METHOD OF FORMING SHAPED HYDROGEL ARTICLES INCLUDING CONTACTLENSES USING INERT DISPLACEABLE DILUENTS

摘要

IMPROVED METHOD OF FORMING SHAPED HYDROGEL ARTICLES INCLUDING CONTACT LENSES USING INERT, DISPLACEABLE DILUENTS Shaped hydrogel articles such as soft contact lenses are prepared by the steps of: (1) molding or casting a polymerization mixture comprising: (a) a monomer mixture comprising a major proportion of one or more hydrophilic monomers such as 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and one or more cross-linking monomers; and (b) an inert, displaceable diluent selected from the group consisting of: (i) ethoxylated alkyl glucoside; (ii) ethoxylated bisphenol A; (iii) polyethylene glycol; (iv) mixture of propoxylated and ethoxylated alkyl glucoside; (v) single phase mixture of ethoxylated or propoxylated alkyl glucoside and C2-12 dihydric alcohol; (vi) adduct of .epsilon.-caprolactone and C2-6alkanediols and triols; (vii) ethoxylated C3-6alkanetriol; and (viii) mixtures of one or more of (i) through (vii), under conditions to polymerize said monomer mixture to produce a shaped gel of a copolymer of said monomers and said diluent; and (2) thereafter replacing said diluent with water.