Abstract
Many people suffer from myopia or hyperopia due to the refractive errors of the cornea all over the world. The use of high refractive index (RI), Abbe number (νd), and visible light transmittance (T%) polymeric contact lenses (CLs) holds great promise in vision error treatment as an alternative solution to the irreversible laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) surgery. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) have been suggested as a good candidate to rise the RI and maintain high transparency of a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-TiO2 nanocomposite. This work includes a preparation of TiO2 NPs using the sol gel method as well as a synthesis of pure PMMA by free radical polarization and PMMA-TiO2 CLs using a cast molding method of 0.005 and 0.01 w/v concentrations and a study of their effect on the aberrated human eye. ZEMAX optical design software was used for eye modeling based on the Liou and Brennan eye model and then the pure and doped CLs were applied. Ocular performance was evaluated by modulation transfer function (MTF), spot diagram, and image simulation. The used criteria show that the best vision correction was obtained by the CL of higher doping content (p < 0.0001) and that the generated spherical and chromatic aberrations in the eye had been reduced.
Highlights
It remains a challenging task to evolve a polymer that fulfills all the required features for contact lenses (CLs) applications simultaneously
Hard CLs are primarily based on hydrophobic materials such as poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), whereas soft CLs are made of biocompatible hydrogels [1]
Recent advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology [2] have facilitated the sciences to develop new polymers hybridized with high refractive index (RI) nanoparticles (NPs)
Summary
It remains a challenging task to evolve a polymer that fulfills all the required features for contact lenses (CLs) applications simultaneously. The polymer material must be biocompatible, transparent, and able to combine high water content, good mechanical strength, and high refractive index (n) and it must have low dispersion (νd) to allow optical correction of refractive errors. In this regard, hydrogels have good biocompatibility; their mechanical weakness characteristic due to their high water content limits their practical applications [10]. Hydrogel materials with high water content typically have a low n factor and may cause light dispersion This is undesirable for the purpose of vision correction because lenses with low index of refraction materials require a relatively high thickness to achieve the required refractive power. The modulation transfer function (MTF) and image simulation have better assisted us in image analysis
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