UV and blue-light anti-reflective structurally colored contact lenses based on a copolymer hydrogel with amorphous array nanostructures

Abstract

This study presents a facile and inexpensive method for fabricating novel contact lenses with anti-reflective (AR) properties for UV and blue light based on a copolymer hydrogel with amorphous array (AA) nanostructures. The AR structurally colored contact lenses exhibited high optical transparency, homogeneous bluish structural color, and physical rigidity. In addition, the proposed contact lenses blocked short-wavelength blue transmittance by approximately 20% and had high visible-light transmittance of over 90%. Consequently, the risk of harm posed by commercial contact lenses with chemical dyes was avoided. Adjusting the volume fraction of the silica nanospheres of the AAs in the hydrogel contact lenses was quite effective for controlling the structural colors, transmittance, equilibrium water content (EWC), and oxygen permeability (Dk). The EWC and Dk of the structurally colored contact lenses were in the range of 40.14–45.65% and 11.6–13.7 barrers, respectively. These values indicate that the characteristics of the AR structurally colored contact lenses satisfied the requirements of daily disposable contact lenses. Therefore, the proposed AR structurally colored contact lenses are very promising as substitutes for commercial colored contact lenses with chemical dyes.