Reusable lens molds and methods of use thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017173902-A1
Application number	US-201615347081-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 9, 2016
Priority date	Dec 17, 2015
Publication date	Jun 22, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention general related to a method and a reusable mold for making a contact lens, comprising a first mold half having a first mold surface in contact with a hydrogel contact lens forming composition and a second mold half having a second mold surface in contact with the lens forming composition, wherein the first mold half and the second mold half are configured to receive each other such that a cavity is formed between the first mold surface and the second mold surface, wherein the cavity defines the shape of a contact lens to be molded, wherein the lens forming composition is polymerizable and/or crosslinkable by an actinic radiation, wherein at least one of the mold halves having an absorbing antireflective coating, wherein the reusable mold is a non-plastic mold.

First claim

What we claim is:

1 . A reusable mold for making a contact lens, comprising a first mold half having a first mold surface in contact with a hydrogel contact lens forming composition and a second mold half having a second mold surface in contact with the lens forming composition, wherein the first mold half and the second mold half are configured to receive each other such that a cavity is formed between the first mold surface and the second mold surface, wherein the cavity defines the shape of a contact lens to be molded, wherein the lens forming composition is polymerizable and/or crosslinkable by an actinic radiation, wherein at least one of the mold halves having an absorbing antireflective coating, wherein the reusable mold is a non-plastic mold.

2 . The reusable mold for making a contact lens of claim 1 , wherein the absorbing antireflective coating having a less than 2 percent reflection between 380 nm to 460 nm in near normal incident.

3 . The reusable mold for making a contact lens of claim 1 , wherein the absorbing antireflective coating comprising at least two layers of coating.

4 . The reusable mold for making a contact lens of claim 3 , wherein the absorbing antireflective coating comprising at least three layers of coating.

5 . The reusable mold for making a contact lens of claim 4 , wherein the absorbing antireflective coating comprising at least two layers of a transition metal nitride.

6 . The reusable mold for making a contact lens of claim 5 , wherein the transition metal nitride layers comprise a material selected from the group consisting of titanium nitride, zirconium nitride, hafnium nitride, vanadium nitride, niobium nitride, tantalum nitride and chromium nitride.

7 . A method for producing a contact lens, comprising the steps of:
(5) providing a contact lens mold, wherein the mold comprising a first mold half having a first mold and a second mold half having a second mold surface, wherein the first mold half and the second mold half are configured to receive each other such that a cavity is formed between the first mold surface and the second mold surface, wherein the cavity defines the shape of a contact lens to be molded, wherein at least one of the mold halves wherein at least one of the mold halves having an absorbing antireflective coating, wherein the mold is a non-plastic mold. (6) introducing a lens-forming composition into the cavity formed by the first and second molding surfaces, material, wherein the lens-forming material is crosslinkable and/or polymerizable by actinic radiation; (7) crosslinking/polymerizing the lens-forming material in the mold to form a lens having a polymer matrix; (8) opening the mold and removing the formed contact lens from the mold, wherein the formed contact lens has a clean lens edge without flash.

8 . The method for producing a contact lens of claim 7 , wherein the absorbing antireflective coating having a less than 2 percent reflection between 380 nm to 460 nm in near normal incident.

9 . The method for producing a contact lens of claim 7 , wherein the absorbing antireflective coating comprising at least two layers of coating.

10 . The method for producing a contact lens of claim 8 , wherein the absorbing antireflective coating comprising at least three layers of coating.

11 . The method for producing a contact lens of claim 9 , wherein the absorbing antireflective coating comprising at least two layers of a transition metal nitride.

12 . The method for producing a contact lens of claim 10 , wherein the transition metal nitride layers comprise a material selected from the group consisting of titanium nitride, zirconium nitride, hafnium nitride, vanadium nitride, niobium nitride, tantalum nitride and chromium nitride.

Assignees

• Novartis Ag

Inventors

• Liu Alice Weimin
• Pi Ying

Classifications

• B29D11/00519 Primary

  Reusable moulds · CPC title

• B29D11/00057

  characterised by the shape or surface condition of the edge, e.g. flashless, burrless, smooth · CPC title

• B29D11/00192

  Demoulding, e.g. separating lenses from mould halves · CPC title

• B29D11/00134

  Curing of the contact lens material · CPC title

• B29K2909/08

  Glass · CPC title