Abstract: The invention provides a method for imaging and thickness determination of coatings on coated contact lenses. The method comprises selectively staining a negatively-charged-groups-containing coating over the lens body of a coated contact lens by immersing the coated contact lens in an aqueous solution comprising a fluorescently-labeled polycationic polymer and having a pH of from about 6.5 to 8.0; orthogonally cutting the selectively-stained coated contact lens; and determining the thickness of the coating on the coated contact lens. In addition, the invention provides a method for selecting a candidate coating material comprising negatively charged groups for applying a coating with a desired thickness onto silicone hydrogel contact lenses and for optimizing a coating process for producing coated silicone hydrogel contact lenses with a desired thickness coating thereon.

Abstract: The invention relates to an ophthalmic product which comprises a sealed and autoclave-sterilized lens package including (1) a post-autoclave packaging solution containing a polymeric surfactant having an HLB value of from about 11 to about 16 and a Mn of from about 800 to about 20,000 Daltons and (2) a readily-usable silicone hydrogel (SiHy) contact lens immersed in the packaging solution. The readily-usable SiHy contact lens comprises the polymeric surfactant thereon providing an excellent wettability to the readily-usable SiHy contact lens directly out of the lens package, and also the leachable polymeric surfactant which is physically distributed in the polymer matrix of the SiHy contact lens and can be released to the eye of a patient for at least 7 days of daily wear and to replenish the lens surface-bound polymeric surfactant to provide sustainable wettabilities to the contact lens and the eye.

Abstract: The invention relates to an ophthalmic product which comprises a sealed and autoclave-sterilized lens package including (1) a post-autoclave packaging solution containing a polymeric surfactant having an HLB value of from about 11 to about 16 and a Mn of from about 800 to about 20,000 Daltons and (2) a readily-usable silicone hydrogel (SiHy) contact lens immersed in the packaging solution. The readily-usable SiHy contact lens comprises the polymeric surfactant thereon providing an excellent wettability to the readily-usable SiHy contact lens directly out of the lens package, and also the leachable polymeric surfactant which is physically distributed in the polymer matrix of the SiHy contact lens and can be released to the eye of a patient for at least 7 days of daily wear and to replenish the lens surface-bound polymeric surfactant to provide sustainable wettabilities to the contact lens and the eye.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for imaging and thickness determination of coatings on coated contact lenses. The method comprises selectively staining a negatively-charged-groups-containing coating over the lens body of a coated contact lens by immersing the coated contact lens in an aqueous solution comprising a fluorescently-labeled polycationic polymer and having a pH of from about 6.5 to 8.0; orthogonally cutting the selectively-stained coated contact lens; and determining the thickness of the coating on the coated contact lens. In addition, the invention provides a method for selecting a candidate coating material comprising negatively charged groups for applying a coating with a desired thickness onto silicone hydrogel contact lenses and for optimizing a coating process for producing coated silicone hydrogel contact lenses with a desired thickness coating thereon.