The Challenge
Contact lenses, one of the most widely used medical devices in the world, are primarily used for eyesight correction, but also for aesthetic enhancements and modifications. They are manufactured in a variety of forms, but are most commonly made from soft polymeric materials. Because soft contact lens material is slippery and delicate to handle, loading the specimen into grips can be challenging, and tears in the lens are common even under very low forces. To best simulate how they will be used, contact lenses should be tested in physiologically relevant conditions, which requires the lenses to be tested in a saline bath, heated to body temperature.
