Abstract: The present invention generally relates to inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses having relatively high oxygen permeability, relatively high equilibrium water content and relatively low elastic modulus. The present invention is also related to a method for making such inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses.

Abstract: Described herein is a UV/HEVL-filtering SiHy contact lens that not only has a relatively high UV/HEVL filtering capability but also has an aesthetic appealing color. The bulk silicone hydrogel of the UV/HEVL-filtering SiHy contact lens comprises repeating units of (1) at least one hydrophilic vinylic monomer, (2) at least one siloxane-containing vinylic monomer and/or at least one polysiloxane vinylic crosslinker, (3) at least one UV-absorbing vinylic monomer, and (4) a least one polymerizable HEVL-absorbing compound capable of absorbing HEVL between 380 nm and 450 nm and also comprises at least one blue-tinting agent and at least one optical brightener distributed therein.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method to load a water insoluble phospholipid as nanoparticles to load into a hydrogel contact lens in autoclaving process during the hydrogel contact lens manufacturing process without an extra manufacturing step and without swelling the hydrogel contact lens with an organic solvent. The phospholipid nanoparticles loaded in hydrogel contact lens subsequently releases to the eye upon wearing.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method to load a water insoluble phospholipid as nanoparticles to load into a hydrogel contact lens in autoclaving process during the hydrogel contact lens manufacturing process without an extra manufacturing step and without swelling the hydrogel contact lens with an organic solvent. The phospholipid nanoparticles loaded in hydrogel contact lens subsequently releases to the eye upon wearing.

Abstract: The present invention generally relates to inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses having relatively high oxygen permeability, relatively high equilibrium water content and relatively low elastic modulus. The present invention is also related to a method for making such inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for producing embedded contact lenses involving steps of use of a set of 3 mold halves in two-curing steps. One of the 3 mold halves have been used twice, the first time for molding an insert and the second time for molding the embedded hydrogel contact lens. The twice-used mold half has been treated with a corona plasma or a vacuum UV in a central circular area of its molding surface having a diameter equal to or smaller than the diameter of the insert to ensure that the molded insert consistently adhered to the twice-used mold half. The method also comprises a step of forming a reactive polysiloxane coating that is covalently attached onto the back or front surface of a molded insert adhered on the twice-used mold half before molding the embedded contact lens in the 2nd curing step.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for producing embedded diffractive contact lenses involving use of a mold set in two-curing steps. The mold set consists of three mold halves, one of which is used twice, the first time for molding a diffractive insert and the second time for an embedded contact lens with the molded diffractive insert embedded therein. The twice-used mold half has been treated with a corona plasma or a vacuum UV in a central circular area having a diameter equal to or smaller than the diameter of the insert to ensure that the molded insert consistently adheres to the twice-used mold half, even though the other mating insert mold half for molding the diffractive insert has a great tendency to bind strongly the molded insert due to the diffractive structure on its molding surface.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for producing embedded contact lenses involving a mold set in a two-curing-step process and a fast-curing SiHy lens formulation. The mold set consists of three mold halves, one of which is used twice, the first time for molding an insert from an insert-forming composition and the second time for an embedded contact lens with the molded insert embedded therein from the fast curing SiHy lens formulation that comprises a N,N-dialkylacrylamide, a hydrophilic (meth)acrylamido monomer, and a polysiloxane vinylic crosslinker and being free of any siloxane-containing vinylic monomer.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for producing delamination-resistant embedded contact lenses involving use of a mold set in two-curing steps and a special lens-forming composition for forming a bulk hydrogel material for embedding a crosslinked polymeric insert. The mold set consists of three mold halves, one of which is used twice, the first time for molding an insert from an insert-forming composition and the second time for an embedded contact lens with the molded insert embedded therein from the special lens-forming composition that a vinylic crosslinking agent and or organic solvent both of which independent of each other can swell an insert by a moderate swelling degree. The resultant embedded hydrogel contact lenses can be free of deformation and delamination.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for producing coated silicone hydrogel contact lenses in a cost-effective manner.

Abstract: The invention provides a contact lens manufacturing method comprising a process for removing unprocessed molded silicone hydrogel contact lenses from mold halves in a relatively efficient and consistent manner. The method of the invention involves using a silicone fluid (or so-called silicone oil) as non-reactive diluent in SiHy lens formulation for making SiHy contact lenses. Resultant SiHy contact lenses cast-molded from such a SiHy lens formulation can have a significantly reduced adhesion force with the molding surfaces of a lens mold and consequently a higher efficiency and consistency in removing unprocessed molded SiHy contact lenses from mold halves can be achieved. This method of the invention can be easily implemented in a production environment for enhancing the production yield.

