SURFACE TREATMENT OF BIOMEDICAL DEVICES
A surface modified biomedical device is provided comprising a biomedical device having a coating on at least a portion thereof, the coating comprising a polymer or copolymer having one or more repeating units of the formula: wherein R independently is a C 2 -C 20 hydrocarbon radical and n is an integer of 2 to 5000.
1 . A method for improving the wettability of a biomedical device, the method comprising the step of contacting a surface of the biomedical device with a composition comprising a polymer or copolymer having one or more repeating units of the formula:
wherein R independently is a C 2 -C 20 hydrocarbon radical and n is an integer of 2 to 5000.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the biomedical device is a contact lens.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the biomedical device is a silicone hydrogel contact lens.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein R is a C 2 -C 6 straight chain or branched alkyl group.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein R is an ethyl or propyl group.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymer or copolymer is obtained from the polymerization or copolymerization of a monomeric mixture comprising one or more C 2 -C 6 straight chain, branched, and cyclic 2-alpha-alkyl acrylic acids.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the monomeric mixture further comprises one or more hydrophilic monomers.
8 . A surface modified biomedical device comprising a biomedical device having a coating on a surface thereof, the coating comprising a polymer or copolymer having one or more repeating units of the formula:
wherein R independently is a C 2 -C 20 hydrocarbon radical and n is an integer of 2 to 5000.
9 . The surface modified biomedical device of claim 8 , wherein the biomedical device is a contact lens.
10 . The surface modified biomedical device of claim 8 , wherein the biomedical device is a silicone hydrogel contact lens.
11 . The surface modified biomedical device of claim 8 , wherein R is a C 2 -C 6 straight chain or branched alkyl group.
12 . The surface modified biomedical device of claim 8 , wherein R is an ethyl or propyl group.
13 . The surface modified biomedical device of claim 8 , wherein the polymer or copolymer is obtained from the polymerization or copolymerization of a monomeric mixture comprising one or more C 2 -C 6 straight chain, branched, and cyclic 2-alpha-alkyl acrylic acids.
14 . The surface modified biomedical device of claim 13 , wherein the monomeric mixture further comprises one or more hydrophilic monomers.