Abstract: An apparatus and method for tinting hydrophilic contact lenses wherein a base having at least one post whose remote end is shaped for receiving and positioning a hydrophilic contact lens, and at least one cap which when placed in communication with the post and the lens masks one or more predetermined areas of the lens, is assembled with a lens positioned on the end of a post which is then capped. The assembly is immersed in a dye bath and then removed therefrom when the lens has attained the desired color, after which the assembly is placed in a fixing solution such that the lens is tinted permanently and fluid transport and oxygen permeability are unaffected.