Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems, methods, and processes for constructing a contact lens. In one embodiment, a contact lens assembly is provided, comprising: a curved polymer polarizer with an aperture; a lenslet disposed inside the aperture, wherein the lenslet enables imaging near objects; and a filter attached to the lenslet. In further embodiments, a method for fabricating a flexible contact lens is provided, comprising: fabricating an element having an extrusion; providing a front concave mold, wherein the front mold has an intrusion to accommodate the extrusion of the optical element; affixing the extrusion of the optical element to the intrusion of the front mold; attaching a back convex mold to the front concave mold, thereby forming a mold cavity; and filling the mold cavity with a pre-polymerized liquid, whereby upon polymerization, the pre-polymerized liquid forms the flexible contact lens and the optical element is partially encapsulated within the lens.

A method for producing a contact lens having a water contact angle below about 90° involves preparing a molding resin comprising a polyether modified polyolefin; forming the molding resin into a mold; preparing a contact lens composition; filling the contact lens composition into the mold; and polymerizing the contact lens composition to form a contact lens. A method of inducing water contact angle below 90° and improved surface wettability of a contact lens involves cast polymerizing a mixture of monomers in a mold formed from a molding resin containing a polyether modified polyolefin to form a contact lens having a water contact angle of less than about 90°. Single-use molds for contact lens manufacture are also provided.

A contact lens includes a lens body and a hydrophilic surface modification layer. The lens body is formed by a lens composition including a reactive additive, in which the reactive additive has a reactive functional group, and a surface of the lens body has the reactive functional group. The hydrophilic surface modification layer includes a modification layer and a hydrophilic layer. The modification layer is adhered on the surface of the lens body by covalently bonding to the reactive functional group. The hydrophilic layer is formed on the modification layer by covalently bonding a hydrophilic compound to the modification layer.

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 method for avoiding the entrapment of air bubbles (5) in a lens forming material, in particular in a low viscosity lens forming material, in an ophthalmic lens manufacturing process using mold halves (2; 3) each having a lens forming surface (21; 31) comprises electrostatically charging a predetermined portion of the lens forming surface (21; 31) of the mold half (2; 3) prior to the predetermined portion of the lens forming surface (21; 31) coming into contact with the lens forming material (4).

Methods and apparatus for making lens assemblies that can be placed on an eye of a person and that include at least one component are described. Generally, a first lens member (100) and a second lens member (200) are formed. The second lens member (200) is transferred to a compliant stage (210). At least one component is placed in contact with one of the lens members (100, 200). The second lens member (200) is placed in contact with the first lens member (100) such that the compliant stage (210) can provide compression to the first and second lens members (100, 200). The second lens member (200) and the first lens member (100) are coupled together to form a lens assembly (10) with the at least one component located between the two lens members (100, 200).

A diffractive eye lens having a front side, a rear side and an optical main axis, wherein the front side and/or the rear side has a spherical, an aspherical, a spherical-toric or an aspherical-toric basic shape, and the front side and/or the rear side has a diffractive optical structure. The diffractive eye lens allows for color correction and simultaneously improves visual properties by reducing a halo. The diffractive optical structure in a first lens region is designed such that, at a design wavelength, there is a significant diffraction efficiency for a phase deviation between the first main sub-zones of more than one wavelength and, for the first lens region, On average over all diffraction zones, a proportion of the main sub-zones on the diffraction zones is for example at least 94%, at least 95% and at best nearly 100%.

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 cliché 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.

Systems, devices, and methods are disclosed for fabricating a hybrid contact lens product having a lens insert embedded at a precisely controlled location within a lens body. A mold engagement and support base engages and retains a lens forming mold in a substantially fixed position. An insert placement and positioning device includes an insert pickup head with a contact face configured for releasable engagement of the lens insert and at least one suction opening in the contact face for applying suction to engage the insert on the contact face. A positioning housing interacts with the mold and/or the support base to provide precise locational positioning of the lens insert within the mold. A lens body forming material is delivered to the mold to encapsulate the lens insert.

In general, the disclosure relates to methods and compositions for preparing colorants useful for preparing pigmented hydrogels. The disclosure further relates to pigmented hydrogels comprising the disclosed colorants. In some instances, the colorant is an alcohol extract of an agro-material, such as turmeric, paprika, spinach, and/or woad or the colorants comprise one or more of: a carotenoid, chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, a curcumoid, or indigorubin. Alternatively, the colorant can be carbon black. The disclosure further relates to contact lenses comprising the disclosed pigmented hydrogels.