Patent ID: 9244195
Filing Date: 2016-01-26
CPC Classification: B29D,G02B,G02C

Claim Text:
1. A method for making contact lenses having nano-textured surfaces, comprising the steps of: (1) providing an organic-based coating solution including an organic-based solvent and a polymeric coating material dissolved in the organic-based solvent, wherein the polymeric coating material comprises multiple first reactive functional groups and multiple affinity groups or moieties, wherein the multiple first reactive functional groups are selected from the group consisting of carboxyl groups, azetidinium groups, amino groups, azlactone groups, isocyanate groups, epoxy groups, aziridine groups, thiol groups, hydroxyl groups, and combinations thereof; (2) contacting a contact lens with the organic-based coating solution to swell the contact lens and form an intermediary coating of the polymeric coating material on the contact lens, wherein the contact lens comprises, at and near the surface of the contact lens, monomeric units and/or hydrophobic moieties and/or segments capable of interacting with the affinity groups or moieties of the polymeric coating material so as to bind the polymeric coating material, wherein the average molecular weight of the polymeric coating material is selected to be sufficient high to ensure that the polymeric coating material partially penetrate into the contact lens swollen by the organic-based solvent; (3) contacting the swollen contact lens having the intermediary coating thereon with an aqueous solution or water to shrink the contact lens having the intermediary coating thereon to form a prime coating having nano-textures on the contact lens; and (4) fixing the nano-textures in the prime coating by crosslinking a water-soluble and crosslinkable hydrophilic polymeric material with multiple second functional reactive functional groups onto the prime coating through the first reactive functional groups to form a crosslinked polymeric coating that preserves the nano-textures of the prime coating and provides a nano-textured surface to the contact lens, wherein the multiple second reactive functional groups of the water-soluble and crosslinkable hydrophilic polymeric material are: carboxyl groups, azetidinium groups, amino groups, azlactone groups, isocyanate groups, epoxy groups, aziridine groups, hydroxyl groups, thiol groups, or combinations thereof, wherein one first reactive functional reactive group can react with one second reactive functional group in the presence or absence of a coupling agent to form one crosslinkage between the polymeric coating material and the water-soluble and crosslinkable hydrophilic polymeric material.