CORNEAL OXYGENATION

WITH CONTACT LENSES

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 SPONSORS

Development and delivery of contact lens education by IACLE is supported through

educational grants and in-kind contributions

Industry
Supporters

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 Published in Australia by
The International Association of Contact Lens Educators
First Edition 1997
The International Association of Contact Lens Educators 1996
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior
permission, in writing, of:
The International Association of Contact Lens Educators
IACLE Secretariat,
PO Box 656
Kensington NSW 1465
Australia
Email: iacle@iacle.org
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The IACLE Curriculum Project is the result of a desire to raise

the general standard of eyecare education, to make contact
lens wear safer and more successful, and to develop the
contact lens business further by creating the educational
infrastructure that will produce the teachers, students, and
practitioners of the future.

Full acknowledgements, along with the educator’s guide to the

IACLE Contact Lens Course (ICLC), can be found on the
IACLE website at www.iacle.org
 CONTRIBUTORS

Corneal Oxygenation With Contact Lenses:

Robert Terry, BOptom, MSc

Lewis Williams, AQIT(Optom), MOptom, PhD
 TEMPERATURE EFFECTS OF
CONTACT LENSES
Open eye:
• With SCLs:
– anterior surface 0.5 °C cooler
• With GP lenses (lower conductivity):
– anterior surface >0.5 °C cooler
Closed eye (cornea warms 3 °C):
• No effect (GPs and SCLs)
• No differences between surfaces
 TEAR FILM EFFECTS OF
CONTACT LENSES

• Evaporation rates: SCLs  GPs

• CLs reduce BUT
• BUT:
– GPs - 4 to 6 s
– SCLs - 4 to 10 s (H2O content Dk/t)
 OXYGEN PERMEABILITY

• Intrinsic material property (resistance

to gas flow)
• Permeability P = Dk
where:
D is the diffusion coefficient
k is the solubility coefficient
of oxygen in a given material
 OXYGEN PERMEABILITY: D

O2
CL
INPUT
Material

OUTPUT
 OXYGEN PERMEABILITY: k

O2
k = solubility coefficient
CL
(solubility of oxygen in CL material)
Material

Highly Somewhat Poorly

soluble soluble soluble
 WHAT EVERYBODY WANTS/NEEDS!

O2 O2

CL
O2
Material Material’s O2
O2 passage
solubility:
through Extremely
material: high
Rapid,
direct, &
unimpeded O2
 OXYGEN PERMEABILITY

• Independent of material thickness

• Dependent on temperature

• Calculated value
 PERMEABILITY (Dk)
UNIT DERIVATION

cm 2 mLO 2
D=
s
& k=
mLLens x mmHg
2


cm mLO 2
Dk = X
s mLLens x mmHg
2
cm x mLO 2
Dk =
s x mLLens x mmHg
 Dk UNIT after Refojo et al., 1984

Hg e
m r
m su
1 cm 1 es
O2 pr

1 cm
Lens material

cm
1 sec

1
1 cm

cm 1 cm
1
1 cm

O2 Hypothetical
cm
1 cm contact lens
1

Conditions: STP (0 °C, (very much larger

760 mm Hg) unless stated to be than a
otherwise, e.g. 21 or 34 °C @ 760 mm Hg real contact lens)
 OXYGEN PERMEABILITY

• Contact lens range: 0 - 300 x 10-11

• Units:
– (cm2 x mLO2) / (s x mLLens x mm Hg)
or
– (cm2/s) x (mLO2 / [mLLens x mm Hg])
– commonly, the Lens subscript is omitted
OXYGEN TRANSMISSIBILITY

• Based on material permeability (Dk)

• Related to material thickness (t)

– transmissibility = Dk/t

• Relevant clinically
 TRANSMISSIBILITY (Dk/t )
UNIT DERIVATION
2
cm x mLO 2
Dk =
s x mLLens x mmHg
2

 Dk/t =
cm x mLO 2
s x mLLens x mmHg x cm

cm x mLO 2
Dk/t =
s x mLLens x mmHg
 OXYGEN TRANSMISSIBILITY

• Contact lens range: 0 - 200 x 10-9

• Units:
– (cm x mLO2) / (s x mLLens x mm Hg)
or
– (cm/s) x (mLO2 / [mLLens x mm Hg])
– commonly, the Lens subscript is omitted
MEASURING OXYGEN
TRANSMISSIBILITY
TECHNIQUES

In vitro

• Polarographic cell

• Gas-to-gas (volumetric)

• Coulometric
 MEASURING OXYGEN
TRANSMISSIBILITY

• Typically measured for:

