Silicone hydrogels are widely used as soft contact lens materials due to their good oxygen permeability, wettability, and stable mechanical properties. Wettability is critical for comfort and compatibility of the soft contact lens, and oxygen permeability is important to maintain the normal function of the eye. Insufficiency of oxygen results in hypoxia and increases the possibility of corneal swelling, loss of transparency, and corneal acidosis. In preliminary studies, we demonstrated that foamed silicone sheets showed an order of magnitude increase in oxygen permeability in comparison to solid silicone sheets. Based on this proof-of-concept study, hollow silicone nanoparticles were prepared by micro-emulsion polymerization for dispersion in conventional silicone hydrogel materials. Synthetic methods for producing the nanoparticles will be discussed. Materials were analyzed by dynamic light scattering, FTIR, and transmission electron microscopy.<br/><br/>

Microemulsion preparation of hollow silicone nanoparticles for incorporation in silicone hydrogels

255th National Meeting (2018)

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