A polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel as a soft contact lens material

A transparent polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel was prepared from a PVA solution in a mixed solvent consisting of water and a water miscible organic solvent by cooling. The physical properties were evaluated in comparison with commercially available soft contact lens materials, such as polyhydroxyethyl methacrylate (PHEMA) and copolymers of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and N-vinyl pyrrolidone (VP). The PVA hydrogel showed higher tensile strength and elongation at break than the other materials, while it had high water content and oxygen permeability the latter being comparable to those of PMMA/VP copolymers. The protein adsorption of the PVA hydrogel was much less than those of the other materials. The PVA hydrogel soft contact lenses were applied on rabbit eyes for 12 weeks. The influence on the cornea was studied by biomicroscopy, ultrasonic corneal pachymetry and histopathological examination. These examinations revealed no abnormal findings in the cornea. These results suggest that the PVA hydrogel may be promising as a new soft contact lens material.