List of soft contact lens materials

 ( Contact Lenses ) 

Soft contact lenses are one of several types of contact lenses for corrective vision eyewear as prescribed by optometrists and .

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Background In the US market, soft contact lenses are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. The American Optometric Association published a contact lens comparison chart called Advantages and Disadvantages of Various Types of Contact Lenses on the differences between them. These include:

• soft contact lenses
• rigid gas-permeable (RGP)
• daily wear
• extended wear
• disposable
• planned replacement contact lenses.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines soft contact lenses as:

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History The first contact lenses were made of glass, in 1888. Initially the glass was blown but soon lenses were made by being ground to shape. For the first fifty years, glass was the only material used. The lenses were thin, yet reports of injury were rare. In 1938 perspex (polymethylmethacrylate, or PMMA) began to replace glass in contact lens manufacture. PMMA lenses were easier to produce so the production of glass lenses soon ended. Lenses made of PMMA are called hard lenses. Soft contact lenses were first produced in 1961 by Czech chemical engineer Otto Wichterle using polyhydroxyethylmethacrylate (pHEMA), a material that achieved long-term commercial application. Lenses made of polyacrylamide were introduced in 1971.

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Types

The FDA classifies soft contact lenses into four groups for the US market. They are also subcategorized into 1st generation, 2nd generation, and 3rd generation lens materials. These 'water-loving' soft contact lens materials are categorized as "Conventional Hydrophilic Material Groups ("-filcon"):

Nonionic

Nonionic

Ionic

Ionic

Note: Being ionic in pH = 6.0 – 8.0.

The FDA has been considering updating soft contact lens group types and related guidance literature.

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Contact lens polymers

The materials that are classified in the 5 FDA groups include the ones listed in the next 5 sections:

+FDA classification of soft contact lens materials !FDA lens group !Adopted name !Transmissibility level (Dkx10) !Water content !Chemical composition
I	galyfilcon A	60	47%	–
	lotrafilcon A	140	24%	, siloxane,
	lotrafilcon B	110	33%
	polymacon	7.5	36%
	tetrafilcon	9.0	43.5%	, ,
II	alphafilcon A	22.9	66%	,
	hilafilcon A	26.9	70%
	omafilcon A	19.6	62%	,
III	balafilcon A	99	36%	, , ,
	bufilcon A	16.0	45%	, ,
IV	etafilcon A	17.0	58%	,
	ocufilcon D	19.7	55%
	vifilcon A	16.0	55%	, , PVP

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Hydrogel groups

Below is a list of most contact lens materials on the market, their water percentage, their oxygen permeability rating, and manufacturer brands. Note that the higher the oxygen transmissibility rating, the more oxygen gets to the eye.

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Low-water nonionic

Cibasoft, Illusions, Torisoft, Softint, STD, LL Bifocal

Cooper Clear, Cooper Toric, Preference, Preference Toric, Vantage, Vantage Accents, Vantage Thin, Vantage Thin Accents

CSI, CSI Toric

Continental Toric, Flexlens, Flexlens Toric, Flexlens Aphakic, Optima Toric, All X-Cel lenses

Menicon

Allvue, Biomedics 38, Clearview, CustomEyes 38, EpconSOFT, EsstechPS, Esstech PSD, Esstech SV, Frequency 38, HD, HD-T, HDX, HDX-T, Horizon 38, Hydron Mini, Hydron Zero 4 SofBlue, Hydron Zero 6 SofBlue, Hydron Versa Scribe, Lifestyle MV2, Ideal Soft, Lifestyle Xtra, Lifestyle 4Vue, Lifestyle Toric Bifocal, LL38, Metrosoft ll Multifocal, Metrosoft Toric, Natural Touch, Occasions, Optima 38/SP, PS-45 Multifocal, Simulvue 38, Sof-form II, SofLens, SofLens38, SofLens Multi-Focal, Softics, SoftView, Unilens 38, Westhin Toric, EZvue Soft Contact Lens, Solotica

Alden HP Sphere, Alden HP Toric, Aquaease, Essential Soft Toric Multifocal, Flexlens, Quattro, Satureyes, Satureyes Toric and Multifocal, All X-Cel Lenses

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High-water nonionic

ActiFresh 400, CV 70

Optima Toric

SofLens Toric for Astigmatism

Proclear 1-Day, Proclear EP, Proclear 1 day Multifocal, Proclear Multifocal Toric, Biomedics XC, Aveo

Proclear Sphere, Proclear toric, Proclear toric XR, Proclear multifocal, Proclear multifocal XR, Proclear multifocal toric

Precision UV

Alden HP Sphere, Alden HP Toric, ExtremeH₂O 59% Thin/Extra, Biocurve Gold Sphere and Toric, Aura ADM, Scout by Warby Parker, Hydro by Hubble, Miru 1 Day

Alden HP Sphere, Alden HP Toric, ExtremeH₂O 54%, Clarity H₂0, C-Vue Advanced Custom Toric

