Silicone Hydrogel contact lens

Contents

Contact Lens

Contact Lenses are shaped pieces of transparent material, which are place on the cornea of the eye, usually with the aim to correct the refractive error (long or short -sightedness) of an individual. Approximately 120 million people globally wear contact lenses. Over 600 million people need and can afford to wear lenses Source.

Types of Contact Lenses

There are two general categories of contact lenses ? soft and rigid gas permeable (RGP).

Soft contact lenses are made of soft, flexible plastics that allow oxygen to pass through to the cornea. Soft contact lenses may be easier to adjust to and are more comfortable than rigid gas permeable lenses. Newer soft lens materials include silicone-hydrogels to provide more oxygen to your eye while you wear your lenses.

Rigid gas permeable contact lenses (RGPs) are more durable and resistant to deposit buildup, and generally give a clearer, crisper vision. They tend to be less expensive over the life of the lens since they last longer than soft contact lenses. They are easier to handle and less likely to tear. However, they are not as comfortable initially as soft contacts and it may take a few weeks to get used to wearing RGPs, compared to several days for soft contacts.

Extended wear contact lenses are available for overnight or continuous wear ranging from one to six nights or up to 30 days. Extended wear contact lenses are usually soft contact lenses. They are made of flexible plastics that allow oxygen to pass through to the cornea. There are also a very few rigid gas permeable lenses that are designed and approved for overnight wear. Length of continuous wear depends on lens type and your eye care professional?s evaluation of your tolerance for overnight wear. It?s important for the eyes to have a rest without lenses for at least one night following each scheduled removal.

The majority of soft contact lens wearers are prescribed some type of frequent replacement schedule. ?Disposable,? as defined by the FDA, means used once and discarded. With a true daily wear disposable schedule, a brand new pair of lenses is used each day.
Some soft contact lenses are referred to as ?disposable? by contact lens sellers, but actually, they are for frequent/planned replacement. With extended wear lenses, the lenses may be worn continuously for the prescribed wearing period (for example, 7 days to 30 days) and then thrown away. When you remove your lenses, make sure to clean and disinfect them properly before reinserting.

Orthokeratology, or Ortho-K, is a lens fitting procedure that uses specially designed rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses to change the curvature of the cornea to temporarily improve the eye?s ability to focus on objects. This procedure is primarily used for the correction of myopia (nearsightedness).

Overnight Ortho-K lenses are the most common type of Ortho-K. There are some Ortho-K lenses that are prescribed only for daytime wear. Overnight Ortho-K lenses are commonly prescribed to be worn while sleeping for at least eight hours each night. They are removed upon awakening and not worn during the day. Some people can go all day without their glasses or contact lenses. Others will find that their vision correction will wear off during the day.

Some contact lenses do not correct vision and are intended solely to change the appearance of the eye. These are sometimes called plano, zero-powered or non-corrective lenses. For example, they can temporarily change a brown-eyed person?s eye color to blue, or make a person?s eyes look ?weird? by portraying Halloween themes. Even though these decorative lenses don?t correct vision, they?re regulated by the FDA, just like corrective contact lenses. They also carry the same risks to the eye. These risks include:

Lens Type - By Implantation: Collectively, types of contact lenses are as follows Source

Classification of lenses

Lens Types Advantages Disadvantages
Rigid gas-permeable (RGP)
Made of slightly flexible plastics that allow oxygen to pass through to the eyes.
Excellent vision... short adaptation period... comfortable to wear... correct most vision problems... easy to put on and to care for... durable with a relatively long life... available in tints (for handling purposes) and bifocals. Require consistent wear to maintain adaptation... can slip off center of eye more easily than other types... debris can easily get under the lenses... requires office visits for follow-up care
Daily-wear soft lenses
Made of soft, flexible plastic that allows oxygen to pass through to the eyes.
Very short adaptation period... more comfortable and more difficult to dislodge than RGP lenses... available in tints and bifocals... great for active lifestyles. Do not correct all vision problems... vision may not be as sharp as with RGP lenses... require regular office visits for follow-up care... lenses soil easily and must be replaced.
Extended-wear
Available for overnight wear in soft or RGP lenses.
Can usually be worn up to seven days without removal. Do not correct all vision problems... require regular office visits for follow-up care... increases risk of complication... requires regular monitoring and professional care.
Extended-wear disposable
Soft lenses worn for an extended period of time, from one to six days and then discarded.
Require little or no cleaning... minimal risk of eye infection if wearing instructions are followed... available in tints and bifocals... spare lenses available. Vision may not be as sharp as RGP lenses... do not correct all vision problems... handling may be more difficult.
Planned replacement
Soft daily wear lenses that are replaced on a planned schedule, most often either every two weeks, monthly or quarterly.
Require simplified cleaning and disinfection... good for eye health... available in most prescriptions. Vision may not be as sharp as RGP lenses... do not correct all vision problems... handling may be more difficult.
American Optometric Association

Conventional Vs Silicone Hydrogels - Status


Silicon Hydrogel Contact lens

They are a new generation of "super-permeable" contact lenses can transmit unprecedented amounts of oxygen to your cornea and, in some cases, enable 30 consecutive days of wear without removal.

