Patent ID: 7722808
Filing Date: 2010-05-25
Classification: A45C,A61L

Abstract:
1. A method for sterilizing a soft contact lens and providing a sterilized storage package of the soft contact lens maintained in a packaging solution, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a container having a cavity for receiving a packaging solution and a soft contact lens having a core polymeric material and a hydrophilic coating thereon, wherein the cavity has a cavity surface which is modified by surface treatment to hydrophilic so that deformations of the soft contact lenses, caused during autoclaving by air bubbles formed between the cavity surface and the hydrophilic coating due to mismatch in surface hydrophilicity and/or by adherence of the soft contact lens to the cavity surface, are substantially reduced; (b) placing an amount of the packaging solution and the soft contact lens in the container, wherein the amount of the packaging solution is sufficient to have the soft contact lens to be fully immersed; (c) sealing the container with a flexible cover sheet which is a laminate material comprising a metal foil layer and at least one polymer layer to form a storage package of the soft contact lens; and (d) autoclaving the package to obtain the sterilized storage package of the soft contact lens.