Abstract: Process for obtaining a transparent article with a refractive index gradient, including the steps of: (1) irradiating a crosslinkable liquid mixture of base photopolymerizable monomers which is modulated spatially in intensity and/or irradiation time to form a structure gradient according to a desired index profile until a self-supporting polymer matrix is obtained; (2) swelling the polymer matrix to thermodynamic equilibrium in a swelling composition containing a polymerization initiator and one or several polymerizable monomers producing a polymer of different refractive index from the refractive index of the matrix obtained in step (1); and (3) polymerizing the swelling composition which has diffused into the matrix homogeneously, thereby obtaining a transparent article with a refractive index gradient.