Abstract: Described herein is a method for producing a contact lens comprising a central photochromic zone that has a diameter of about 13 mm or less and is concentric with the central axis of the contact lens. The method comprises: applying a first polymerizable fluid composition containing at least one photochromic compound on a central portion of the molding surface of a female mold half to form a circular layer; partially photocuring, in situ, the circular layer in the female mold half by using a visible light; dispensing a second polymerizable fluid composition over the partially-cured circular layer on the molding surface of the female mold half; and a step of thermally curing the second polymerizable fluid composition and the partially-cured circular layer immersed therein in the mold cavity formed between the molding surfaces of the female mold half and a male mold half.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for producing coated silicone hydrogel contact lenses in a cost-effective manner. The method comprises treating the molding surfaces of polypropylene lens molds (or other hydrophobic plastic molds) with a vacuum UV or a corona plasma to increase the surface energies of the molding surfaces of the lens molds, cast-molding a silicone hydrogel lens formulation containing a relatively small amount of at least one carboxyl-containing vinylic monomer in the treated lens molds, and heating resultant cast-molded silicone hydrogel contact lenses in an aqueous coating solution comprising a water-soluble and thermally crosslinkable polymeric material to form a coated silicone hydrogel contact lens comprising a bulk silicone hydrogel material and a hydrogel layer covalently attached onto the bulk silicone hydrogel material.

Abstract: The invention provides an easy-to-remove water gradient contact lens. Such a water gradient contact lens comprises imperfections (ditches and/or gaps) in the anterior outer hydrogel layer and can be made according to a cost-effective method involving a step of partially or completely shielding reactive functional groups in selected zones on the anterior surface a to-be-coated contact lens before grafting a layer of a non-silicone hydrogel material. With the imperfections in the anterior outer hydrogel layer, the surface lubricity of the anterior surface is inferior to that of the posterior surface. By adjusting the shape, size, density, and rotational distribution of the imperfections, one also can selectively adjust and optimize the surface lubricity of the anterior surface of a water gradient contact lens so as to have improved lens handlability while maintaining other desirable properties.

Abstract: The invention provides a hydrophilized polydiorganosiloxane vinylic crosslinker which comprises (1) a polydiorganosiloxane polymer chain comprising dimethylsiloxane units and hydrophilized siloxane units each having one methyl substituent and one monovalent C4-C40 organic radical substituent having two to six hydroxyl groups, wherein the molar ratio of the hydrophilized siloxane units to the dimethylsiloxane units is from about 0.035 to about 0.15, and (2) two terminal (meth)acryloyl groups. The hydrophilized polydiorganosiloxane vinylic crosslinker has a number average molecular weight of from about 3000 Daltons to about 80,000 Daltons. The present invention is also related to a silicone hydrogel contact lens, which comprises repeating units derived from a hydrophilized polydiorganosiloxane vinylic crosslinker of the invention.

Abstract: Described herein is a method for producing photochromic contact lenses, in particular, photochromic silicone hydrogel contact lenses. The method comprises a step of cast molding of a lens-forming composition including a vinylic monomer having a primary amino or thiolactone group to form an unprocessed contact lens having the polymer matrix of which have pendant primary amino or thiolactone groups, a step of one-pot multistep reactions based on thiolactone chemistry (aminolysis and thiol-induced graft polymerization of a photochromic vinylic monomer to the polymer matrix) which are carried out only in its central region which is circular and concentric with the central axis of the unprocessed contact lens. The obtained photochromic contact lens has a central pupillary region that only can undergo a reversible color change upon exposure to UV/HEVL-radiation.

Abstract: Described herein is a method for producing photochromic silicone hydrogel contact lenses in a relatively efficient and consistent manner from a polymerizable composition under a controlled thermal curing scheme. The main polymerizable components in the polymerizable composition are a high radical-reactive hydrophilic (meth)acrylamido monomer, a high radical-reactive siloxane-containing (meth)acrylamido monomer, and a polysiloxane vinylic crosslinker(s) free of low-reactive ethylenically unsaturated group as the main crosslinker. The thermal free radical initiator having a 10 hour half-life temperature (T10h?) of from about 50° C. to about 90° C. The controlled thermal curing scheme includes maintaining a first curing temperature of from about (T10h??20)° C. to about T10h?° C. for a first curing time and maintaining a second curing temperature of from about (T10h?+10)° C. to about (T10h?+35)° C. for a second curing time.

Abstract: The invention provides a class of photochromic polydiorganosiloxane vinylic crosslinkers. Each of the photochromic polydiorganosiloxane vinylic crosslinkers of the invention comprise (1) a polydiorganosiloxane polymer chain comprising dimethylsiloxane units and photochromic siloxane unit having one methyl substituent and one organic substituent having a photochromic moiety that capable of undergoing a reversible color change upon exposure to UV-irradiation or high-energy-violet light; (2) two terminal ethylenically-unsaturated groups. The invention also provides a soft photochromic contact lens, especially a photochromic silicone hydrogel contact lens, which comprises a crosslinked polymeric material comprising repeating units of at least one of such a class of photochromic polydiorganosiloxane vinylic crosslinkers.