Novartis Ag

Ciba-geigy Corporation

Ciba Vision Corporation

Alcon, Inc.

Peter Hagmann

Bernhard Seiferling

Axel Heinrich

Roger Biel

Peter Herbrechtsmeier

Günter Lässig

John Golby

Otto Kretzschmar

Sharla Borghorst

Harald Bothe

Peter Hofer

Robert Allen Janssen

John Martin Lally

Gabriela Cocora

Werner Steffan

Robert Earl Szokolay

Willi Hoerner

Achim Muller

Roland Hauck

Michael Wolf

Michele De Lucchi

Uwe Haken

Daryl Reece

Halina Heidrich

Deborah Jean Mulcahy

Honghui Lu

Stephan Pirl

Matthias Braun

Torsten Fritze

Shu Zong

Erich Baumann

Masahiko Cubo

Achim M&uuml;ller

Yongxing Qiu

John Dallas Pruitt

Beat Muller

Gunther Krieg

Wolfgang Geissler

Ingolf Braune

Peter Baumann

Roland Schmieder

Jan Bernard

William Jordan Hall

Fabian Kern

Beat Müller

Stefan Bickert

Karsten Straube

Beat M&uuml;ller

Jordan Hall

Volker Lanig

Carlton Pope

Egbert Jux

Joseph Michael Rappon

Alexander Bayer

Eberhard Vaas

Martin Reichner

Anette Therese Lang-Sch&ouml;ll

Karl Baur

Roland Seibert

Olaf Rothe

G&uuml;nter L&auml;ssig

Holger Stockhorst

Peter H&ouml;fer

Hubert Lutz

Carolin Hartert

Thomas Schulz

Stephan Piri

Wilhelm Horner

Lukas Lomb

Norbert Söllner

Iris Leder-Bruck

Anette Lang

Christian Süppel-Adrian

Thomas Richter

Wilhelm Hörner

Gunnar Baske

Renata Schröter

Norbert S&ouml;llner

Wilhelm H&ouml;rner

R Erich Bauman

Iris Jlona Leder-Br&uuml;ck

Hans W&ouml;rner

Michael Tretter

Günter LÄSSIG

A manufacturing module (MM) for contact lenses comprises a plurality of manufacturing stations () arranged in a closed loop and a plurality of lens mold carriers () which are transported through the manufacturing stations. Each lens mold carrier () comprises a frame () having a predetermined number of mounting sites () arranged along the frame. Each lens mold carrier () further comprises a predetermined number of molds () removably mounted to the frame () at the mounting sites (), the molds being reusable male or female molds (). Two lens mold carriers () are assigned to each other to form a pair, so that upon mating the pair of lens mold carriers () the male and female molds () are mated to form mold cavities defining the shape of the lenses. The manufacturing stations comprise a mold changing station () configured to be capable of removing a mold from its mounting site () and mounting a different mold at the said mounting site (), or configured to change the rotational position of a mold () mounted to the frame (), or both.

Manufacturing module for the manufacture of ophthalmic lenses

A modular production line for the production of contact lenses comprises at least three separate modules: The modular production line further comprises fixedly arranged transfer interfaces between the individual modules (MM, IM, PP) for transferring the lenses from a preceding module to a subsequent module. The manufacturing module (MM) comprises a plurality of manufacturing stations () which are grouped to form a plurality of individual manufacturing units () arranged in a closed loop. Reusable male and female molds () are transported through the manufacturing stations of the manufacturing units, and each manufacturing unit () comprises a plurality of the manufacturing stations (). A plurality of transfer robots () is provided, each transfer robot () of the plurality of transfer robots () being arranged at a location between two manufacturing units () to transfer the reusable molds from one manufacturing unit to the other manufacturing unit.

Modular production line for the production of ophthalmic lenses

Described herein is a cost-effective and time-efficient method for making UV-absorbing contact lenses. In contrast to the conventional method for making UV-absorbing contact lenses which involves copolymerizing a lens forming composition including a UV-absorbing vinylic monomer, a method of the invention involves dipping a contact lens in a solution of UV-absorbing polymer comprising carboxyl-containing monomeric units, UV-absorbing monomeric units and covalently bound radical-initiating moieties to form a UV-absorbing coating on the contact lens.

