Imbibing process for contact lens surface modification

摘要

A process for modifying the surface of a silicon-containing polymer is presented, the process comprising the steps of: imbibing a zwitterionic monomer or a free radical initiator into a silicon-containing polymer in an imbibing mixture comprising the silicon-containing polymer, at least one of the zwitterionic monomer and the free radical initiator, and a solvent system; and polymerizing the zwitterionic monomer to modify the surface of the silicon-containing polymer with a zwitterionic polymer in a polymerization reaction mixture which comprises the imbibed silicon-containing polymer, a solvent system and the zwitterionic monomer or the free radical initiator, the polymerization reaction mixture having a composition that differs from the composition of the imbibing mixture. Such a process can be applied to prepare medical devices such as contact lens having a wettable, biocompatible surface. Processes for producing such devices are also described.