Use of surfactants in extraction procedures for silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lenses

1. A method of producing a silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens, comprising:

polymerizing a polymerizable silicone hydrogel lens forming composition in an ophthalmic lens mold assembly to produce a polymerized silicone hydrogel lens product;

removing the polymerized silicone hydrogel lens product from a concave lens-defining surface and a convex lens-defining surface of the mold assembly to produce a demolded and delensed ophthalmic lens product;

prior to contacting the demolded and delensed lens product with any liquid, placing the demolded and delensed ophthalmic lens product in a lens carrier that has physical features on its surface which the lens product can contact;

extracting materials from the delensed ophthalmic lens product by contacting the demolded and delensed ophthalmic lens product with a liquid composition that comprises alcohol, water, and a surfactant;

subsequently contacting the demolded and delensed ophthalmic lens product with water to produce a hydrated silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens;

wherein the physical features comprise openings or holes located within pockets or recesses; and

wherein the resulting ophthalmic lens product has no surface distortion or has less surface distortion as compared to a substantially identical resulting ophthalmic lens product produced from a substantially identical demolded and delensed ophthalmic lens product by a substantially identical process but without the surfactant present in the liquid composition.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrated silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens is produced from contacting the demolded, delensed and extracted ophthalmic lens product with water that comprises a surfactant.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrated silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens is produced from contacting the demolded and delensed ophthalmic lens product with a first volume of water that comprises a surfactant, and subsequently contacting the delensed ophthalmic lens product with a second volume of water.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the second volume of water comprises a surfactant.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the liquid composition comprises about 100 ppm of polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate.

6. A method of preventing surface distortion in a silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens resulting from extraction and hydration procedures during the manufacture of the silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens, comprising:

prior to contacting a demolded and delensed polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens product with any liquid, placing the demolded and delensed polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens product in a lens carrier that has physical features on its surface which the lens product can contact;

extracting materials from the demolded and delensed polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens product by contacting the demolded and delensed polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens product with a liquid composition comprising alcohol, water, and a surface distortion preventing amount of a surfactant;

wherein the physical features comprise openings or holes located within recesses or pockets; and

wherein the resulting polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens product has no distortion or has less distortion as compared to a substantially identical resulting polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens product produced from a substantially identical demolded and delensed polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens product by a substantially identical process but without the surfactant present in the liquid composition.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising contacting the demolded and delensed ophthalmic lens product with another liquid composition comprising water.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the another liquid composition further comprises a surfactant.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the liquid composition comprises about 100 ppm of polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate.

10. A method of reducing surface distortion in a batch of silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lenses resulting from extraction and hydration procedures during the manufacture of the batch of silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lenses, comprising:

prior to contacting a batch of demolded and delensed polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens products with any liquid, placing the batch of demolded and delensed polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens products in a lens carrier that has physical features on its surface which the lens products can contact;

extracting materials from the batch of demolded and delensed polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens products by contacting the batch of demolded and delensed polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens products with a liquid composition including alcohol, water, and a surface distortion reducing amount of a surfactant;

wherein the physical features comprise openings or holes located within pockets or recesses; and

wherein the amount of surface distortion present in the resulting batch of lens products is less than the amount of surface distortion present in a resulting batch of substantially identical resulting polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens products produced from a batch of substantially identical demolded and delensed polymerized silicone hydrogel ophthalmic lens product using a substantially identical process except the batch of substantially identical demolded and delensed product is contacted with a liquid composition comprising alcohol, water, and no surfactant.

11. An extraction and hydration method for a silicone hydrogel lens product, the method comprising:

prior to contacting a demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product with any liquid, placing the demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product in a lens carrier that has physical features on its surface which the lens product can contact;

extracting materials from the demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product by contacting the demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product with at least a first liquid composition comprising alcohol, water, and a surfactant;

contacting the demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product with at least a second liquid composition comprising water;

wherein physical features comprise openings or holes located within pockets or recesses; and

wherein the amount of surface distortion present in the resulting delensed silicone hydrogel lens product is less than the amount of surface distortion present in a substantially identical resulting silicone hydrogel lens product produced using a substantially identical process except the substantially identical demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product is contacted with a liquid composition comprising alcohol, water, and no surfactant.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the second liquid composition further comprises a surfactant.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising contacting the demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product with at least a third liquid composition comprising water.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the third liquid composition further comprises a surfactant.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first liquid composition comprises about 100 ppm of polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate.

16. An extraction and hydration method for a silicone hydrogel lens product, the method comprising:

prior to contacting a demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product with any liquid, placing the demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product in a lens carrier that has physical features on its surfaces which the lens product can contact;

extracting materials from the demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product by contacting the demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product with a first liquid composition comprising an organic solvent;

contacting the demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product with a second liquid composition comprising an organic solvent, water and a surfactant;

contacting the demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product with a third liquid composition comprising water;

wherein the physical features comprise holes or openings located within pockets or recesses; and

wherein the resulting silicone hydrogel lens product has no surface distortion or has less surface distortion as compared to a substantially identical resulting silicone hydrogel lens product produced from a substantially identical demolded and delensed silicone hydrogel lens product by a substantially identical process but without the surfactant present in the liquid composition.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the third liquid composition further comprises a surfactant.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the second liquid composition comprises about 100 ppm of polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the organic solvent comprises ethanol.

20. The method of claim 2 , wherein the surfactant in the water is the same as the surfactant in the liquid composition.

21. The method of claim 4 , wherein the surfactant in the second volume of water is the same as the surfactant in the liquid composition.

22. The method of claim 8 , wherein the surfactant in the another liquid composition is the same as the surfactant in the liquid composition.

23. The method of claim 12 , wherein the surfactant in the second liquid composition is the same as the surfactant in the first liquid composition.

24. The method of claim 14 , wherein the surfactant in the third liquid composition is the same as the surfactant in the first liquid composition.

25. The method of claim 17 , wherein the surfactant in the third liquid composition is the same as the surfactant in the second liquid composition.