Patent ID: 8388995

Claim:
A comfort agent delivery system comprising: a contact lens, the contact lens comprising a recognitive, weakly cross-linked polymeric hydrogel matrix having between about 0.1% to 20% moles cross-linking monomer and/or macromer species per total moles of all monomer and/or macromer species present with complexing memory sites that complex a comfort agent and release the comfort agent from the weakly cross-linked hydrogel matrix over time while in contact with a surface of an eye, wherein the weakly cross-linked polymeric hydrogel is formed by the steps of generating a solution comprising amounts of a bio-template, a functionalized monomer or macromer, and a cross-linking monomer, complexing the functionalized monomer or macromer and the bio-template through non-covalent interactions, initiating copolymerization of the functionalized monomer or macromer and the cross-linking monomer, and loading the comfort agent into the memory sites, wherein the functionalized monomer contains functional groups that mimic receptor sites of a target biological tissue that are associated with a biological mechanism of the comfort agent at that biological tissue, and wherein the comfort agent is a lubricating agent useful for treating keratoconjunctivitis sicca (dry eye) and making contact lenses more comfortable.