Novartis Ag

Alcon, Inc.

Honghui Lu

Uwe Haken

Daryl Reece

Roger Biel

Peter Hagmann

Bernhard Seiferling

Axel Heinrich

Günter Lässig

Alice Weimin Liu

Gabriela Cocora

Deborah Jean Mulcahy

Carlton Pope

Jinyu Huang

Arturo Norberto Medina

William Jordan Hall

Jordan Hall

Horngyih Huang

Oli Jobe

Mark Neely

Katherine Ard

Xuxian Niu

Alexander W Kim

The present invention generally relates to a method for producing silicone hydrogel contact lenses having less optical defects or free of optical defects by subjecting the extraction tray for the formed silicone hydrogel contact lenses to a reciprocating lowering and raising motion thereof to obtain the silicone hydrogel contact lenses.

Method for making silicone hydrogel contact lenses

An embodiment of the invention is a basket for holding contact lenses. The basket comprises a first basket and a second basket mating members, each basket member includes a basket wall defining a first cavity, a planar flange extending out around the first cavity, a plurality of spaced fingers extending upward circumferentially from the periphery of the cavity, wherein the first basket and second basket mating members having a same structure, wherein the first basket and second basket mating members forming a second cavity when mated for receiving said contact lens, the cavity inhibiting inversion or rolling over of said contact lens when emplaced therein. A tray that comprises a plurality of baskets is another embodiment of the invention. In addition, the invention provides a stack assembly that comprises a plurality of trays each of which comprises a plurality of baskets.

Basket for carrying a contact lens during its treatment in a bath

The invention provides a method for producing ophthalmic lenses, preferably contact lenses, more preferably silicone hydrogel contact lenses. This method involves applying a coat of catanionic vesicles onto the molding surfaces of a mold. By having a coat of catanionic vesicles on the molding surfaces of a mold, mold separation force and lens defects generated during mold opening and de-molding process can be substantially reduced.

Method for producing ophthalmic lenses

The instant invention pertains to a method and a fluid composition for producing contact lenses with improved lens quality and with increased product yield. The method of the invention involves applying to a molding surface of the mold a layer of mold releasing agent selected from a group consisting of fatty amines of carbon chain length C18 or less and silicones bearing pendant substituted pyrrolidone groups solution to reduce an averaged mold separation force by at least about 50% in comparison with that without the releasing agent.

Method for making contact lenses

There is described a process for manufacturing an ophthalmic lens and an apparatus for forming an ophthalmic lens, in particular a silicone hydrogel contact lens, wherein in a mold assembly a first and a second mold half () are first arranged in an intermediate closed position in which the mold surfaces of the two mold halves are spaced apart from each other at a distance increase (d1) of preferably 1 to 100 &#x3bc;m relative to a final distance (d0) in a final closed position, and wherein, during curing of the lens forming material (), the mold surfaces () of the mold halves () are actively or passively moved or moving from the intermediate closed position to the final closed position, where the distance increase (d1) is 0.

Process for manufacturing an ophthalmic lens

There is described a process for manufacturing an ophthalmic lens and an apparatus for forming an ophthalmic lens, in particular a silicone hydrogel contact lens, wherein in a mold assembly a first and a second mold half () are first arranged in an intermediate closed position in which the mold surfaces of the two mold halves are spaced apart from each other at a distance increase (d) of preferably 1 to 100 &#x3bc;m relative to a final distance (d) in a final closed position, and wherein, during curing of the lens forming material (), the mold surfaces () of the mold halves () are actively or passively moved or moving from the intermediate closed position to the final closed position, where the distance increase (d) is 0.

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Johns Creek, GA, United States of America

Honghui Lu