Johnson & Johnson Vision Presents New Data on Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lens Muco-Adhesive Properties
Johnson & Johnson Vision presented new data at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) annual meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii. The data measured how the extent of crosslinking affects muco-adhesion in a laboratory study with corneal epithelial cells and silicone hydrogel materials. Crosslinking describes the bonds between polymer chains in silicone hydrogel contact lenses. This study was conducted in partnership with the Fuller Research Group in Chemical Engineering at Stanford University.
“It is known that the amount of crosslinking in silicone hydrogel materials affects how strongly they adhere, or stick, to different surfaces,” Charles Scales, PhD, principal scientist and leader of the Scientific Evidence Team within Global Medical Affairs at Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, said in a company news release. “However, this is the first study to demonstrate that greater degrees of crosslinking reduce silicone hydrogel adhesion to mucosal surfaces, such as the cornea or eyelids, which has important implications for contact lens manufacturers. These data demonstrate the potential for Acuvue Brand Contact Lenses to enhance users’ experience with easier removal—a key concern for wearers for any contact lens brand.”
“In this study, the lens that replicates the crosslink density of Acuvue Oasys Brand Contact Lenses 1-Day had lower muco-adhesion than the delefilcon A lens, which is marketed under Alcon Dailies Total. This may be one reason that Acuvue Oasys Brand Contact Lenses 1-Day had lower muco-adhesion than Dailies Total1 in a head-to-head clinical trial, where ease of removal was assessed,” Dr. Scales said. “We are pleased to see that the Acuvue Brand Contact Lens silicone hydrogel may be associated with enhanced comfort and ease of removal, compared to the silicone hydrogel formulations used in other contact lenses.”
In the study (poster # B0076), step strain deformations were applied onto mucin-expressing corneal epithelial cell monolayers in contact with a silicone hydrogel lens. Four different crosslink densities of senofilcon A were compared, alongside a delefilcon A silicone hydrogel lens. The study results demonstrated that, generally, as the effective crosslink density of the senofilcon A material is increased, the strength of muco-adhesion decreases. Interestingly, the delefilcon A lens, which is believed to have a very low crosslink density at its surface due to the nature of its surface coating, had a higher strength of adhesion than Acuvue Oasys Brand Contact Lenses 1-Day, which is an uncoated homogeneous material with a higher crosslink density that minimizes muco-adhesion.
Johnson & Johnson Vision intends to submit these data for future publication in a peer-reviewed journal.