Silicone hydrogel contact lenses represent a breakthrough over traditional hydrogel soft contact lenses, because silicone lets so much oxygen (essential for a healthy cornea) pass through the lens
Source

Working

Traditional soft contact lenses are made from hydrogel polymers (soft, water-containing plastics). The plastic itself is not oxygen permeable, so the water performs the job of carrying oxygen through the lens to the eye. But water can carry only so much oxygen ? and the more water a lens contains, the greater its tendency to dehydrate after long periods of wear.

Silicone is oxygen permeable. So silicone hydrogel lenses use both their water and polymer content to transmit oxygen to the eye.

Benefits to wearers include comfort and convenience

Silicone hydrogel contact lenses contain less water than traditional hydrogel lenses. As a result, they aren?t as prone to dehydration while you?re wearing them. For some people who wear their lenses for long days, this can mean better end-of-day comfort.
Silicone hydrogels also have made 30-day contact lens wear ? sometimes called "continuous wear" ? available once again.

Different flavors of silicone hydrogel

Because silicone hydrogel lenses provide increased oxygen to your eyes, 30-day wear isn?t the only reason to consider using them. And in fact, not all silicone hydrogel brands are approved for 30 days of wear Source

Flavours

The table shown below describes the current brands of spherical silicone hydrogel lenses available, in order of highest oxygen transmissibility to lowest and two brands of toric (astigmatism correcting) silicone hydrogel lenses Source

Brands

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Lens solution

Future research ideas for improving comfort, reducing complications


IP Analysis

Patent Search Strategy

Search scope: US Granted US Applications EP-A EP-B WO JP (bibliographic data only) DE-C,B DE-A DE-T DE-U GB-A FR-A; Full patent spec.
Years: 1981-2007
Text: (((Silicone and hydrogel) or SiHy or siloxane) and (contact adj1 lens*))
Number of records: 1686 records

IP Trends over publication years

IP Trends

Taxonomy

Taxonomy

Market Information

Clinical information

Statistics in USA

Medical practioner survey information

Company surveys and findings


Key Companies


Research Collaborations (from patent searches)

Collaborations No. of records
Menicon Co., Ltd. | Shin Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. 6
Genencor International, Inc. | The Procter & Gamble Company 5
CIBA Vision Corporation | Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organsation 4
Shin Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. | Toyo Contact Lens Co., Ltd. 3
Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. | Li, Fumian 2
Novartis AG | Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation 2
California Institute of Technology | The Regents of the University of California 1
Chitogenics, Inc. | The American National Red Cross | Coalition for Hemophilia B 1
Biopolymerix, Inc | Surfacine Development Company, Inc. 1
Organogenesis, Inc. | The President and Fellows of Harvard College 1
Japan Synthetic Rubber Co., Ltd. | Ricky Contact Lens Research Institute Inc. 1
Asahikasei Aime Co. Ltd. | CooperVision, Inc. 1
Southwest Research Institute | Keraplast Technologies, Ltd. 1
Takiron Co. Ltd. | Osaka Municipal Government 1
Adeka Corporation | The Kansai Electric Power CO., INC. 1
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | North Carolina State University | Synecor, LLC 1
Quick Med Technologies, inc. | University of Florida Research Foundation, Inc. 1
Combinatorx, Incorporated | Angiotech International Ag 1
Sosei Co., Ltd. | Tanabe Seiyaku Co., Ltd. | Combinatorx incorporated 1
Smart Holograms Limited | Ciba Vision Corporation | Cambridge University Technical Services Ltd. 1
Kuraray Co Ltd | Sagami Chem Res Center 1

Based on general web search

Company 1 Company 2 Collaboration year Collaboration type Collaborated for Link Link
Fenway Partners 1-800 Contacts Inc. 2007 Buy out Replacement contact lenses Source
Implantable Vision Inc Ciba Vision Inc. 2006 Licensing agreement Acquire patents and intellectual property regarding an inside-the-eye contact lens for $1 million Source
Cooper Inc. Occular sciences Inc. 2004 Merger Merger will result in worlds 3rd largest contact lens company Source
Vision CRC IER and CCLRU 2004 Research study Collaboration The study is to study rates of corneal infection with contact lenses Source
CIBA Vision Wesley Jessen corp. 2001 Merger Merger of two Novartis contact lens subsdiaries Source
CRC CIBA Vision 1997 Research Collaboration To develop silicone hydrogel contact lens that can be worn for 30 days and nights and also for daily wear lens Source
Allergan Ioptex Research global intraocular lens 1994 Licensing agreement Intraocular lens product line Source
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Vista Optics Ltd Jointly funding agreement To develop new generation of ophthalmic biomaterials Source
CIBA vision Laboratories Faure 1993 Licensing agreement Source
Unilens Novartis Licensing agreement Aquaflex and Softcon EW contact lens products Source

Venture capital


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