Patent Application
20180113325
The subject matter herein generally relates to eye contact lens and a method for manufacturing thereof.
For poor eyesight, people often need to wear prescription glasses or contact lenses to see clearly. Contact lenses are convenient. However, eyes will feel dry when contact lenses are worn for a long time, and a red-eye phenomenon is caused.
Implementations of the present technology will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached figures.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, where appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the different figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments described herein can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the related relevant feature being described. Also, the description is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and the proportions of certain parts may be exaggerated to better illustrate details and features of the present disclosure.
Several definitions that apply throughout this disclosure will now be presented.
The term “substantially” is defined to be essentially conforming to the particular dimension, shape, or other feature that the term modifies, such that the component need not be exact. For example, “substantially cylindrical” means that the object resembles a cylinder, but can have one or more deviations from a true cylinder. The term “comprising,” when utilized, means “including, but not necessarily limited to”; it specifically indicates open-ended inclusion or membership in the so-described combination, group, series, and the like. The references “a plurality of” and “a number of” mean “at least two.”
The main body 10 is made from silica gel or hydrogel. A thickness of the main body 10 is in a range from about 0.003 to about 0.1 millimeter. The main body 10 is transparent and comprises a front surface 101, a rear surface 102, and an annular side surface connecting the front surface 101 and the rear surface 102. The front surface 101 and the rear surface 103 are substantially spherical surfaces and match with curved shape of human eye. That is, when the contact lenses 100 are worn, the rear surface 102 or the front surface 101 are configured to be in full contact with eyes of a wearer.
The water locking structure 20 is also substantially transparent. The water locking structure 20 includes a plurality of water locking sheets 22 and the water locking sheets 22 are distributed regularly in the main body 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the water locking sheets 22 are made from clay and the clay is aluminum silicate (Montmorillonite). A length of the water locking sheet 22 is about 1 um, and a thickness of the water locking sheet 22 is about 9.6 nm. In an alternative embodiment, the water locking sheet 22 is made from silicon magnesium acid aluminum (Laponite), a length of the water locking sheet 22 is about 1 nm, and a thickness of the water locking sheet 22 is about 23˜27 nm.
Passages 25 in one row of one water locking layer 23 are staggered in relation to a corresponding passages 25 in a row of an adjacent water locking layer 23. Thereby, the plurality of water locking sheets 22 provides an effective barrier to the passage of water evaporation, and this is beneficial for slowing the water evaporation, so that the eye contact lens 100 is able to keep moist for a longer time.
At block 301, as shown in
The plurality of water locking sheets 20 are made from transparent clay. The plurality of water locking sheets 20 are mixed in the liquid glue material to form a solution, a weight of the sheet body 20 in the liquid glue material is less than 30%. The liquid glue is selected from hydrogel or silicone hydrogel. The liquid glue contains a hydrophilic monomer, such as initiator and crosslinking agent. If the liquid glue is hydrogel, the hydrophilic monomer in the liquid glue is one selected from this group of hydroxyl ethyl methacrylate (HEMA), methacrylic acid methyl methacrylate (MAA), N-two methyl acetamide (DMA), and vinyl pyrrolidone (NVP). If the liquid glue is silicone hydrogel, the hydrophilic monomer in the liquid glue is one selected from this group of three parts methyl alkoxy silicon (TRIS) and two parts polymethyl siloxane (PDMS).
At block 303, as shown in
At block 305, the lower mold filled with the solution is disposed into a hydro-extractor, the water locking sheets 20 in the mixed solution are rotated and centrifuged by the hydro-extractor. Water locking sheets 20 are regularly distributed in the solution, and the water locking sheets 20 are covered completely by the liquid glue. Each row includes a plurality of water locking sheets 20, each two adjacent water locking sheets 20 in a same row forms a passage 22, the passages 22 being staggered. In the illustrated embodiment, centrifuge speed ranges from about 500˜about 10000 revolutions per minute.
At block 307, the upper mold is placed on the lower mold.
At block 309, the mold is disposed into an oven, or disposed below a UV lamp. The solution in the mold is cured to form an eye contact lens intermediate product, and a thickness of the intermediate product is about about 0.003- about 0.1 mm. A temperature for a thermal curing oven ranges from about 90 degree to about 125 degree, the time for a thermal curing is about 5 min˜about 30 min, and a UV light curing strength is about 3000 uw/cm2˜about 5000 uw/cm2. The curing time is about 1 min˜about 15 min.
At block 311, the upper mold is separated from the lower mold, and the intermediate product is removed from the lower mold.
At block 313, the intermediate product is disposed into a standard saline bath to experience hydration, and to seal against infection. The eye contact lens 100 is thus obtained.
The embodiments shown and described above are only examples. Therefore, many such details are neither shown nor described. Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present technology have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the present disclosure, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in the detail, including in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of the parts within the principles of the present disclosure, up to and including the full extent established by the broad general meaning of the terms used in the claims. It will therefore be appreciated that the embodiments described above may be modified within the scope of the claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 105134341 | Oct 2016 | TW | national |
