Abstract
In this study, we presented the fabrication of tinted contact lenses for color blindness, and several issues related to their mechanical properties and toxicity were reported. Gold nanoparticles were integrated into the soft hydrogel material-based contact lenses, thus forming nanocomposite contact lenses targeted for red-green CVD application. Integrating nanomaterials into hydrogels is a prominent research challenge for many healthcare applications, such as bio-sensing, cancer therapy, and bone tissue engineering. In particular, practical contact lenses, functionalized with metallic nanoparticles, are of interest for therapeutics and targeted therapy. Several types of nanoparticles were synthesized, characterized, and incorporated within the pHEMA hydrogel material. The materials were utilized along with a VAT Photopolymerization 3D printer for printing soft contact lenses, and their resulting optical, mechanical, hydration and material properties were assessed. The optical transmission properties of the 3D printed nanocomposite lenses were analogous to those of the commercial CVD glasses, and their water content and wettability properties were better compared to some of the commercially available contact lenses used for cosmetic/vision correction purposes. Hence, this work demonstrates the potential of 3D printing multi-functional and nanocomposite contact lenses for ocular health management and, more generally, color filtering applications.