What are silicone hydrogel contact lenses
Soft contact lenses were made possible in the 1960s and 1970s by the development of water-loving polymers: large molecules made of repeated pieces (think of a long train of many railcars). These were called "hydrophilic gels" or simply "hydrogels."
Silicone hydrogel is the latest in a line of
developments aimed at increasing the oxygen permeability (increased comfort,
longer wear and better eye health), wet ability (better comfort) and clinical
performance of contact lenses. Silicone has higher oxygen permeability,
allowing more oxygen to pass, than water, so oxygen permeability is no longer
tied to how much water is in each lens.
There are many
types of technology transfer, even
generations, of silicone hydrogels used to manufacture contact lenses today.
These come with technical names such as galyfilcon, senofilcon, comfilcon and
enfilcon. Each contact lens, whatever the material, is U.S. FDA-approved or
cleared for specific wear and replacement conditions. While silicone hydrogels
generally improve comfort and allow longer wear, check with our doctor about
which contact lenses are right for us.
Benefits of
silicone hydrogel lenses are discussed below.
The primary
benefit of silicone hydrogel lenses is that they reduce the tradeoff between
oxygen permeability and wet ability. This opens up many possibilities for
silicone hydrogel contacts, including:
1. Extended wear (sometimes for up to six
straight nights and days )
2. Continuous wear (sometimes for up to
thirty days before replacement )
3. Increased comfort and performance
4. Choosing silicone hydrogels
There are many
different types of silicone hydrogel materials that are each used to make
contact lenses that address different corrective and wearing needs.
For more details on this, please browse www.cltech.com.sg.
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