– lens BVP of – 3.00 D

– temperature of 35 °C

• Physical test
(can be controlled and repeated)
 MEASURING OXYGEN
TRANSMISSIBILITY
POLAROGRAPHIC CELL TECHNIQUE
• Sensor in measuring cell contains:
– anode (+)
– cathode (–)
– electrolyte
• Contact lens becomes the ‘membrane’
• Controlled humidity and temperature
 POLAROGRAPHIC CELL
Rigid contact lens
sample
'O' Ring Saline-saturated
filter paper

Tip of oxygen
sensor

155 mmHg Oxygen flow

Oxygen sensor cathode (–)
O2
+

'O' Ring

Oxygen-free area
 POLAROGRAPHIC CELL TECHNIQUE

• Oxygen passes through the lens into the sensor’s

electrolyte
• Sensor current is proportional to the amount of oxygen
available at the cathode
• Oxygen flux j from Fick’s & Henry’s laws:
j = Dk/t x (pO2)
 POLAROGRAPHIC CELL TECHNIQUE

• Permeability calculated from:

– thickness of the lens (t)
– current required to reduce O2 (i)
– partial pressure of O2 (pO2)
– cell constant (C)
C x t x i
Dk =
pO2
POLAROGRAPHIC CELL TECHNIQUE

• Utilizes finished contact lens

• Potential errors include:
– boundary layers
– edge effects
– lens thickness
– environment
– cell integrity
– calibration
 EDGE EFFECT
Paths of Oxygen Flow
‘Effective’
Sensor
Aperture
Saline Film Anterior Surface

Hydrogel
Contact
Lens
Thickness

Posterior Surface
Aqueous
Layer ‘Bridge’
Sensor
Aperture
Polarographic
Sensor
Cathode (–)
 POLAROGRAPHIC CELL TECHNIQUE

DISADVANTAGES

• Not suited to highly permeable, non

hydrogel materials
• Over-estimates values for GP lenses
• Variability among investigators
 MEASURING OXGEN
TRANSMISSIBILITY
GAS-TO-GAS
• Two environmental chambers
– pure oxygen
– differential pressures
• Constant temperature (35oC)
• Pressure sensor in each chamber
 GAS-TO-GAS TECHNIQUE

Rigid Contact Lens

Sample

Anterior
Environment Posterior
3 ATM
Chamber Environmental
Pure
Chamber
O2

Gas Pressure Gas Pressure

Oxygen Flow
Transducer Transducer

'O' Rings
 MEASURING OXYGEN
TRANSMISSIBILITY
GAS-TO-GAS TECHNIQUE
• Constant pressure in anterior chamber
• Gas flow through the lens alters the
pressure in the posterior chamber
• No boundary layer or edge effects
• Can be used for any gas
 GAS-TO-GAS TECHNIQUE

DISADVANTAGES
• Not suitable for hydrogels

– pressure differential too great

– hydrogels too elastic

– hydrogels have low burst strength

 MEASURING OXYGEN
TRANSMISSIBILITY
COULOMETRIC TECHNIQUE
• Two 'environmental chambers'
– oxygen
– inert gas
• Coulometric sensor
• Oxygen flow through lens is measured
• Water saturated oxygen or liquid
reservoir required for hydrogels
 COULOMETRIC TECHNIQUE
Outflow
Rigid Contact Outflow to coulometric
Lens Sample oxygen sensor

Anterior
Environment 159
Chamber mm Hg
O2
Posterior
Oxygen Flow Environmental
Chamber

Inflow of Oxygen-
'O' Rings
Free Gas

Inflow of Oxygenated Gas

 COULOMETRIC OXYGEN
SENSORS CHEMISTRY

Cathode (– ve, Carbon [graphite]):

4 e– + O2 + 2H2O 4OH–
Anode (+ ve, Cadmium [nickel-cadmium]):
2 Cd + 4OH– 2Cd(OH)2 + 4e–
e = electron
Overview:
2Cd + O2 + 2H2O + 4OH– 2Cd(OH)2 + 4OH–
 COULOMETRIC TECHNIQUE

ADVANTAGES
• Posterior lens surface is exposed

• Little or no boundary layer effects

• No edge effects

• More accurate than polarographic techniques

with GP contact lenses
 COULOMETRIC TECHNIQUE

DISADVANTAGES
Requires:

• Specific gas (e.g. oxygen) sensor

• Anterior aqueous reservoir for hydrogels

TRANSMISSIBILITY CLASSIFICATION

SOFT LENSES

Low < 12

Mod 12 - 25

High > 25
TRANSMISSIBILITY CLASSIFICATION

GP LENSES

Low < 25

Mod 25 - 50

High > 50
 THANK YOU

Feedback on errors, omissions, or suggestions for

improvement are invited. Please contact us at:
iacle@iacle.org

See the following slides explaining the symbols,

abbreviations, and acronyms used in the IACLE Contact Lens
Course

Table of Contents
SYMBOLS
ABBREVIATIONS
ACRONYMS
ACRONYMS