Alcon, Inc.

David Andrew Icenogle

Cornelius Daniel Niculas

Steve Yun Zhang

Yeming Gu

Chandana Kolluru

Yuan Chang

Yang Zheng

Zahra Bassampour

Junhao Ge

Augustine Twum Kumi

Jing Cheng

Daryl Reece

Michelle Plavnik

Muhammad Waqas Asif

Yan Wang

Justin Joel Aguayo

The invention relates to a method for producing embedded hydrogel contact lenses each having an insert that comprises alignment features capable of capable of aligning the insert in depth and radial position in a female mold half during cast molding of an embedded hydrogel contact lens. The alignment features protrude from the front surface, are rotationally symmetric with respect to the central axis of the insert and independently have a shape having a curvature being greater than 2 folds of the curvature of the molding surface so as to minimize contacting area between the alignment features and the molding surface. The use of such an insert can simplify the process for producing embedded hydrogel contact lenses and enable the process to be implemented readily in an automatic production.

Method for making embedded hydrogel contact lenses

Systems, devices, and methods are disclosed for fabricating a hybrid contact lens product having a lens insert embedded at a precisely controlled location within a lens body. A mold engagement and support base engages and retains a lens forming mold in a substantially fixed position. An insert placement and positioning device includes an insert pickup head with a contact face configured for releasable engagement of the lens insert and at least one suction opening in the contact face for applying suction to engage the insert on the contact face. A positioning housing interacts with the mold and/or the support base to provide precise locational positioning of the lens insert within the mold. A lens body forming material is delivered to the mold to encapsulate the lens insert.

Systems and methods for insert placement to fabricate hybrid contact lenses

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.

Embedded hydrogel contact lenses

A cuvette with at least one side having materials with thermal conductivity of at least 5 W/m-K, such as sapphire, for holding contact lenses or intra-ocular lenses during optical measurements. The cuvette may further include a backstop to ensure consistent measurements and a pedestal to minimize optical measurement variations.

Cuvette for optical lens analyses

The invention is generally directed to an apparatus and a method for measuring a refractive index of a soft contact lens under a consistent pressure.

Method and apparatus for the measurement of the refraction index of a hydrogel contact lens

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Brookhaven, GA, United States of America

David Andrew Icenogle