Purpose

To demonstrate an alternative to the rinse and rub (RR) method for cleaning pollutants from the exterior surface of soft contact lenses. This proposed technique is termed Polymer on Polymer Pollutant Removal (PoPPR), which utilizes the elastic properties of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to physically remove contaminants from contact lens surfaces through non-adhesive unpeeling.

Methods

Three different ratios of setting agent to polymer PDMS (1:30, 1:40, and 1:50) were evaluated using the PoPPR method against the control method of RR with a commercial multi-purpose lens cleaning solution. Three simulated pollutants of different sizes: pollen (25−40 μm), microbeads (1−5 μm), and nanoparticles (5−10 nm), were used to test the effectiveness of both cleaning methods. The fraction of pollutants removed from each contact lens was recorded and evaluated for significance.

Results

PDMS 1:40 was found to be the optimal ratio for lens cleaning using the PoPPR method. For larger particles (>10 μm), no difference was observed between conventional RR and proposed PoPPR method (p > 0.05). However, the new PoPPR technique was significantly better at removing small PM_2.5 particles (<2.5 μm) compared to the RR method, specifically for microbeads (p = 0.006) and nanoparticles (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

This proof-of-concept work demonstrates that the PoPPR method of cleaning contact lenses is as effective as the conventional cleaning method for larger particles such as pollen. The PoPPR method is more effective at removing extremely fine particulate pollutants, including microplastics and nanoparticles. This method offers a potentially more efficient cleaning protocol that could enhance the safety, health, and comfort of contact lens users, especially those living in regions with significant air pollution.

中文翻译：

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一种去除软性隐形眼镜污染物的聚合物技术

目的

展示用于清洁软性隐形眼镜外表面污染物的冲洗和摩擦 (RR) 方法的替代方法。这种提议的技术被称为聚合物上聚合物污染物去除 (PoPPR)，它利用聚二甲基硅氧烷 (PDMS) 的弹性特性通过非粘性剥离从隐形眼镜表面物理去除污染物。

方法

使用 PoPPR 方法对比使用商业多用途镜片清洁液的 RR 控制方法，评估了三种不同的固化剂与聚合物 PDMS 比率（1:30、1:40 和 1:50）。三种不同大小的模拟污染物：花粉 (25-40 μm)、微珠 (1-5 μm) 和纳米粒子 (5-10 nm)，用于测试两种清洁方法的有效性。记录从每个隐形眼镜中去除的污染物的分数并评估其重要性。

结果

PDMS 1:40 被发现是使用 PoPPR 方法清洁镜片的最佳比例。对于较大的颗粒 (>10 μm)，传统 RR 和提议的 PoPPR 方法之间没有观察到差异 (p > 0.05)。然而，与 RR 方法相比，新的 PoPPR 技术在去除小的 PM _2.5颗粒（<2.5 μm）方面明显更好，特别是对于微珠（p = 0.006）和纳米颗粒（p < 0.001）。

结论

这项概念验证工作表明，清洁隐形眼镜的 PoPPR 方法与清洁较大颗粒（如花粉）的传统方法一样有效。PoPPR 方法在去除极细的颗粒污染物方面更有效，包括微塑料和纳米颗粒。这种方法提供了一种可能更有效的清洁方案，可以提高隐形眼镜使用者的安全、健康和舒适度，尤其是那些生活在空气污染严重地区的人。