Abstract: Hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lens is a novel soft material, which is different from the traditional polymethyl methacrylate(PMMA) lens. Surface modification of the lens surface with ammonia low-temperature plasma treatment was performed and characterized in order to enhance the hydrophilicity and biocompatibility. The results show that NH₃ plasma treatment produce the most hydrophilic surface among O₂, Ar and NH₃ gases. The optimal modification time and power were 120 s and 150 W, respectively. XPS analyses further verified that the polar groups were immobilized on the lens surfaces. The AFM images of the treated samples show rougher surfaces with a significant increase in root mean square roughness(RMS). Transmittance exhibited small changes after modification in general. However, a larger power led to a sharp drop in the transmittance. According to the aging effect test, hydrophobic recovery occurred following the modification and tended to be stable after 14 d.

Key words: Acrylic intraocular lens, Plasma, Surface modification, Hydrophilicity