by Joel Harrison
8. August 2010 17:15
In the age of the global dominance of soft contact lenses, customers are increasingly aware of the characteristics of different materials and their impact on their everyday lives. The comfort offered by silicone hydrogel lenses has become something of a standard for contact lens wearers and as a result, the material which started to outsell conventional hydrogel some time ago is maintaining its position as the most popular contact lens material in the world.
Silicone hydrogel’s advantage stems from one significant feature of the material, namely its remarkably high oxygen permeability, whose benefits are twofold. First of all, the cornea needs oxygen to be healthy. And secondly, the more oxygen can go through the lens, the more comfortable it is and the longer it can be used (at the moment, some extended wear contact lenses can be worn continuously for up to a month).
According to the latest report prepared by The Global Industry Analysts, it is only a matter of time before silicone hydrogel replaces conventional materials for both daily and extended wear. Moreover, understanding the material's importance, most companies have developed and patented their own silicone hydrogel materials to gain advantage over their competitors.
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