Contact Lens with Selective Reflection for Laser Eye Protection

This Small Business Innovation Research project is to develop and commercialize contact lenses for laser eye protection (LEP). The LEP is achieved by incorporating a thin, flexible, polymeric reflecting film on or within the lens. The film can be incorporated on soft lenses made of hydrogel materials, as well as “rigid” or “hard” lenses, including the gas permeable lenses. The film is based on special polymers and is self-assembled to form a periodic structure. The film is engineered to reflect completely incident light in the far red and near infrared (670 nm – 1,200 nm) and be highly transparent (> 90%) elsewhere in the visible. The film is high optical quality, as it does not impair visual performance or create distractions in the visual field. The film is also processed to be nanoporous for exceptionally high oxygen permeability. The technical results achieved in Phase I have demonstrated the proposed LEP contact lens technology viable, practical and realizable in a short time frame. Phase II will continue to the development of prototypes that will lead to rapid commercialization.