Method for making improved UV-absorbing ophthalmic lenses

There is described a method of separating excess lens forming material from a molded ophthalmic lens, in particular a contact lens. After polymerization and/or cross-linking of a lens forming material (P) within a mold cavity () of a mold () comprising female and male mold halves () to form an ophthalmic lens non-polymerized and/or non-cross-linked lens forming material is flushed away from the mold halves () with a jet of a fluid flushing medium, such as, e.g., water or a solvent or an inert gas. Subsequently the molded lens is dried. In accordance with the invention the flushing is accomplished with the mold halves () still in the closed position. There is also described an apparatus for carrying out the method.

Method of separating excess lens forming material from a molded ophthalmic lens, in particular a contact lens

A method for avoiding the entrapment of air bubbles () in a lens forming material, in particular in a low viscosity lens forming material, in an ophthalmic lens manufacturing process using mold halves () each having a lens forming surface () comprises electrostatically charging a predetermined portion of the lens forming surface () of the mold half () prior to the predetermined portion of the lens forming surface () coming into contact with the lens forming material ().

Method for avoiding entrapment of air bubbles in a lens forming material and apparatus for carrying out the method

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

A container () for accommodating an ophthalmic lens during a lens treatment process has a longitudinal axis () and comprises a containment portion (), a mounting portion (), and a retaining element (). The containment portion () comprises a tubular section () and a bottom () protruding convexly towards the outside at one end of the tubular section () and has a number of apertures (). The mounting portion () comprises flow openings and an access opening () at an end remote from the containment portion (). The retaining element () prohibits the lens from being washed out of the containment portion () and further permits access of a gripper into the containment portion () for insertion and removal of the lens. The mounting portion () extends from the access opening () to the tubular section () in a manner to enable introduction of the containment portion () of another such container () into the mounting portion () through the access opening ().

Container for accommodating an ophthalmic lens during a lens treatment process

The invention is related to a method for making a silicone hydrogel contact lens having a nano-textured surface which mimics the surface texture of cornea of human eye. A method of the invention comprises creating a prime coating having nano-textures through controlled imbibition and/or depositions of a reactive polymeric coating material and fixing the nano-textures by crosslinking a hydrophilic polymeric material onto the prime coating to form a crosslinked polymeric coating that perserves the nano-textures of the prime coating and provides a nano-textured surface to the contact lens.

Silicone hydrogel lenses with nano-textured surfaces

A method for manufacturing ophthalmic lenses, e.g. contact lenses, in particular soft contact lenses, comprises the steps of molding in a high volume manufacturing process a plurality of lenses (CL) having different properties, and transferring the respective molded lenses (CL) that have the same properties to a respective intermediate buffer () so as to store therein a bulk of lenses (CL) having the same properties.

Method and apparatus for manufacturing ophthalmic lenses

There is described a method of dosing a lens forming material into a mold (), which comprises dosing a metered amount of a lens forming material (P) including a volatile solvent into a mold cavity () enclosed by a female mold half () and a male mold half of a mold (). The lens forming material (P) is subsequently polymerized and/or cross-linked to form an ophthalmic lens, in particular a contact lens. Dosing of the lens forming material (P) into the mold cavity () is accomplished while the mold halves () are associated with each other substantially gas-tight. There is also described an apparatus for carrying out the method.

Method of dosing a lens forming material into a mold

Described herein is a cost-effective and time-efficient method for making UV-absorbing contact lenses. In contrast to the conventional method for making UV-absorbing contact lenses which involves copolymerizing a lens forming composition including a UV-absorbing vinylic monomer, a method of the invention involves dipping a contact lens in a solution of UV-absorbing polymer comprising carboxyl-containing monomeric units and UV-absorbing monomeric units to form a UV-absorbing coating on the contact lens.

Method for making UV-absorbing ophthalmic lenses

The present invention relates to a mold half for making an ophthalmic lens, in particular a contact lens, wherein the mold half comprises a release sheet removably arranged on the mold surface of said mold half to separate a lens forming material from the mold surface, as well as to a method for applying a removable mold release sheet to said mold half. The mold half of the invention comprises a vacuum means to removably attach said release sheet to said mold surface, and preferably the mold half further comprises a pinch-off rim for forming the edge of said ophthalmic lens.

Mold release sheet

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.

The present invention relates to a method and a device for singulating ophthalmic lenses, particularly contact lenses. The method and the device are suitable for integration into an automated production of ophthalmic lenses, particularly contact lenses.

Method and device for singulating ophthalmic lenses

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Erlenbach am Main, Germany

Peter Hagmann