The invention provides a process for castingmolding contact lenses with enhanced quality and enhanced yield achieved by omitting the previously required check to discover on or in which mold half the contact lens is located after the mold has been opened. The process of the invention includes: providing a mold including a first mold half having a first molding surface and a second mold half having a second molding surface, wherein the first and second mold halves are configured to receive each other such that a mold cavity is formed between the first and second molding surfaces, wherein one of the first and second mold halves has a collar that encircles the other mold half to provide a seal between the two mold halves when the mold is closed; dispensing a polymerizable lens-forming material into one of the mold halves; mating the mold halves to close the mold; polymerizing the polymerizable material located between the two mold halves, thereby forming a molded contact lens; applying a force to non-optical surface of the female mold with a pin at a location about the center area of non-optical molding surface of the mold to deform the female mold thereby breaking the bonds between the optical molding surface of the female mold and the lens and opening the mold.

The invention provides a method producing contact lenses, including the step of: holding the molded silicone hydrogel contact lens attached to the one of the female mold half or the male mold half with a vacuum supplied with a suction cup; deforming a surface of the one of the female mold half or the male mold half having the molded silicone hydrogel contact lens attached to with a pin so as to separate the molded silicone hydrogel contact lens from the mold half attached to and to transfer the molded silicone hydrogel contact lens to the suction cup; moving the suction cup away from the pin while the suction cup continues to hold the molded silicone hydrogel contact lens remains; applying a compressed gas to blow the molded silicone hydrogel contact lens away from the suction cup into a container.

Disclosed in this specification is a casting cup assembly comprising frontcurve and basecurve molds which of which includes a ring that circumscribes the respective concave and convex mold surface. When the casting cup is assembled, the rings align and minimize de-centering and tilting of the concave and convex mold surfaces which, in turn, reduces edge defects.

The invention relates to a method for producing embedded hydrogel contact lenses each having a magnetized insert that comprises magnetic particles and is centrally embedded in the bulk hydrogel material of the embedded hydrogel contact lens. During molding, a magnetized insert can be centered and held in position in a lens mold by using a magnet placed below the lens mold. The invention also relates to an embedded hydrogel contact lens produced from a method of the invention.

The invention relates to a method for producing embedded hydrogel contact lenses involving a set of 3-mold halves consisting essentially of: one female lens mold half having a molding surface defining the anterior surface of a contact lens; one male lens mold half having a molding surface defining the posterior surface of the contact lens; and an insert mold half having a molding surface defining one of the front and back surfaces of an insert. One of the lens mold halves is used twice: first with the insert mold half for molding an insert during first curing process and then with the other lens mold half for molding an embedded hydrogel contact lens with the molded insert embedded partially or fully therein during second curing process. The invention also relates to embedded hydrogel contact lenses produced from a method of the invention.

Disclosed in this specification is a casting cup assembly comprising frontcurve and basecurve molds which of which includes a ring that circumscribes the respective concave and convex mold surface. When the casting cup is assembled, the rings align and minimize de-centering and tilting of the concave and convex mold surfaces which, in turn, reduces edge defects.