title: The conformity of a soft contact lens on the eye.
abstract: An axisymmetric elastic shell deformation model has been created to predict the conformity of a soft contact lens when pressed against the eye. Regions of contact and gap may be predicted, and the nonuniform reaction pressure between the lens and eye may also be found. This is important for issues like abrasion and comfort. Bending, membrane and transverse shear loads within the lens are also computed. Commercial soft contact lenses and a representative eye shape are used for the examples. We find that the uniformity of loading against the eye is strongly affected by the degree to which the lens is shaped to fit the eye, and relatively unaffected by the thickness of the lens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Rochester, New York 14627, USA.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Funkenbusch
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Benson
mesh_terms: D003263:Contact Lenses, Hydrophilic / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards / Q000600:supply & distribution; D004548:Elasticity; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011312:Pressure; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity