Disclosed in this specification is a process for manufacturing a thermochromic contact lens. The process includes (1) selecting a photoinitiator that absorbs at a first wavelength and at least one thermochromic dye that displays substantial absorption at the first wavelength when the dye is at a first temperature and exhibits at least an 80% reduction in absorbance at the first wavelength at a second temperature, (2) maintaining the reaction mixture at the second temperature and (3) providing cure light that includes the first wavelength.

A cast mould for manufacturing a contact lens or an intraocular lens, wherein the cast mould is provided with a central part and a bearing ring and a flexible connection between the central part and the bearing ring. Further, an injection mould is provided for manufacturing such a cast mould and a method for manufacturing such a cast mould. The injection mould is provided with a mould cavity with a plunger biased by spring means towards the mould cavity which serves for compensating shrinkage which occurs during the curing of the plastic injected into the injection mould. Also described is a method for manufacturing a contact lens or intraocular lens with the aid of the cast mould, as well as a contact lens or intraocular lens obtained with this method.

A process for making lipid-coated substrates including the steps of a. providing a lipid solution (A) of phospholipids in a water miscible organic solvent at a phospholipid concentration between 25 and 450 mg/ml; b. provide an aqueous solution (B) having pH between 4 and 8; c. agitate the aqueous solution (B) and dispense the lipid solution (A) into the aqueous solution (B) to prepare an aqueous dispersion including lipid vesicles (C) having a number average size between 80 and 120 nm (measured according to dynamic light scattering) at a phospholipid concentration between 0.05 mg/ml and 2 mg/ml; and d. applying the aqueous dispersion (C) to a substrate and formation of a lipid-based coating; wherein aqueous dispersion (C) contains at least 95 wt. % water. Medical devices including a lipid-based coating, for example contact lenses and catheters.

A lipid-based coating composition for coating a medical device, wherein the coating composition includes a) lipid vesicles consisting of i. 85-95 mol % of a phospholipid (A) having a phosphatidylcholine group; ii. 5-12 mol % of a PEGylated phospholipid (B); optionally 0-3 mol % of a lipophilic compound (C) other than lipids (A) and (B); b) 0-5 wt. % of a water-soluble additive (D); and c) at least 95 wt. % of water, wherein lipid vesicles having a number average size between 50 and 140 nm (measured according to dynamic light scattering) and wherein the lipid vesicle concentration ranges between 0.025 mg/ml and 2 mg/ml, and wherein the mol % of lipids (A), (B) and (C) is calculated relative to the total molar amount of lipids (A)+(B)+(C) in the lipid-based coating composition and wherein the wt. % of water-soluble additive (D) is calculated relative to the weight of the total composition. Preferably the medical device is a contact lens, a catheter or a medical implant.

A lens comprises an internal cavity structure formed by dissolution of a soluble insert material. The internal soluble material may dissolve through a body of a lens such as a contact lens in order to form the cavity within the contact lens. The cavity within the lens can be shaped in many ways, and corresponds to the shape of the dissolved material, such that many internal cavity shapes can be readily fabricated within the contact lens. The insert can be placed in a mold with a pre-polymer material, and the pre-polymer material cured with the insert placed in the mold to form the lens body. The polymerized polymer may comprise a low expansion polymer in order to inhibit expansion of the lens when hydrated. The polymer may comprise a hydrogel when hydrated. The soft contact lens material comprises a sufficient amount of cross-linking to provide structure to the lens and shape the cavity.

A mold for a front curve of an ophthalmic lens includes an inner region having a non-rotationally symmetric shape, an outer region having a rotationally symmetric shape, and a continuous middle region between the inner region and the outer region. A first portion of the middle region is in contact with the inner region, defining a non-rotationally symmetric rim or edge of a front surface of the ophthalmic lens. A second portion of the middle region is in contact with the outer region and is rotationally symmetrical.

A method for optically inspecting a mold (10) for manufacturing ophthalmic lenses such as contact lenses for possible mold defects, including: generating a set of images of the mold (10) for different azimuthal illumination angles (1, 9) using an illumination system (20) and an imaging system (30), the latter being aligned such that its focal plane cuts through the mold (10) at a specific axial position along a center axis of the mold (10); generating a focal plane image by averaging pixelwise over the set of images after having masked out in each image those regions that include direct specular reflections from the mold (10); repeating the previous steps for one or a plurality of different axial positions of the focal plane such as to generate a plurality of different focal plane images; identifying one or more image features in the plurality of focal plane images indicative for a possible mold defect; determining for each identified image feature in which focal plane image the identified image feature appears sharpest; generating for each identified image feature a respective image section out of the respective sharpest focal plane containing the image feature; and generating a composed dark field image of the mold (10) by composing the respective image sections for each identified image feature, thus enabling to determine as to whether the possible defects of the mold (10) still allow the mold (10) to be used.

The invention relates to electronic contact lens systems, methods for fabrication thereof, and uses thereof for treatment of ophthalmic diseases and conditions, for example, meibomian gland dysfunction.

The invention provides a thermal cast-molding method for producing colored silicone hydrogel contact lenses. The method of the invention comprises: (1) forming, on a molding surface of a mold, a transferable colored polymeric composite film which comprises or consists essentially of a first polymeric film, a second polymeric film and a cured colored image encapsulated therewithin; (2) dispensing a silicone hydrogel lens formulation into the lens-forming cavity of the mold; and (4) thermally curing the third polymerizable composition within the lens-forming cavity for at least about 40 minutes to form the colored silicone hydrogel contact lens, whereby the transferable, colored, and polymeric composite film detaches from the first or second molding surface and becomes integral with the body of the silicone hydrogel contact lens.

The invention relates to a pad printing instrument comprising an ink supply system capable of control the temperature, viscosity and colorant concentration of an ink in an ink cup. Such controls are achieved by continuously adding and mixing a cold ink having a composition identical to the ink in the ink cup but having a lower temperature. The continuous addition of a small amount of a cold ink into the ink cup could compensate heat generated by the friction between the ink cup and a clich and could minimize the evaporation of a diluent in the ink and change in the concentration of colorants in the ink and ink viscosity. The invention also relates to use of a pad printing instrument comprising an ink supply system of the invention for producing colored hydrogel or silicone hydrogel contact lenses.