Foldable Antibacterial Acrylic Intraocular Lenses of High Refractive Index

Hydrophilic copolymers with high refractive index and bactericide properties based on quaternary ammonium salts monomers and methacrylates bearing benzothiazole moieties have been developed for application as foldable intraocular lenses. Composition of the systems was adjusted to get materials with optimized flexibility, wettability, and refractive properties. All the materials have been characterized in terms of optical properties, glass transition temperature, water content, and wettability. Water contact values oscillated between 37 and 15% and refractive index values in the wet state between 1.49 and 1.53, depending on composition. Glass transition temperature interval was 63-77 degrees C. Values of surface free energy of the solid ranged from 49 to 54 mN/m, characteristic of IOL hydrogel materials. Bactericide properties of the quaternary ammonium salts methacrylates were higher than that of the benzothiazole derivative, showing inhibition halos as high as 23-25 mm in antibiogram tests against S. epidermidis and P. aeruginosa, strains found in the ocular cavity and responsible for most postsurgical endolphthalmitis. Biocompatibility of the systems was evaluated in cell cultures using human fibroblasts. Cellular viability was higher than 90%, and close to 100% in many cases, for the extracts of selected formulations collected at different periods of time.