Hybrid contact lens system and method

Abstract

Methods of manufacturing hybrid contact lenses using a mold are provided. The methods include pouring liquefied resin of a substantially rigid material within an inner section, curing the substantially rigid material, pouring liquefied resin of a substantially flexible material within an outer section and curing the substantially flexible material. In some embodiments, a wall disposed between the rigid and flexible materials is angled and / or bent to increase bonding strength between the rigid and flexible sections. The curing steps involve the application of heat, UV light, or a combination of both heat and UV light.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 657,061, filed Sep. 5, 2003, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 408,618, filed Sep. 6, 2002, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention generally relates to contact lenses, and more particularly to hybrid hard-soft contact lenses. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Vision correction is on the verge of a revolution. New technologies to measure the aberrations or distortions in the optics of the eye will soon be available to the public. These new wavefront measurement techniques such as Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensing or Talbot Interferometry can precisely measure the eye's aberrations so that vision may be corrected up to 20 / 10. Wavefront sensing is the method for rapidly, and very accurately, assessing the aberrations in an individual's eye...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010] The present invention also provides methods of using base curve molding to produce hybrid hard-soft contact lens that includes sufficient bonding between hard and soft sections to prevent tearing of the lens at the bonding junctions. Some embodiments include methods of coupling the hard section of the lens to the soft section of the lens, while other embodiments include cost-effective manufacturing methods of a hybrid hard-soft contact lens.

[0012] One aspect of the present invention involves a method of manufacturing a hybrid contact lens using a mold including an inner section and an outer section that are separated by an inner wall. The method includes the steps of pouring liquefied resin of a substantially rigid material within the inner section, curing the substantially rigid material, pouring liquefied resin of a substantially flexible material within the outer section and curing the substantially flexible material. The inner wall may be angled and / or bent to increase bonding strength between the rigid and flexible sections. The curing steps involve the application of heat, UV light, or a combination of both heat and ultraviolet (UV) light. A UV blocking material such as 4-methacryloxy-2-hydroxybenzophenone can also be incorporated in the formulation to absorb the UV light and to prevent cataract development.

Problems solved by technology

Advantageously, the preform base curve molding obviates an expensive base curve lathing operation and only requires front surface lathing to manufacturing a stock or custom hybrid lens.

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