CONTACT LENS MATERIAL

The invention relates to a polymer having high oxygen permeability and to hydrated compositions including such polymer particularly in the form of a contact lens. The invention consists in a polymer including the polymerisati on product of (a) N,N-dimethylacrylamide, and (b) a monomer of formula (I) wherein n is an integer from 1 to 8, preferably 4 to 8, R' is an alkyl group , preferably a lower alkyl group containing up to 4 carbon atoms, more preferably ethyl or butyl, and R" is hydrogen or an alkyl group which may be the same as or different from R', preferably hydrogen or a lower alkyl group containing up to 4 carbon atoms, more preferably hydrogen or methyl. In conjunction with the DMA monomer and monomer(s) of formula (I), one or more additional monomers may be included selected from the group consisting of: styrene and styrene derivatives, methacrylates - especially 3- [tris(trimethylsilyloxy)silyl] propyl methacrylate (TRIS), acrylates, acrylamides, methacrylamides, vinyl pyrrolidone, vinyl monomers containing phosphoryl choline functional groups, and partly or fully fluorinated derivatives of the foregoing.