What is Celligent?
Celligent is a moisture maintaining technology in contact lenses developed by Alcon and released in September 2021 with the monthly replaceable TOTAL30 contact lens product line. Celligent utilizes a unique biomimetic formula that is similar to the epithelial cells of our cornea. Epithelial cells are - in general terms - cells that can be found through our body and line the surface of our organs, blood vessels, and skin and - in this case - make the outermost, thin and continuous layer of our cornea. Together with glycocalyx - a gel-like meshwork that sits on the surface of the epithelial cells - they function as a special protective and defensive force against physical distraction and stress caused by lipids, bacteria, and other deposits. They are a vital component of healthy eyes and good vision.
Alcon's Celligent technology supports this outermost layer with a proprietary chemical formula applied to the contact lens surface of TOTAL30. Celligent is comprised of polymeric nanofibers that replicate and mimic the function of the epithelial cells and glycocalyx. Celligent fibers attract smaller water molecules while blocking larger molecules such as lipids and bacteria. In other words: They capture water while harmful molecules are swept away with every eyelid movement. Packed into a monthly replaceable lens, this supports the same performance usually found in daily-replaceable silicone hydrogel lenses. According to Alcon, lenses with Celligent feel less like a contact lens and more like the surface of your eye.
Alcon has published various studies about the wearing comfort of monthly replaceable contact lenses featuring Celligent.
Further Reading and Studies
- Total30 Contact Lenses with Water Gradient and Celligent Technologie
by: Jessica Mathew, OD, PhD, FAAO, Alcon Medical Affairs, North America - Antifouling Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses with a Bioinspired 2-Methacryloyloxyethyl Phosphorylcholine Polymer Surface
by: Kazuhiko Ishihara, Kyoko Fukazawa, Vinay Sharma, Shuang Liang, Amanda Shows, Daniel Chuck Dunbar, Yang Zheng, Junhao Ge, Steve Zhang, Ye Hong, Xinfeng Shi, and James Yuliang Wu
Published: ACS Omega 2021 6 (10), 7058-7067