Abstract: Concentric aspheric multifocal lens designs are disclosed which use a combination of an aspheric front surface, which results in aberration reduction and contrast vision enhancement, along with a concentric multifocal back surface, to produce a lens design which affords clear vision at a distance and also near without a loss in contrast which is generally typical of prior art simultaneous vision, concentric multifocal lens designs. The aspheric surface improves the modulation transfer function (MTF) of the lens eye combination which improves the focus and contrast of both distance and near images. The design form is valid for contact lenses and intraocular lenses.

Abstract: The present invention, which relates to the transfer of contact lenses in post hydration processing of the lenses. A lens transfer and insertion assembly removes contact lenses from lens hydration pallets, alters their spatial distribution, and deposits them into packaging elements. The lenses are transferred with fluid and retained on the transfer assembly by surface tension.

Abstract: A packaging arrangement for the containment in a blister package of at least one hydrophilic contact lens in a sterile aqueous solution. Provision is made for incorporating support structure in the form of stiffening groove or wall elements in flanges of base members of the blister packages to facilitate an improved attachment between the base members of the blister packages housing the contact lenses, and a flexible cover sheet utilized for sealing engagement with the base members while incorporating additional strength to the blister package structures.

Abstract: An apparatus for molding polystyrene mold halves which are used, for subsequent molding of a soft contact lens. The apparatus is designed with superior heat conduction capacity so as to minimize the molding cycle time, while simultaneously producing uniformly precise and accurate optical quality surfaces. Molten polystyrene is provided via a hot runner system to a plurality of mold cavities. In a specific variation, the convex surface provides the optical quality surface to the concave surface of the mold half produced thereby. The structural element which defines the convex surface includes a hollow cylindrical bushing and a removable power insert mounted therein, which may be changed so that the prescription strength of the contact lens to be formed by the mold may be varied. In a first embodiment, the power insert includes only a convex surface at its operational end.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for removing a liquid from a container having a bowl and a flange, the bowl holding the liquid and containing a hydrophilic ophthalmic lens, wherein there is provided a nozzle with a central face and a shoulder around the periphery of the face. The shoulder has a sealing means which is sized to fit on the flange of the container, where it forms a sealed volume above the container bowl, this volume including the volume of the bowl itself. The central face has through it at least one fluid entrance passage and at least one fluid exit passage arranged so that the flow is distributed substantially symmetric about the center axis of the lens so that when the purging fluid is introduced into the sealed volume, there is no migration of the lens. There is connected to the entrance passage a source of purging fluid that has a pressure and flow sufficient to remove substantially all the liquid through the exit passage.

Abstract: A packaging arrangement for the containment of at least one hydrophilic contact lens in a sterile aqueous solution. More specifically, pursuant to the packaging arrangement, a plurality of disposable hydrophilic contact lenses are contained in a specific number of individual packaging arrangements collectively housed in a box-like container or carton so as to provide a specified or essentially measured supply of contact lenses for use by a consumer over a predetermined period of time.

Abstract: A sterilizer data processing system for an automated contact lens manufacturing line that manufactures a plurality of contact lenses defining a lens lot, the manufacturing line including an automated sterilization station for sterilizing the lens lot after their manufacture, the automated sterilization station including a sterilizer process controller for controlling one or more phases of a sterilization process and periodically generating sterilization process data during each sterilization phase includes a device for receiving the sterilization process data from the sterilizer process controller and a device for automatically parsing the sterilization data into text information and sterilizer parameter information and further processing the text information and sterilizer parameter information to automatically generate a sterilization run report associated with a lot number for the sterilized lens lot.

Abstract: A contact lens container comprising an integrally molded one-piece synthetic resin receptacle providing a well having a peripheral wall with a bottom portion, and a flange extending about the periphery of the upper end of well. The bottom portion has a generally concave inner surface for seating a contact lens thereon and is being relatively rigid. The peripheral wall of the well has an annular, resiliently deflectable inversion portion above the bottom portion, and it is invertible to position the bottom portion of the well above the plane of the flange. Pressing upwardly against the bottom portion of the well inverts the inversion portion of the well and dispose the bottom portion with the lens thereon above the plane of the flange. The receptacle is moved against the eye of the user to place the lens against the cornea and thereby cause the lens to seat thereon.

Abstract: Demolding apparatus for reliably and repeatedly mechanically separating contact lens mold assemblies without damaging the contact lens formed therebetween. The mold assembly includes a frontcurve mold having a central mold section with a surrounding flange, and a corresponding backcurve mold also having a central mold section with a surrounding flange, with a contact lens being molded therebetween. A support pallet is provided for supporting the mold assembly. A wedge separating fixture provides at least one separating wedge positioned between the spaced flanges of the mold assembly, and the wedge separating fixture and support pallet are translated relative to each other to progressively separate the frontcurve mold from the backcurve mold.

Abstract: An apparatus for separating individual contact lens mold assemblies that each contain a contact lens mold between a front curve mold half and a back curve mold half, each of the mold halves having annular circumferential flanges, is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a first device for applying steam at a first temperature to the back curve mold half to form a temperature gradient ranging from about 2.5.degree. C. to 6.0.degree. C. between the back curve mold half relative to the front curve mold half, and, a second device including a set of pry tools that are inserted between the circumferential flanges of the front mold and back mold halves of the contact lens mold assembly, the pry tools including a first set of pry fingers for retaining the front curve mold half and a second set of pry fingers for biasing the back curve mold half upwardly at a predetermined force with respect to the front curve mold half to effectively remove the back mold half therefrom.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a composition comprising polystyrene with at least 0.1% (w/w) of an additive, the article of manufacture thereof, such as a mold for making contact lenses and the mold assembly containing said mold, and the use of such mold so to facilitate demolding from a two mold assembly in the process of making contact lenses.

