MRS Communications, cilt.15, sa.4, ss.840-849, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
An experimental study was conducted to reduce glistening and minimize posterior capsule opacification (PCO) in hydrophobic intraocular lenses (IOLs). This approach involved the copolymerization of hydrophilic 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) at various concentrations with hydrophobic monomers, along with incorporating different amounts of ethylene glycol di-methacrylate (EGDMA) as a crosslinker to optimize the chemical, thermal, and optical properties. Sixteen IOL formulations were synthesized and systematically analyzed using equilibrium water content (EWC) measurements, glass-transition temperature (Tg) measurements, and optical evaluation. Optimizing the balance of hydrophilic monomer and crosslinker effectively eliminates glistening and mitigates PCO while maintaining the essential optical property of hydrophobic IOLs.