Purpose: This research was conducted to produce the functional hydrogel ophthalmic lens containing nanoparticles.
Methods: Carbon nanoparticles and PEGMEMA were used as additives for the basic combination containing HEMA, MA, and MMA, and the material was copolymerized with EGDMA as the cross-linking agent and AIBN as the initiator. The hydrogel lens was produced by a cast-mold method, and the materials were thermally polymerized at 100° C for an hour. The polymerized lens sample was hydrated in a 0.9% saline for 24 hours before the optical and physical characteristics of the lens were measured.
Results: The refractive index, water content, contact angle, light transmittance, and tensile strength were measured to evaluate the physical and optical characteristics of the hydrogel lens. The results showed that the refractive index, water content, contact angle, UV-B light transmittance, UV-A light transmittance, visible light transmittance and tensile strength of the hydrogel lens polymer was 1.4019~1.4281, 43.05~51.18%, 31.95~68.61°, 21.69~58.11%, 35.59~84.26%, 45.85~88.06% and 0.0657~0.1649kgf, respectively. It showed an increase of refractive index and tensile strength while decreased in contact angle and light transmittance.
Conclusions: This material can be used for ophthalmic lenses with high performance of wettability, ultraviolet ray blocking effect, and tensile strength. Furthermore, the visible light transmissibility was significantly increased at PEG 10%.

• Min-Jae Lee(Dept. of Optometry & Vision Science, Catholic University of Daegu)
• Duck-Hyun Kim(Dept. of Optometry & Vision Science, Catholic University of Daegu)
• Min-Jae Lee(Dept. of Optometry & Vision Science, Catholic University of Daegu)
• A-Young Sung(Dept. of Optometry & Vision Science, Catholic University of Daegu)