CooperVision enters US market with Avaira™ two-week silicone hydrogel contact lenses

Implications: I’m not so sure that this is a leap forward for CooperVision.  After long delays for the release of the Biofinity lens, a two-week version has just been released.  The material properties are reportedly “nice”, but certainly scaled back from what was reportedly achieved with Comfilcon A.      

Analysis: I’ve previously posted (Oct. 2007) my concerns regarding the polymer chemistry for CooperVision’s silicone-hydrogel materials.  Although they must now have achieved a manufacturing process that they can take to market, I’m not surprised that the parent patent application (US20060063852 ) submitted August of 2005 has not yet issued.  Due to the complexity of their silicone macromonomers, I suspect that CooperVision has reformulated with less of the silicone than they originally intended to bring to market. Don’t get me wrong, I wear contacts and await anxiously for the day when high oxygen transmissibility (Dk/t)  and water content will be the norm and not the exception.