A method of making a contact lens includes providing a cylindrical blank for the contact lens, the cylindrical blank including a first portion and a second portion. The first portion is formed from a homogenous, optically clear material and the second portion is formed from an inhomogeneous, optically-scattering material. The method includes shaping the cylindrical blank to provide the contact lens. The contact lens includes a first region surrounded by a second region, the first region being formed from the homogenous, optically clear material and the second region being formed from the inhomogeneous, optically-scattering material.

Intraocular implants and methods of making intraocular implants are provided. The intraocular implant can include a lens body having a lens material and a mask having a mask material. The lens body can be secured to the mask. The mask material can include a modulus of elasticity that is greater than or equal to a modulus of elasticity of the lens material.

A molded contact lens comprising a stiffer optic zone relative to the peripheral zone of the contact lens provides an optical element for correcting astigmatism without the need for or substantially minimizing the need for the correction of rotational misalignment. The higher elastic modulus optic zone vaults over the cornea thereby allowing a tear lens to form. The tear lens follows or assumes the shape of the back surface of the contact lens. The combination of the tear lens and the optical zone provide an optical element for correction of refractive error.

Apparatuses and methods for multistage molding of contact lenses containing low oxygen permeable components or oxygen impermeable components. Components may be embedded within a contact lens by forming a device on a polymer substrate, molding a spacer onto a male mold, bonding the device to the spacer, removing the polymer substrate, and molding the remainder of the contact lens.

A contact lens incorporating one or more surface modified zones on the anterior surface of the lens may be utilized to generate a friction driven rotational force when the upper and/or lower eyelids pass over the one or more regions during blinking. A small difference in the coefficient of friction between the modified and unmodified regions of the lens may result in an equivalent rotational force to that of a thickness gradient lens. This small difference in the coefficient of friction produces a means to orient and stabilize the contact lens on eye.

A method for making a hydrogel, photochromic contact lens including supplying a first lens composition comprising a contact lens monomer and a photochromic material to a front contact lens mold and supplying a second lens composition to said contact lens mold wherein the viscosity of said first composition is at least about 1000 cp greater than the viscosity of said second contact lens composition, and the makeup of said second composition matches the of said first composition to reduce strain between said compositions of the resulting lens.

A meniscus shaped lens module comprises one or more structures that decrease an amount of pressure or force to move one or more surfaces of the lens module and increase a separation distance of anterior and posterior surfaces of the module in order to provide an increase in optical power. A lens structure of the module comprises one or more of a pattern of a surface of a central chamber, a meniscus, a reduced diameter or a soft material in order to provide increased amounts of curvature of an outer contact lens surface with decreased amounts of pressure. The pattern can be formed in one or more of many ways, and may comprise one or more of folds, patterning, bellows or concertinaed surface of an optically transmissive material having a substantially uniform thickness such as a sheet of a membrane material.

Microchannels in hydrogels play an essential role in enabling a smart contact lens. A wearable contact lens is disclosed herein that uses microchannels and connected chambers located in poly-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (poly(HEMA)) hydrogel that is used in a commercial contact lens with three-dimensional (3D) printed mold. The corresponding capillary flow behaviors in these microchannels were investigated. Different capillary flow regimes were observed in these microchannels, depending on the hydration level of the hydrogel material. In particular, it was found that a peristaltic pressure could reinstate flow in a dehydrated microchannel, indicating the motion of eye-blinking may help tear flow in a microchannel-containing contact lens. Colorimetric pH and electrochemical Na.sup.+ sensing capabilities were demonstrated in these microchannels. Micro-engineered contact lenses formed using poly(HEMA) hydrogel can be used for various biomedical applications such as eye-care and wearable biosensing.

The present invention relates to silicone hydrogels exhibiting desired combinations of physical and mechanical properties, formed from a reactive monomer mixture comprising at least one N-alkyl methacrylamide, and at least one silicone-containing component. These silicone hydrogels may also contain hydrophilic components, crosslinking agents and toughening monomers. These silicone hydrogels are useful in preparing biomedical devices, ophthalmic lenses, and contact lenses.

A method for forming an ophthalmic lens including providing a mold assembly including base and front curve molds each having a surface profile and defining and enclosing a cavity therebetween having a reactive monomer mixture for making the lens and a first polymerization initiator that is activated at a first wavelength. A light transmissive one of the molds is exposed to a source of substantially uniform actinic radiation at the first wavelength according to a predetermined exposure pattern including at least one exposure portion and at least one non-exposure portion to initiate polymerization of the reactive monomer mixture within the mold at said at least one exposure portion. The lens is fully cured at the exposure portions and unreacted or non-gelled portions remain within the lens adjacent to the front and base mold halves, which are extracted following removal from the mold assembly, leaving one or more predetermined geometric indentations in the front and back surfaces of the lens such that the surface profile of the lens deviates from the surface profile of the respective front and back mold halves at the locations of the geometric indentations.