ADVANCES IN POLYVINYL-ALCOHOL HYDROGEL KERATOPROSTHESES - PROTECTION AGAINST ULTRAVIOLET-LIGHT AND FABRICATION BY A MOLDING PROCESS

Our goal was to: 1) modify poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels intended for use in a synthetic cornea to absorb ultraviolet light and 2) develop m olding procedures for the fabrication of the device. Two ultraviolet l ight-absorbing monomers were incorporated by copolymerization. The res ulting hydrogels protected against ultraviolet light, were not toxic t o corneal fibroblasts, and the protection did not diminish during prol onged aqueous exposure. A novel keratoprosthesis molding procedure was developed that made use of the phase transition properties of mixture s of poly(vinyltrifluoroacetate) and acetonitrile. In this procedure t he keratoprosthesis was shaped and a fibrous skirt was bonded to it in a single operation. Composite keratoprostheses were designed and prep ared for in vivo testing. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.