Abstract: An ophthalmic lens, particularly a soft hydrogel contact lens, is disclosed. The lens can be derived from a crosslinked polymer made by reacting a hydrophilic monomer with a crosslinking amount of a polyfunctional compound containing a saccharide residue. The preferred hydrophilic monomer is actually a mixture of the following individual hydrophilic monomers: a) the reaction product of a free radical reactive monoisocyanate and a monoalkoxy polyalkylether, b) N,N-dimethylacrylamide, and optionally c)hydroxyethyl methacrylate. The preferred polyfunctional compound is a prepolymer derived from an alkoxylated glucose or sucrose. This prepolymer can be made by reacting glucose or sucrose, which has been ethoxylated or propoxylated, with a free radical reactive isocyanate which has been capped. The free radical reactive isocyanate can be capped by reacting it with a polyalkylether, such as polyethylene glycol, and then reacting this intermediate with a diisocyanate.

Abstract: An automated method for high speed production rates in the hydration of soft contact lenses. The method includes the use of robotic transfer equipment to transfer contact lens molds containing contact lenses to and from a hydration station and a flushing station.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for removing and transporting articles, such as contact lens sections from a manufacturing line to inspection and packaging stations. The lenses are deposited in a transparent plastic primary package which carries the lenses through the inspection station and becomes part of the primary package when a cover is sealed thereto. The invention includes various assemblies, including lens transfer assemblies, deionized water filling and removal assemblies, a water degassing assembly, a lens inspection assembly, and a lens package sealing assembly. The lenses are removed from pallets at a post hydration station, transported and spatially redistributed, and deposited in the primary packages disposed on a second set of pallets. The packages on the second set of pallets are filled with degassed deionized water. The contact lenses and packages are then transported to an inspection station.

Abstract: A composite or secondary packaging arrangement for the containment of hydrophilic contact lenses in a sterile aqueous solution. More specifically disclosed is a composite or secondary packaging arrangement wherein pluralities of disposable hydrophilic contact lenses possessing different optical characteristics or prescriptions are contained in one or more specific packaging arrays which are then collectively housed in separate paired box-like compartments or carton structures in a preselected customized manner so as to provide specified or essentially measured supplies of differing contact lenses for prescribed use in both eyes of a consumer over a predetermined period of time.

Abstract: Concentric ring, single vision lens designs are disclosed which improve the depth-of-focus of the lens relative to current spherical contact lenses or intraocular lenses by placing at least one additional peripheral optical radius on the front or back surface of the lens. A plurality of concentric annular rings are provided in the periphery of the optic zone of the lens. The arrangement of optic powers in the concentric annular rings includes a mixture of the basic spherical refractive power and other annular rings with less plus or greater minus spherical refractive power, arranged to mediate spherical aberrations and improve visual acuity. The concentric annular ring design corrects peripheral, aperture-dependent ocular aberrations in a discrete, zonal fashion.

Abstract: Shaped hydrogel articles such as soft contact lenses are prepared by the steps of:(1) molding or casting a polymerization mixture comprising:(a) a monomer mixture comprising a major proportion of one or more hydrophilic monomers such as 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and one or more cross-linking monomers; and(b) an inert, displaceable diluent selected from the group consisting of:(i) ethoxylated alkyl glucoside;(ii) ethoxylated bisphenol A;(iii) polyethylene glycol;(iv) mixture of propoxylated and ethoxylated alkyl glucoside;(v) single phase mixture of ethoxylated or propoxylated alkyl glucoside and C.sub.2-12 dihydric alcohol;(vi) adduct of .epsilon.-caprolactone and C.sub.2-6 alkanediols and triols;(vii) ethoxylated C.sub.3-6 alkanetriol; and(viii) mixtures of one or more of (i) through (vii),under conditions to polymerize said monomer mixture to produce a shaped gel of a copolymer of said monomers and said diluent; and(2) thereafter replacing said diluent with water.

Abstract: Disclosed is a process for producing an ultraviolet radiation absorbing contact lens from a lens shaped polymer having hydroxyl groups pendant therefrom and having dispersed therein a UV absorbing agent substituted with at least one anhydride group which is exposed to basic conditions such that the hydroxyl groups react with the anhydride groups on the UV absorbing agent. As a result the UV absorbing agent becomes fixed to the polymer through the formation of a covalent ester bond.

Abstract: Apparatus for removing and transporting ophthalmic lens mold sections from a mold, and generally comprising first, second, and third assemblies. The first assembly removes the lens mold sections from the mold and transports the lens mold sections to a first location, the second assembly receives the lens mold sections from the first assembly and transports the lens mold sections to a second location, and the third assembly receives the lens mold sections from the second assembly and transports the lens mold sections to a third location. Preferably, the first assembly includes a hand to receive the lens mold sections from the mold and to releasably hold the lens mold sections, and a support subassembly connected to the hand to support the hand and to move the hand between the mold and the first location.