours, and then mix the high molecular polymer with the photochromic material, and then do the molding process. The mixing ratio of the two may be from tens of thousands to one ten thousand according to different purposes; one ten thousandth to five ten thousandth; one ten thousandth to one thousandth; or one thousandth to several thousandth One. In summary, the dried plastic is prepared, and the photochromic material is mixed, stirred to be uniform, fed in a molding apparatus, and molded in a mold having a temperature at a set temperature. For different temperatures and concentrations, it will affect its basic beauty. The color is so shallow that it can be used to control the desired color. In addition, it must be formed at a temperature below the dissociation temperature of the photochromic material. Therefore, different temperatures must be adjusted to match the different photochromic materials and the melting and forming temperatures of the various polymers, as in step 120 of the first figure.

Contact lens manufacturing process also includes molding trimming and hydration quality inspection. Taking the spin molding method as an example, the polymer monomer raw material is first prepared, and the liquid injection mold is produced, and then the liquid injection molding is performed. The process is performed in a high-clean room such as 100,000 grades, and the lens is trimmed to the edge. High smoothness. Then, the lens is hydrated by the mold release liquid and then peeled off from the mold. In step 130, the lens quality inspection, lens sterilization and packaging shipment are finally performed. The design of the contact lens surface is designed using a bionic toric surface. The main raw materials for contact lenses are liquid chemical raw materials, contact lens manufacturers or purchase of chemical raw materials that have been blended, or the chemical raw materials can be blended and thermally polymerized according to the order requirements. Standard injection molding materials such as oxygen rate. Various types of production equipment such as injection machines, injection molding machines / rotary molding machines are used, and are controlled by process parameters.

The above methods and related process conditions can also be replaced by halides or used together; please refer to the second figure; prepare polymer base material and prepare halide 100A; mixed polymer base material and halide program 110A; The molding process 120A is performed as a lens. The lens contains silver halide (such as silver chloride, silver bromide) crystallites. When exposed to ultraviolet or short-wave visible light, the silver halide will decompose into silver ions and halide ions; the halogen ions emit electrons; the electrons are silver ions. capture. Colorless silver halide decomposes into opaque silver ions and transparent halide ions, silver ion absorption Light is collected to reduce the transmittance of the lens. Based on the reversible reaction, after the light is removed or lowered, the silver recombines with the halogen to restore the halide state. The concentration of the substrate can be from one ten thousandth to one thousandth, depending on the demand. If the embodiment shown in the second figure is used, a plurality of colors can be formulated, and it is not limited to the gray color which the silver ions absorb. In other words, the halide of the second figure is mixed in the first step 100. The concentration of both can be changed according to the requirements according to the above examples. The film is then removed, step 130A.

The invention can also be used for manufacturing an optical lens with infrared or ultraviolet filter, so that the optical lens can filter the infrared band by including an infrared absorbing material, and has a filtering or filtering function, in addition to the original function. The invention can also produce a lens with infrared filtering function, the infrared light affects the cornea and the deeper tissues such as the lens and the vitreous humor, and the infrared rays have a relationship with the wavelength of the eye, at 0.8. About 50% of the infrared light of ~1.2 micron wavelength penetrates into the deep tissue of the eye. Infrared-induced cataracts have been found in glassblower and furnace workers, mainly due to heating of the crystals and tissues in their vicinity; prolonged exposure may heat the iris and crystals. The retina is sensitive to near-infrared rays (760~1400 nm), and its damage may be caused by denaturation of proteins and other macromolecules due to heated tissue. Therefore, on the lens, for example, the plastic lens is doped with an infrared absorbing material to protect the retina and the lens of the eye. The particle particles preferably have a particle size of 80 to 350 nm to reduce turbidity. Please refer to the third figure; prepare the polymer base material and prepare the infrared absorbing material 100B; mix the polymer base material and the infrared absorbing material program 110B; perform the molding process 120R as the lens with the polymer base material, and then take off Film 130B. If the embodiment shown in the first or second figure is used, it is possible to provide a function of preventing ultraviolet rays and infrared rays. In other words, the infrared absorbing material of the third graph 100B is mixed in the first or second step 100, 100A; or the three may be mixed. The concentration of both can be changed according to the requirements according to the above examples.

