True and apparent oxygen permeabilities of contact lenses.

We studied the passage of oxygen through some commercially available contact lenses. Oxygen diffusion coefficients were determined by the time-lag method and a 201T Redher permeometer was used to measure the oxygen permeability and transmissibility by the polarographic method. The measurements were carried out at room temperature with 0.09% sodium chloride physiologic solution. The following types of lenses were tested: (1) 12 lenses of cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) of a mean thickness of 0.194 mm (observed Dk approximately 6.3 barrers) (1 barrier is equivalent to 10(-11) cm3 of O2 (STP).cm2/cm3.s.mm Hg). (2) 13 lenses of a cross-linked polyhydroxyethyl methacrylate (2-HEMA), manufactured by Lenticon and Bausch & Lomb, with 40 and 38.6% water content, respectively. The mean thicknesses were 0.160 and 0.148 mm, respectively (observed Dk approximately 12 to 13.5 barrers). (3) Finally 10 lenses of a copolymer of 2 HEMA with N-2-vinylpyrrolidone (2-HEMA/VP), manufactured by Bausch & Lomb under the name Hydrocurve II, with 55% water content and a mean thickness of 0.138 mm (observed Dk approximately 24.5 barrers). For a given lens thickness, the transmissibility and permeability of lenses whose main material is 2-HEMA are found to be equivalent. This fact suggests the use of such material as a standard in the study of diffusion processes in contact lenses of low oxygen permeability (Dk approximately 12 to 13.5 barrers). We studied the boundary layer effects and found significant discrepancies between true and apparent oxygen permeabilities. The apparent transmissibility decreased with increasing lens thickness, this effect being more apparent for lenses with low water content. Oxygen permeability is found to be exponentially dependent on water content rather than on the chemical composition of the hydrogel.