THE PRESENT RESEARCH IS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE LONG WEAR CONTACT LENSES SO THAT WEARING OF SUCH LENSES WILL NOT EFFECT THE CORNEA AND TO REDUCE EYE DISEASE CAUSED BY WEARING OF CONTACT LENSES.

THE PRESENT RESEARCH IS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE LONG WEAR CONTACT LENSES SO THAT WEARING OF SUCH LENSES WILL NOT EFFECT THE CORNEA AND TO REDUCE EYE DISEASE CAUSED BY WEARING OF CONTACT LENSES. A LENS WILL BE PRODUCED THAT IS HIGHLY OXYGEN PERMEABLE AND YET HAS A SURFACE THAT IS WETTABLE AND RESISTANT TO DEPOSITS. A CORE OF PURE SILICONE WITH A ULTRATHIN PLASMA POLYMER SURFACE WILL BE USED. SILICONE WILL PROVIDE A LENS WHICH IS OXYGEN PERMEABLE, SOFT AND OPTICALLY CLEAR. A PLASMA POLYMER WHICH IS HIGHLY CROSSLINKED CAN BE DEPOSITED ON THE SURFACE OF SILICONE TO FORM A BARRIER TO TEAR FILM DEPOSITS AND TO MAKE THE SURFACE WETTABLE. BECAUSE THE PLASMA POLYMER IS THIN, OXYGEN PERMEABILITY WILL NOT BE APPRECIABLY AFFECTED. WHEN METHANE GAS IS POLYMERIZED AN HIGHLY CROSSLINKED POLYMER CAN BE PRODUCED. PHASE I STUDY HAS TWO GOALS. THE FIRST IS TO ESTABLISH THE CONDITIONS OF PLASMA POLYMERIZATION WHICH LEAD TO THE MOST CROSSLINKED METHANE POLYMER AND TO ESTABLISH A THICKNESS OF METHANE POLYMER THAT IS MOST DURABLE. THE SECOND IS TO IMPROVE THE PROCEDURE OF INCORPORATING HYDROPHILLIC GROUPS INTO THE STRUCTURE OF METHANE. IT IS EXPECTED THAT PHASE I OF THE STUDY WILL ESTABLISH A TECHNIQUE TO PRODUCE A PLASMA POLYMER 100-200 ANGSTROMS THICK THAT IS WETTABLE AND IMPERMEABLE TO TEAR FILM DEPOSITS. USING A SIMPLE GAS SUCH AS METHANE TO PRODUCE SUCH A POLYMER CAN GIVE EASILY REPRODUCIBLE RESULTS AND BE ECONOMICALLY REPEATED ON AN LARGE SCALE.