Tribological behaviour of two kinds of typical hydrogel contact lenses in different lubricants

Abstract

Contact lenses have a special effect on the treatment of some eye diseases. The tribological behaviour of soft contact lenses considerably influences their clinical performance. Improper wearing of contact lenses can lead to mechanical damage of the contact interface, which can lead to pathological changes in the eyeball. In this study, the sliding friction of two kinds of typical contact lens materials (hilaficon-B and lotrafilcon-B) in three lubricants (distilled water, care solution, and eye drop) and tribological parameters are studied, using PMMA as a control. Hydrogels have high water content but the dehydration rate is high. Silicone hydrogels have low initial water content but low dehydration rates. The friction test in distilled water gives the highest coefficient of friction value. The care solution and eye drop significantly reduce the friction coefficient of the lens due to the formation of tribofilm.