An ophthalmic lens comprising a transparent polymer matrix and core shell nanoparticles which are dispersed in the transparent polymer matrix, wherein the core of core shell nanoparticles results from polymerization of a composition comprising nanoparticle core precursors and at least one photochromic compound, and the shell of core shell nanoparticles comprises a mineral compound.

Provided is a method for manufacturing photoabsorbing contact lenses and photoabsorbing contact lenses produced thereby. The method comprises: (a) providing a mold assembly comprised of a base curve and a front curve, the base curve and the front curve defining and enclosing a cavity therebetween, the cavity containing a reactive mixture, wherein the reactive mixture comprises at least one polymerizable monomer, a photoinitiator which absorbs at an activating wavelength, and a photoabsorbing compound which displays absorption at the activating wavelength; and (b) curing the reactive mixture to form the photoabsorbing contact lens by exposing the reactive mixture to radiation that includes the activating wavelength, wherein the radiation is directed at both the base curve and the front curve of the mold assembly, and wherein the radiation's radiant energy at the base curve is greater than the radiation's radiant energy at the front curve.

Described herein is a method for producing photochromic contact lenses, in particular, photochromic silicone hydrogel contact lenses. The method comprises a step of cast molding of a lens-forming composition including an iniferter to form an unprocessed contact lens having iniferter moieties covalently incorporated into its polymer matrix and a step of iniferter-induced graft-polymerization of a photochromic vinylic monomer to the polymer matrix only in its central region which is circular and concentric with the central axis of the unprocessed contact lens. The obtained photochromic contact lens has a central pupillary region that only can undergo a reversible color change upon exposure to UV/HEVL-radiation.

An optical element includes a first boundary layer and a second boundary layer. A solution is disposed between the first boundary layer and the second boundary layer. The solution includes liquid crystals co-mingled with oblong photochromic dye molecules.

Flexible plastic screen for glasses, sunglasses or helmet faceshields with controlled light transmission based on applied electrical voltage. The screen consists of two transparent flexible conductive polymer electrodes disposed and an electrochromic layer disposed between them. The electrochromic layer is a homogeneous mixture of active electrochromic components dissolved in a polymer matrix. The electrochromic screen is operable to vary the light transmission of any wearable electro-optical devices, such as the glasses, for creating an effect of a blackout for augmented/virtual reality glasses.

Described herein is a method for producing photochromic silicone hydrogel contact lenses in a relatively efficient and consistent manner from a polymerizable composition under a controlled thermal curing scheme. The main polymerizable components in the polymerizable composition are a high radical-reactive hydrophilic (meth)acrylamido monomer, a high radical-reactive siloxane-containing (meth)acrylamido monomer, and a polysiloxane vinylic crosslinker(s) free of low-reactive ethylenically unsaturated group as the main crosslinker. The thermal free radical initiator having a 10 hour half-life temperature (T.sub.10hλ) of from about 50° C. to about 90° C. The controlled thermal curing scheme includes maintaining a first curing temperature of from about (T.sub.10hλ−20)° C. to about T.sub.10hλ° C. for a first curing time and maintaining a second curing temperature of from about (T.sub.10hλ+10)° C. to about (T.sub.10hλ+35)° C. for a second curing time.

A photochromic hydroxyurethane compound of the present invention is characterized in that, on condition of having at least one photochromic moiety as the photochromic minimal unit in a molecule, it has a hydroxyurethane constitutional unit represented by Formula (1):

—X—O—CO—NH—  (1)

In the formula, X is an oxygen-containing chain organic group having a hydroxyl group as a substituent, or a hydrogen atom in the hydroxyl group is substituted by any one of (A): a photochromic group having the photochromic moiety; (B): a polymerization reactive group having a polymerizable substituent; (C) an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms; (D) a cycloalkyl group having 3 to 10 carbon atoms; or (E): an aryl group having 6 to 14 carbon atoms (each of the groups (C)-(E) can be bonded to an oxygen atom derived from the hydroxyl group via the oxygen-containing chain organic group).

A photochromic compound of the present invention comprises at least two monovalent photochromic basic structure groups PC including a T-type photochromic moiety, the photochromic basic structure groups being bonded to an organic group having a non-SO aromatic ring containing neither a sulfur atom nor an oxygen atom.

The present invention relates to a photochromic compound including a polyvalent residue on which at least one group having a photochromic moiety is substituted, and at least one long-chain group not containing a photochromic moiety and having a molecular weight of 300 or more is further substituted; and a curable composition containing the same. In accordance with the present invention, it is possible to provide a photochromic compound which has high solubility in a polymerizable compound serving as a matrix while retaining high photochromic characteristics and is hardly affected by the matrix; and a curable composition containing the same.

The invention generally relates to optical filters that provide regulation and/or enhancement of chromatic and luminous aspects of the color appearance of light to human vision, generally to applications of such optical filters, to therapeutic applications of such optical filters, to industrial and safety applications of such optical filters when incorporated, for example, in radiation-protective eyewear, to methods of designing such optical filters, to methods of manufacturing such optical filters, and to designs and methods of incorporating such optical filters into apparatus including, for example, eyewear and illuminants.