Stacking samples while measuring oxygen transmissibility of hydrogel contact lenses.

It is necessary to measure several samples with different thicknesses of the same material to be able to determine a value for the oxygen permeability (Dk incm2 ml O2/s ml mm Hg) of that material. Some current contact lens materials are not available in multiple thicknesses, but it might be possible to "stack" several samples of the same thickness as an alternative procedure. This study demonstrates that measurements of Dk for one particular midwater-content hydrogel (Methafilcon, a nominally 55% water-content ionic material) give statistically indistinguishable results whether single samples of various thicknesses (Dk = 20.52 x 10(-11)) or thinner stacked samples to attain similar thicknesses (Dk = 20.05 x 10(-11)) are used in this measurement.