This invention discloses aromatic based sulfur containing hydrophobic acrylate monomer with high refractive index. The invention further discloses process for the preparation of 2-phenyl-2-(phenylthio)ethyl acrylate of the formula (I). This monomer can be polymerized to take the form of an optical products having high refractive index. Optical products made from this monomer having high refractive index can be thinner and provide same refractive power as product made from a material having a relatively low refractive index. In particular the polymeric material prepared from the novel monomer can be used for making intraocular lenses that are thinner than the conventionally used ones offering advantages of reduced volume of space and light weight materials.
