Optimization of the Oxygen Permeability of Non-Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses Through Crosslinking Modifications

The main weakness of non-silicone hydrogel contact lenses is their low oxygen permeability (Dk). Hence, we have tried to optimize their Dk using various concentrations and lengths of the poly (ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate crosslinker in a mixture of N,N-Dimethylacrylamide and Cyclohexyl methacrylate monomers. After synthesizing the different contact lenses, we evaluated their chemical, optical, and mechanical properties. The resultant non-silicone hydrogel contact lenses presented similar high water contents (75.69–80.60%) and adequate optical (e.g., a transmittance ranging from 85.91% to 99.91% and a refractive index between 1.3630 and 1.3740) and elongation at break (178.95–356.05%) characteristics for clinical applications. Conversely, they presented high contact angles (81.00–100.00°) and a low Young’s modulus (0.066–0.167 MPa). Regarding the impact of the crosslinking modifications, the water content, contact angle, refractive index, transmittance, and Young’s modulus of the synthesized lenses were slightly affected by crosslinker conditions. In contrast, the elongation at break (178.95–356.05%) and, more importantly, the oxygen permeability, which reached values of up to 73.90 Fatt units, were considerably impacted by the crosslinker conditions. To our knowledge, this study demonstrates for the first time that, in addition to water, other usual hydrogel components, like crosslinkers, can modulate the Dk of non-silicone contact lenses. It also provides a simple and scalable method to fabricate more permeable non-silicone lenses.