Abstract: A high water content hydrogel contact lens (10) with improved oxygen transmission combined with good movement characteristics over the cornea to prevent corneal damage and configured for low minus powers. The lens body has an ultra smooth molded or cast posterior surface (12) with a center thickness in cross-section which is no greater than 0.08 mm and has a small edge-to-edge diameter less than 14.4 mm. With the lens in place on the eye, the eyelid engages a thickened, annular edge (26) of the lens to provide some lens movement of about 0.05 mm on the cornea to assist in the removal of metabolic waste products from behind the lens. The thickened edge (26) is configured to allow the eyelid to smoothly flow over the lens and to maintain good comfort to the wearer of the lens and for these purposes includes a posterior peripheral surface curve (30) which conforms to the curvature of the sclera of the eye.

Abstract: A high water content hydrogel contact lens with improved oxygen transmission combined with good movement characteristics over the cornea to prevent corneal damage and configured for low minus powers. The lens body has an ultra smooth molded or cast posterior surface with a center thickness in cross-section which is no greater than 0.08 mm and has a small edge-to-edge diameter less than 14.4 mm. With the lens in place on the eye, the eyelid engages a thickened, annular edge of the lens to provide some lens movement on the cornea of about 0.50 mm to assist in the removal of metabolic waste products from behind the lens. The thickened edge is configured to allow the eyelid to smoothly flow over the lens and to maintain good comfort to the wearer of the lens and for these purposes includes a posterior peripheral surface curve to generally conform to the curvature of the sclera of the eye.

Abstract: A contact lens of a preselected mass has an optical zone and at least one peripheral zone. The optical zone has a shape and thickness sufficient to result in a desired optical correction. At least one peripheral zone has a thickness selected to correspond with that of the optical zone so as to result in the lens having the preselected mass. In a preferred embodiment, the lens has an optical zone, an intermediate peripheral zone and an outer peripheral zone. The intermediate peripheral zone has a thickness which is varied to correspond with that of the optical zone and the outer peripheral zone has parallel carriers. The preferred embodiment may have an inner surface shaped so that the radius of curvature of the optical zone is substantially equal to that of the cornea at its optical centerline, the peripheral curves have centers of curvature offset from the centerline of the optical zone and the curves are tangent where they meet.

Abstract: A contact lens has an improved interior surface which includes an optical zone and peripheral zone. The optical zone has a radius of curvature similar to that of the cornea of the eye to be fitted. The peripheral zone defines an arc which is substantially tangent to the optical zone at its edge and which intersects the curved line defined by the selected diameter of the lens at the selected sagittal depth. The lens can be formed from a hard or flexible material and can be made by a lathe turning or by molding.