The Behaviour of Contaflex Soft Contact Lens Material During Hydration.

Joseph Towler, Markus Zaplachinski, Roberto Montiel, Nikhil Murari, Christine Deng, Rimmo Lego, Arwa Fathy, Ahmed Abass

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Gels (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

1citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

Effects of PVP/NVP Additives on the Surface Wettability and Hydration Kinetics of Low-Silicone TRISS-Based Hydrogel Contact Lenses.Gels (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
Article

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Joseph TowlerDepartment of Eye and Vision, Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L7 8TX, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-2412-5679

Markus ZaplachinskiDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.

Roberto MontielSchool of Environmental, Civil, Agricultural, and Mechanical Engineering, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.ORCID 0009-0004-5373-3977

Nikhil MurariDepartment of Chemical, Materials & Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.

Christine DengDepartment of Microbiology & Immunology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada.

Rimmo LegoDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Scaefer School of Engineering, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA.

Arwa FathyDepartment of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK.

Ahmed AbassDepartment of Materials, Design and Manufacturing Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GH, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-8622-4632

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The aim of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the swelling and transparency behaviour of Contaflex soft contact lens materials with varying water-content (38-77%) using high-resolution digital imaging and infrared LiDAR. Contaflex materials with 38%, 55%, 58%, 67% and 77% nominal water-contents, denoted as C38, C55, C58, C67, and C77, were tested. Hydrogel samples (N = 5 per group) were monitored over 24 h in pH 7.1 phosphate-buffered saline. Dimensional changes were assessed via linear and radial expansion factors (LEF and REF), and transparency was tracked during hydration. All groups exhibited rapid initial swelling followed by continued expansion. LEF and REF values increased with water-content; C77 reached LEF and REF values of 1.563 ± 0.093 and 1.536 ± 0.052, while C38 stabilised near 1.201 ± 0.019 and 1.179 ± 0.011, respectively. Refractive index decreased with hydration, from 1.552 in C38 to 1.372 in C77. Power simulations revealed deviations beyond ISO tolerance limits in most materials, particularly those with higher water-content. Transparency changes were consistent with swelling dynamics. These findings support the need for material-specific design adjustments to account for hydration-related dimensional and optical changes in soft contact lenses.

Indexed as

contact lensdesignhydrationhydrogelmanufacturingmaterialsoft

Identifiers

PMID40422395

DOI10.3390/gels11050376

PMCPMC12111219

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.