HIGH PERMEABILITY, LONG WEAR CONTACT LENS MATERIALS

尽管在接触镜片的舒适性和便利性方面取得了显著进步，但所有当前接触透镜材料仍然存在对角膜健康的风险。由于透镜的低透氧性，目前使用的接触透镜减少了角膜可用的氧气，特别是在过夜佩戴期间。这种缺氧（角膜缺氧）已被证明会导致基质和上皮水肿、溃疡性角膜炎和角膜新生血管形成以及其他并发症。这些并发症，如果不及时治疗，可能导致永久性眼睛损伤，甚至视力丧失。Compact Membrane Systems，Inc.已经确定了一种新的玻璃全氟膜材料族，其透氧性显著大于目前使用的接触透镜材料。这种氧渗透性的显著增加不仅将减少或防止与角膜缺氧相关的并发症，还将允许更长的接触透镜配戴时间表。除了极高的渗透性外，这些全氟膜还表现出大于95%的光学透明度以及疏有机物和“不粘”特性（以抵抗脂质沉积）。在第I阶段，我们将通过生产硬性透气性角膜接触镜并证明其安全、连续配戴接触透镜的上级特性以及最大限度减少脂质和蛋白质润湿的能力来证明这些镜片的可行性。拟定商业应用：一种隐形透镜，大大降低了与合同透镜佩戴相关的风险，同时允许长期佩戴计划，肯定会吸引美国2500万隐形透镜佩戴者。此外，永久性接触透镜可用作白内障手术后眼内透镜置换的替代方案。

Despite significant advances in the comfort and convenience of contact lenses, all current contact lens materials still present risks to corneal health. The contact lenses in use today reduce the oxygen available to the cornea due to low oxygen permeability of the lens, particularly during overnight wear. This oxygen deprivation (corneal hypoxia) has been shown to cause stromal and epithelial edema, ulcerative keratitis and corneal neovascularization, as well as other complications. These complications, if left untreated, can lead to permanent eye damage and even loss of vision. Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. has identified a new family of glassy perfluoromembrane materials with oxygen permeability that is significantly greater than that of contact lens materials used today. This dramatic increase in oxygen permeability will not only reduce or prevent the complications associated with corneal hypoxia, it will also allow for much longer contact lens wear schedules. In addition to extremely high permeability, these perfluoromembranes also exhibit optical clarity greater than 95% and an organophobic and "non-sticking" character (to resist lipid deposition). In Phase I, we will demonstrate the feasibility of these lenses by producing rigid gas permeable contact lenses and demonstrating their superior properties for safe, continuous contact lens wear and ability to minimize lipid and protein wetting. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: A contact lens that dramatically decreases the risks associated with contract lens wear, and simultaneously allows for long-term wear schedules is sure to appeal to the 25 million contact lens wearers in the United States. Additionally, a permanent contact lens could be used as an alternative to intraocular lens replacement after cataract surgery.