A packaging system for storing ophthalmic devices such as contact lenses and methods for packaging such ophthalmic devices with solutions is disclosed. The packaging system contains an unused, ophthalmic device in an aqueous packaging solution comprising tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane or a salt thereof; wherein the solution has an osmolality of at least about 200 mOsm/kg and a pH in the range of about 6 to about 9.

A preservative-free, sterile packaged ophthalmic device product is disclosed. The preservative-free, sterile packaged ophthalmic device product is obtained by (a) adding at least one polyquaternium polymer to an aqueous packaging solution for preventing antimicrobial contamination during storage; (b) packaging the aqueous packaging solution and an ophthalmic device in a manner preventing contamination of the ophthalmic device by one or more microorganisms; and (c) heat sterilizing the aqueous packaging solution and the ophthalmic device, whereby the at least one polyquaternium polymer decomposes during the heat sterilizing to obtain the preservative-free packaged ophthalmic device product.

A solution for treating a contact lens and a contact lens packaging system are provided. The solution includes about 0.01 to about 1.0 parts by weight (pbw) of a polymer having phosphorylcholine groups, about 0.005 to about 0.05 pbw of a hydrophilic molecule, about 0.01 to about 1.0 pbw of an inorganic salt, and about 100 pbw of water. A number-average molecular weight of the polymer is about 4,000 to about 1,000,000 daltons. The polymer has a structure of formula (I):

##STR00001##

wherein, in formula (I), m is a positive integer, n is zero or a positive integer, and R is C.sub.2-C.sub.12 alkyl group, or C.sub.2-C.sub.12 hydroxyalkyl group. When n is a positive integer, m/n is greater than 1. Moreover, a number-average molecular weight of the hydrophilic molecule is about 10,000 to about 5,000,000 daltons. The hydrophilic molecule is hyaluronic acid (HA) or hyaluronate salt.

A contact lens storage system that includes sterilized solution, at least one contract lens, a buffering agent, and a container. The sterilized solution and contact lens are physically separated from the buffering agent. Also described herein are related methods for neutralizing a sterilized contact lens solution, methods of inserting a contact lens onto an eye, and methods of disinfecting and neutralizing a contact lens.

A method of operating a sterilization system having a vacuum chamber for sterilizing instruments, the chamber connected to a reservoir of sterilant by a valve in a closed state, is disclosed. The method comprises placing the instruments in a non-sterile state in a sterilization pack, opening the chamber, placing the pack into the chamber, closing the chamber, withdrawing a first volume of air from the chamber, changing a volume of liquid water into vapor, opening the valve, introducing the sterilant into the chamber, withdrawing the sterilant from the chamber, introducing a second volume of air into the chamber, opening the chamber, removing the pack from the chamber, and removing the instruments in a sterile-state from the pack. The method may also include taking a baseline humidity measurement while the pressure within the chamber is a first pressure, lowering the pressure within the chamber to a conditioning pressure, maintaining the conditioning pressure for a dwell time, increasing the pressure within the chamber, acquiring a second humidity measurement from within the chamber, and comparing the baseline humidity measurement to the second humidity measurement.

A packaging system for storing ophthalmic devices such as contact lenses and methods for packaging such ophthalmic devices with solutions is disclosed. The packaging system contains an unused, ophthalmic device in an aqueous packaging solution comprising tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane or a salt thereof; wherein the solution has an osmolality of at least about 200 mOsm/kg and a pH in the range of about 6 to about 9.

A device on which to place contact lens case components to dry. The device is a mat with drainage channels formed thereon. The contact lens components are placed on spaced-apart walls that define the drainage channels and the spaced-apart wall receive the contact lens components and hold them above the drainage channels. This arrangement allows liquid solution and residue to drain from the contact lens case components place on the mat. The mat is sloped and the liquid solution flows to a lip on one end of the mat and then off of the mat. The mat has a slightly sloped base to assist in such drainage.

A method for disinfecting contact lenses, including immersing the contact lenses in a volume of cleaning agent with about 3% hydrogen peroxide for up to 4 hrs, and immersing up to 0.7 g of a fibrous catalyst enhancer material in the volume of cleaning agent for up to 4 hrs. The fibrous catalyst enhancer material is immersed simultaneously with the contact lenses.

A carrier for carrying an ophthalmic lens during its treatment in a bath comprises: a basket (10) comprising a basket wall defining a concave cavity (50) for accommodating an ophthalmic lens, the basket (10) further comprising a plurality of recesses (17) arranged in the basket wall at different angular locations along the circumference of the basket (10), each recess (17) being arranged to extend downwardly from an upper rim (15) of the basket wall;

and a retainer (20) comprising a plurality of retainer arms (21), the retainer arms (21) being arranged in a star-shaped configuration at angular locations corresponding to the angular locations of the recesses (17), to in an assembled state of two such carriers (1) extends into a corresponding one of the plurality of recesses (17) in the basket wall to retain the ophthalmic lens in the carrier.

A disinfection system of a contact lens comprising immersing the contact lens in a disinfecting solution containing hydrogen peroxide in a concentration of 1 to 10% and neutralizing the hydrogen peroxide in the disinfecting solution through contact with a metal catalyst, where the disinfecting solution contains an organic carboxylic acid or a salt of the organic carboxylic acid, the organic carboxylic acid having a structure in which a hydroxyl group and a carboxyl group are bonded to one carbon atom; the disinfecting solution is adjusted to have a pH of 6 to 8; and the disinfecting solution after the neutralization is adjusted to have an osmotic pressure of 250 to 350 mOsm.