The invention provides a contact lens manufacturing method comprising a process for removing unprocessed molded silicone hydrogel contact lenses from mold halves in a relatively efficient and consistent manner. A method of the invention comprises the combination of using a hydrophilic (meth)acrylamido monomer as one of major polymerizable components in a lens formulation for cast-molding of contact lenses, adding a post-curing treatment step which involves heating molds with molded lenses therewithin in an oven at a post-curing temperature higher than the curing temperature and under nitrogen gas flow at a higher flow rate, and using ultrasonic vibration energy for delensing. This method of the invention can be easily implemented in a production environment for enhancing the production yield.

The invention provides a method for making silicone hydrogel contact lenses. The method of the invention is characterized by using an organic solvent as a processing-aid tool for controlling lens diameter without significantly affecting lens equilibrium water content during cast-molding of soft contact lenses from a polymerizable composition. By adjusting the weight percentage of the organic solvent in a polymerizable composition for making SiHy contact lenses, one can adjust lens diameter of produced SiHy lenses to meet target without affecting adversely the lens properties.

Embodiments relate to a polymerizable composition comprising a phosphorus-based mold releasing agent for an optical use whose preparation process is improved, and a process for preparing the phosphorus-based mold releasing agent. The phosphorus-based mold releasing agents can be prepared more easily and conveniently by using phosphorous pentoxide, which can easily react with a monoalcohol and/or water at room temperature in the absence of a catalyst or a solvent. In addition, byproducts are not generated during the reaction. Thus, when a lens is produced by using the mold release agent obtained therefrom, it is possible to prevent a defective appearance of the lens that may be caused by byproducts, thereby further enhancing the appearance properties thereof. Further, since separate steps for removing byproducts, specifically, such steps as washing and filtration, are not required, wastewater is not generated. Thus, it is not only environmentally friendly, but the production cost can also be reduced as the process is simple.

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a contact lens including the steps of: (i) adding reactive components to a mold, wherein the reactive components comprise (a) at least one hydroxy-containing silicone component having a weight average molecular weight from about 200 to about 15,000 g/mole and (b) at least one mono-ether terminated, mono-methacrylate terminated polyethylene glycol having a weight average molecular weight from about 200 to about 10,000 g/mole; (ii) curing the reactive components within the mold to form the contact lens; and (iii) removing the contact lens from said mold.

The present invention general related to a method and a reusable mold for making a contact lens, comprising a first mold half having a first mold surface in contact with a hydrogel contact lens forming composition and a second mold half having a second mold surface in contact with the lens forming composition, wherein the first mold half and the second mold half are configured to receive each other such that a cavity is formed between the first mold surface and the second mold surface, wherein the cavity defines the shape of a contact lens to be molded, wherein the lens forming composition is polymerizable and/or crosslinkable by an actinic radiation, wherein at least one of the mold halves having an absorbing antireflective coating, wherein the reusable mold is a non-plastic mold.

In the method and the apparatus for releasing a molded article from a mold according to the embodiments, the lateral of the molded article in the mold is pressed, so that it is possible to minimize the damage of the mold and the molded article at the time of the release, while the amount of a mold release agent used is minimized.

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a contact lens including the steps of: (i) adding reactive components to a mold, wherein the reactive components comprise (a) at least one hydroxy-containing silicone component having a weight average molecular weight from about 200 to about 15,000 g/mole and (b) at least one mono-ether terminated, mono-methacrylate terminated polyethylene glycol having a weight average molecular weight from about 200 to about 10,000 g/mole; (ii) curing the reactive components within the mold to form the contact lens; and (iii) removing the contact lens from said mold.

In manufacturing a contact lens, a contact lens mould arrangement in which the engagement between the mould halves is unconstrained and at least one mould half is sufficiently pliable or flexible that during the curing of the contact lens composition at one mold half may move or flex relative to the other to define a post-cure mould cavity of smaller volume than the precure mould cavity and during which the curvatures of the first and/or second mould surfaces are allowed to change provides a significantly more efficient manufacturing process and enables one mould half to be readily utilized as a blister cup for contact lens packaging.

Apparatus and methods are described for manufacturing contact lenses employing dissolvable mold structure. The apparatus and methods involve approaches to dissolve at least portions of a mold and to separate a lens from the mold to present the lens for collection.

The present invention relates to a siloxane monomer used in the production of a silicone hydrogel lens, a composition for the preparation of a lens containing the same, and a silicone hydrogel lens prepared from the same, wherein the silicone hydrogel lens according to the present invention has a feature of easy release from a component of a mold.