Focus Dailies, Focus Dailies Toric/Progressive, Dailies AquaComfort Plus, FreshLook One-Day, Synergy, Triton

SofLens 59, SofLens Daily Disposable, SofLens Daily Disposables for Astigmatism

Flexlens Tricurve Keratoconus

Biotrue ONEday

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Low-water ionic

Hydrocurve II 45, Soft Mate B

Amsoft, Amsoft Thin, Comfort Flex, Custom Flex, Metrosoft, Soft Form Toric

Durasoft 2

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High-water ionic

Hydrocurve I, Hydrocurve 3 Toric, Softmate II

Permalens

Acuvue, Acuvue Bifocal, Acuvue 2, Acuvue 2 Colors, 1-Day Acuvue, 1-Day Acuvue Moist, 1-Day Acuvue Moist for Astigmatism, 1-Day Acuvue Moist Multifocal, 1-Day Acuvue Define, Colornova, Discon, Waldo, Natural Vue, Ocylens

Fre-Flex

ClearSight 1-Day, Continental, Ocu-Flex 53

UCL55, UCL-Pediatric

Biomedics 55 Premier asphere, Biomedics Toric, ClearSight 1-Day Toric, Horien 1-Day Disposable

Ocuflex 65

Hydrogenics 60 UV

Durasoft 3, Freshlook, Wildeyes

Biocurve Advanced Aspheric, Biocurve 1-Day, Biocurve Toric & Sphere, C-Vue 1-Day ASV, C-Vue 55, Edge III 55, Elite AC, Elite Daily, Elite AC Toric, Expressions Colors, Flexlens, Frequency 55 Sphere/Multifocal, HD2, HDX2, Horizon 55 Bi-Con, Hubble, Kontur, LL55, New Horizons, Revolution, Sauflon 55, Sof-form 55, Sunsoft Eclipse, Sunsoft Toric, Vertex Sphere, Vertex Toric

Frequency 55 Toric, Hydrasoft Sphere, Hydrasoft Sphere Thin, Hydrasoft Aphakic, Hydrasoft Aphakic Thin, Hydrasoft Toric, Hydrasoft Toric Thin

Focus 1–2 Week Softcolors, Focus Monthly Softcolors, Focus Toric, Focus Progressives, Soft 55, Soft 55 EW

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Silicone hydrogel polymers

Air Optix Night & Day Aqua
O2Optix, Air Optix for Astigmatism, Air Optix Aqua, Air Optix Aqua Multifocal, Air Optix Colors
Acuvue Advance with Hydraclear, Acuvue Advance for Astigmatism
Acuvue Oasys, Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism, Acuvue Oasys for Presbyopia, Acuvue Oasys 1-Day, Acuvue Oasys 1-Day for Astigmatism, Acuvue Oasys with Transitions, Acuvue Oasys Max 1-Day, Acuvue Oasys Max 1-Day Multifocal
Acuvue Vita, Acuvue Vita for Astigmatism
O2Optix Custom
Biofinity, Biofinity toric, Biofinity XR, Biofinity XR toric, Biofinity Energys, Biofinity multifocal
Avaira, Avaira Toric
PureVision, PureVision Toric, PureVision Multi-Focal, PureVision2, PureVision2 for Astigmatism, PureVision2 Multi-Focal for Presbyopia
Dailies Total1, Dailies Total1 Multifocal, DailiesTotal1 for Astigmatism
1-Day Acuvue TruEye (old)
1-Day Acuvue TruEye (new)
MyDay, MyDay toric, MyDay Multifocal, Kirkland Signature
Clariti 1 day, Clariti 1 day toric, Clariti 1 day multifocal, Live daily disposable
Avaira Vitality, Avaira Vitality toric, 24H Toric
Bausch & Lomb Ultra, Bausch & Lomb Ultra for Astigmatism, Bausch & Lomb Ultra for Presbyopia
SilSoft Aphakic, SilSoft Super Plus
Kalifilcon A		55	134	Bausch & Lomb INFUSE
Asmofilcon A		40	161	Miru 1month
Verofilcon A		51–80 (water gradient)	100	Alcon Precision1, Alcon Precision1 for Astigmatism
Lehfilcon A		55–99 (water gradient)	154	Total30
Olifilcon B		47	120 target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> fda.gov	Kits Daily, Everclear Elite, Hubble SkyHy
Olifilcon A		47	150 fda.gov	Everclear Plus, Everclear Air
Serafilcon A		55	149	Precision7

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Production generations

There are three generations of silicone hydrogel contact lens materials:

Samfilcon A, Comfilcon A, Enfilcon A, Asmofilcon A

No TRIS structure, no surface treatments or wetting agents, breaks traditional water-Dk-modulus relationships

Categories: Contact Lenses, Eye Care In The United States, Medical Equipment, Medical Technology, Medical Devices, Czech Inventions

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