The present invention has been described above by way of a preferred embodiment, and is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention. The scope of patent protection is subject to the scope of the patent application and its equivalent fields. Any modification or refinement made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention is equivalent to the equivalent change or design made in the spirit of the present disclosure, and should be included in the following patent application scope. Inside.

100‧‧‧Preparation procedure

110‧‧‧mixing procedure

120‧‧‧Molding procedure

130‧‧‧Dropping procedure

100A‧‧‧Preparation procedure

110A‧‧‧mixing procedure

120A‧‧‧Molding procedure

130A‧‧‧Mold release procedure

100B‧‧‧Preparation procedure

110B‧‧‧mixing procedure

120B‧‧‧Molding procedure

130B‧‧‧Mold release procedure

The above aspects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description of the invention. Wherein: the first figure is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the invention.

The second figure is a schematic view of an embodiment of the invention.

The third figure is a schematic view of an embodiment of the invention.

100B‧‧‧Preparation procedure

110B‧‧‧mixing procedure

120B‧‧‧Molding procedure

130B‧‧‧Mold release procedure

Claims (14)

A method for manufacturing a contact lens, comprising: preparing a base material, an infrared absorbing material, and a metal halide, wherein the base material comprises a polymer; mixing the metal halide and the infrared absorbing material in the base material; The material is subjected to a molding process to produce the contact lens, and the formed contact lens comprises the halogenated metal and the infrared absorbing material to facilitate color change and absorption of infrared rays in different environments. The method of producing a contact lens according to claim 1, wherein the halogenated metal comprises silver bromide, and the infrared absorbing material is about 80 to 300 nm. The method for producing a contact lens according to claim 1, wherein the base material comprises polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), a gas permeable semi-rigid lens (RGP), polyhydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), GMMA. Or silicone hydrogel. A method of making a contact lens according to claim 1 or 2 or 3, wherein the molding process comprises injection molding, rotary molding or a combination thereof. The method for producing a contact lens according to claim 1 or 2 or 3, wherein the ratio of the base material and the metal halide is from one ten thousandth to one ten thousandth; or one ten thousand to one thousand One of the points. A contact lens produced by the method of making a contact lens as described in claims 1 to 5. The contact lens of claim 6, wherein the base material comprises polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), gas permeable semi-rigid lens (RGP), polyhydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), GMMA or hydrophobic water. Glue (Silicon Hydrogel). A method for manufacturing a contact lens, comprising: preparing a base material and an infrared absorbing material, wherein the base material comprises a polymer; mixing the infrared absorbing material in the base material; and performing a molding process on the base material to make the The contact lens comprises the infrared absorbing material in the formed contact lens to facilitate absorption of infrared rays. The method of making a contact lens according to claim 8, wherein the infrared absorbing material is about 80 to 300 nm. The method for producing a contact lens according to claim 8, wherein the base material comprises polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), a gas permeable semi-rigid lens (RGP), polyhydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), GMMA. Or silicone hydrogel. A method of making a contact lens according to claim 8 or 9 or 10, wherein the molding process described above comprises injection molding, rotary molding or a combination thereof. The method for producing a contact lens according to claim 8 or 9 or 10, wherein the ratio of the base material and the infrared absorbing material is from one ten thousandth to one ten thousandth; or one to five ten thousand to one ratio thousandth. A contact lens produced by the method of making a contact lens as described in claims 8 through 12. The contact lens of claim 13, wherein the base material comprises polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), breathable semi-rigid lens (RGP), polyhydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), GMMA or hydrophobic water. Glue (Silicon Hydrogel).