Novartis Ag

Alcon, Inc.

Newton T Samuel

John Dallas Pruitt

Yongxing Qiu

Daqing Wu

Lynn Cook Winterton

Xinming Qian

Arturo Norberto Medina

Jared Nelson

Chandana Kolluru

Chung-Yuan Chiang

Robert Carey Tucker

Yuan Chang

Ethan Leveillee

Nirupama Kenkare

Ciara Dauenhauer

Richard Govan

Matthew McCollum

Angelika Maria Domschke

Yasuo Matsuzawa

Uwe Haken

Selma Kuyu

Kasey Jon Minick

Kelly Kayi Tallau

Angela Driver-Scott

Horngyih Huang

Peter D Lackey

Jessie Chen

Rita Anand

Matthew Mccollum

The invention is related to a cost-effective method for making a silicone hydrogel contact lens having a crosslinked hydrophilic coating thereon. A method of the invention involves heating a silicone hydrogel contact lens in an aqueous solution in the presence of a water-soluble, highly branched, thermally-crosslinkable hydrophilic polymeric material having positively-charged azetidinium groups, to and at a temperature from about 40° C. to about 140° C. for a period of time sufficient to covalently attach the thermally-crosslinkable hydrophilic polymeric material onto the surface of the silicone hydrogel contact lens through covalent linkages each formed between one azetidinium group and one of the reactive functional groups on and/or near the surface of the silicone hydrogel contact lens, thereby forming a crosslinked hydrophilic coating on the silicone hydrogel contact lens. Such method can be advantageously implemented directly in a sealed lens package during autoclave.

Silicone hydrogel lens with a crosslinked hydrophilic coating

The invention is related to contact lenses that not only comprise the much desired water gradient structural configurations, but also have a minimized uptakes of polycationic antimicrobials and a long-lasting surface hydrophilicity and wettability even after going through a 30-days lens care regime. Because of the water gradient structural configuration and a relatively-thick, extremely-soft and water-rich hydrogel surface layer, a contact lens of the invention can provide superior wearing comfort. Further, a contact lens of the invention is compatible with multipurpose lens care solutions present in the market and can endure the harsh lens care handling conditions (e.g., digital rubbings, accidental inversion of contact lenses, etc.) encountered in a daily lens care regime. As such, they are suitable to be used as weekly- or monthly-disposable water gradient contact lenses.

Weekly and monthly disposable water gradient contact lenses

The invention is generally related to a method for producing, in a consistent manner, contact lenses each having an intact durable coating thereon, wherein the coating is a hydrogel coating formed by covalently attached a hydrophilic polymeric material having azetidinium groups onto a base coating of a polyanionic polymer on a contact lens at a relatively low temperature (e.g., from about 40&#xb0; C. to about 60&#xb0; C.). The coating temperature for forming a durable hydrogel coating on top of the base coating of a contact lens can be significantly lowered by raising, in situ, the pH (to about 9.5 or higher) of a reactive coating solution which contains the hydrophilic polymeric material having azetidinium groups.

Method for producing coated contact lenses

The invention is related to a cost-effective method for making a silicone hydrogel contact lens having a crosslinked hydrophilic coating thereon. A method of the invention involves heating a silicone hydrogel contact lens in an aqueous solution in the presence of a water-soluble, highly branched, thermally-crosslinkable hydrophilic polymeric material having positively-charged azetidinium groups, to and at a temperature from about 40&#xb0; C. to about 140&#xb0; C. for a period of time sufficient to covalently attach the thermally-crosslinkable hydrophilic polymeric material onto the surface of the silicone hydrogel contact lens through covalent linkages each formed between one azetidinium group and one of the reactive functional groups on and/or near the surface of the silicone hydrogel contact lens, thereby forming a crosslinked hydrophilic coating on the silicone hydrogel contact lens. Such method can be advantageously implemented directly in a sealed lens package during autoclave.

The invention is generally related to a method for producing coated silicone hydrogel contact lenses each of which has a hydrogel coating thereon and a relative high resistance to uptakes of polycationic antimicrobials as characterized by having a polyquaternium-1-uptake of less than 0.40 micrograms/lens. The hydrogel coating is formed by covalently attached a hydrophilic polymeric material onto a base coating of a polyanionic polymer on a SiHy contact lens. In this method, lower polyquaternium-1-uptake is achieved by using a rinse solution with a higher pH and/or a higher ionic strength (higher salt concentration) for rinsing a treated silicone hydrogel contact lens with a base coating of polyanionic polymer.

Method for making coated silicone hydrogel contact lenses

The invention is related to a process for producing contact lenses that not only comprise a water gradient structural configurations, but also have a minimized uptakes of polyquaternium-1 and a long-lasting surface hydrophilicity and wettability even after being undergone a 30-days lens care regime.

Method for producing MPS-compatible water gradient contact lenses

The invention is related to a process for producing contact lenses that not only comprise a water gradient structural configurations, but also have a minimized uptakes of polyquaternium-1 and a long-lasting surface hydrophilicity and wettability even after being undergone a simulated 30-days lens care regime.

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Suwanee, GA, United States of America

Newton T Samuel