Contact lenses, also known as contact lenses, are aesthetically pleasing, comfortable and comfortable compared to ordinary glasses, and are therefore popular among people. According to the hardness of the material, corneal contact lenses can be divided into hard contact lenses and soft contact lenses. Soft contact lenses, also known as hydrogel contact lenses, are the mainstream products of contact lenses because of their high water content, softness and comfortable wearing compared to hard contact lenses.

Currently, hydrogel contact lens materials mainly include hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP), which have better oxygen permeability than silicone materials. Silicone materials such as silicone rubber have long been used in contact lenses. At present, high oxygen permeability and good compatibility silicone hydrogel contact lenses have become the research hotspots of many multinational companies.

In recent years, China's organic silicon industry has developed very rapidly, and has made great progress in the preparation and application of organic silicon raw materials, intermediates and products. Unfortunately, China's research in the field of silicone contact lenses is lagging behind. Currently, high oxygen permeability silicone contact lenses on the market are almost monopolized by foreign companies. The author of this article uses the keywords contact lens?, +siloxane?, silicone? and the classification numbers C08L83, C08G77, A61K, and G02B in the Derwent World Patent Index Database (DWPI) as the search entry, until December 1, 2018. The patent application of the disclosed silicone contact lens was analyzed to attract the attention of relevant enterprises in China on the patent of silicone contact lenses and promote the development of silicone contact lenses in China. Since the invention patent has a certain lag period from application to publication and authorization, the relevant data in 2017 to 2018 is for reference only.

The number of patents is growing steadily

The research work on silicone contact lenses was carried out very early in the world. In January 1970, Dow Corning published a patent application entitled “Silicone Rubber Optical Composition”, which is a silicone material that will be used earlier in the world. Patent application for contact lenses. In the years 1970-1979, 1980-1989, 1990-1999, 2000-2009, and 2010-2018, the number of patent applications for silicone contact lenses worldwide was 12, 98, and 155, respectively. 395,394 cases, the number of applications for annual public patents has increased steadily.

From the change of the number of silicone contact lens patents in the past 20 years, the number of silicone contact lens patents has generally increased from 1998 to 2009, and reached its peak in 2009. The number of silicone contact lens patents disclosed in 2009 is 71 pieces. Between 2010 and 2015, the annual average number of patents for silicone contact lenses decreased slightly, but the number was also stable at a high level. The annual average number of open patents was more than 40. It can be seen that the technology of silicone contact lenses developed early, but the technology. It is still far from mature and is still in a period of rapid development.

While the foreign silicone contact lens industry is booming, Chinese applicants (statistics are limited to mainland China) have submitted 22 patent applications involving silicone contact lenses. The earliest publication time of patent applications was in 2007, the earliest in the United States. The patent application was 30 years late. It can be seen that when foreign silicone contact lens technology matures and successfully launches corresponding contact lens products, China's research on silicone contact lenses has just started.

Patent layout inside and outside disparity


From the top ten applicants for silicone contact lens patents, the top ten patent holders in the world mainly come from developed countries such as the United States, Switzerland and Japan, among which Bausch & Lomb, SC Johnson and SC Johnson Vision, Novartis The number of patents clearly exceeds that of other patent applicants. Among them, Bausch & Lomb has the largest number of patents, and the company filed a patent application related to silicone contact lenses as early as 1974, and the company's patent application has maintained good continuity. The patented technical content involves the preparation of raw materials, preparation methods and late maintenance of silicone contact lenses. The layout of related patents is reasonable and effective, showing the company's deep technical accumulation and strong competition in the invisible field of silicone. force.


The applicants for patents in China mainly include Donghua University, Southeast University, Haichang Contact Lens Co., Ltd., etc. The most patents are Donghua University (4 pieces). Compared with foreign company applicants, most of the patent applicants in China are colleges and universities. The technical solutions of patent applications are more focused and theoretically studied. Applicants with relatively large number of patent grants, such as Donghua University, have not introduced their own invisibles. Eyewear products. Compared with Bausch & Lomb, Novartis and other companies, there are no competitive applicants in the field of contact lenses in China.


China is a big consumer of contact lenses. Contact lenses are highly demanding as a sophisticated medical product. Patents play an important supporting role in the entire industry chain of contact lenses. As the fifth generation of contact lenses, silicone hydrogel contact lenses have become hot products in the field of contact lenses. Foreign companies such as Bausch & Lomb have deep technical accumulation and good brand effect in the industry, and pay attention to silicone contact lenses. The patent layout of the potential market, and China's silicone contact lens technology started late and faced many patent barriers. At present, Chinese patent applicants have begun to lay out in the field of silicone contact lenses, but contact lenses involve the processing, processing and maintenance of raw materials, processing equipment, mirror products, etc. There are still many areas in which patent applications for silicone contact lenses in China have not yet been involved. There are many patent blind spots. All in all, the development level of silicone contact lenses in China does not match the overall level of China's silicone industry. It should make full use of the existing patent resources and China's huge market, play a good role in the escort of patents, and develop silicone invisible brands. glasses.
发送反馈
历史记录