HK1121241B - Systems and methods for producing silicone hydrogel contact lenses - Google Patents

Abstract

Systems and methods for producing silicone hydrogel contact lenses are described. Certain of the present systems include a contact lens mold forming station, a station for filling a contact lens mold section with a lens precursor composition and for placing a second mold section on the filled mold section to form a contact lens mold assembly, a curing station for forming a contact lens, a mold assembly separation station, and an extraction/hydration station. Certain of the present methods include forming a plurality of mold sections, placing a lens precursor composition on a surface of a first mold section, placing a second mold section on the first mold section, polymerizing the lens precursor composition, separating the first and second mold sections, removing the silicone hydrogel contact lens from one of the mold sections, extracting extractable components from the contact lens, and hydrating the contact lens.

Description

Systems and methods for manufacturing silicone hydrogel contact lenses

The inventor: neil g.goodenough, Gregg a.dean, Sarah e.darnton, Richard Rogers, Philip a.master, Geoffrey a.blyth, Sarah l.almond, Ian Bruce, Pete colliney and Jamie Snell

This application claims priority to U.S. application No. 11/201,409, filed on 8/9/2005, and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to silicone hydrogel contact lenses and their manufacture. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for manufacturing silicone hydrogel contact lenses.

Background

Soft contact lenses can be made in plastic contact lens mold assemblies by polymerizing a lens precursor composition in the contact lens mold assembly. Existing contact lens mold assemblies include a first mold section and a second mold section. Each mold section has a single surface corresponding to the surface of a soft contact lens of acceptable optical quality. When a mold assembly is formed using mold sections formed of polypropylene or other similar materials, the components may be formed by an interference fit between the first and second mold sections.

The lens precursor composition contained in the mold assembly can be polymerized to form a contact lens located in a lens-shaped cavity of the mold assembly. For example, the lens precursor composition can be exposed to ultraviolet light to polymerize the composition. The light delivered to the lens precursor composition is typically not uniformly or constantly applied to the mold assembly because the light emitting lamps are placed on only one side of the mold assembly. To solve this problem, the light emitted by the lamp is transmitted at a high intensity. However, the light is still not uniform or constant.

After polymerizing the lens precursor composition, the mold sections are separated by interrupting the interference fit between the two mold sections. Unreacted monomers, etc. can be extracted and the lens packaged. For silicone hydrogel contact lenses, the extraction process typically requires contacting the lens with an organic solvent. After a period of time, the solvent is discarded when it has become contaminated with unreacted monomers.

In addition, because silicone hydrogel contact lenses formed in polypropylene molds or other molds formed of similar materials have surfaces that do not meet the wetting characteristics required for ophthalmic use, silicone hydrogel contact lenses are subjected to surface treatments or surface modifications to enhance the wettability of the lens surfaces.

Accordingly, there remains a need for improved systems and methods of manufacturing silicone hydrogel contact lenses that reduce manufacturing time, manufacturing costs, and/or manufacture large numbers of silicone hydrogel contact lenses that are ophthalmically acceptable and that provide enhanced vision with little or no negative side effects.

Disclosure of Invention

The present systems and methods address this need and are useful for manufacturing silicone hydrogel contact lenses, such as extended wear contact lenses. The system and method of the present invention forms a plurality of substantially identically configured mold sections having two optical quality surfaces in a lens forming region of the mold sections. A lens precursor composition is placed on one surface of the mold section. A second mold section is placed over the mold section containing the lens precursor composition to form a lens-shaped cavity in which the composition is located. The resulting contact lens mold assembly and lens precursor composition are exposed to a polymerizing agent, such as ultraviolet light, to form a silicone hydrogel contact lens located in the lens-shaped cavity. The mold sections are separated and the lens is removed from one of the mold sections and contacted with an extraction medium to remove the extractable component from the lens. The lens is then hydrated to form a swollen silicone hydrogel contact lens. The swollen lenses can be optionally inspected and packaged for distribution.

Each feature described herein and each combination of two or more such features is included within the scope of the present invention provided that the features included in such a combination are not mutually inconsistent. In addition, any feature or combination of features may be specifically excluded from any embodiment of the present invention.

These and other aspects of the present invention are apparent in the following detailed description and claims, particularly when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts bear like reference numerals.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of one embodiment of the method of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of a contact lens manufacturing system.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a mold section for making silicone hydrogel contact lenses.

Fig. 4 illustrates a lens precursor dispensing apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a mold assembly formed from two of the mold sections illustrated in FIG. 3.

Fig. 6 illustrates an ultrasonic welding apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a lens precursor polymerization stage.

Fig. 8 illustrates a lens package containing a silicone hydrogel contact lens.

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the mold assemblies being separated by the separating device.

Fig. 10 is a plan side view of the separator of fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a silicone hydrogel contact lens being removed from a mold section using a vacuum apparatus.

Fig. 12 illustrates an extraction/hydration system for treating silicone hydrogel contact lenses.

Detailed Description

Systems and methods for manufacturing silicone hydrogel contact lenses have been invented. As used herein, a silicone hydrogel contact lens is a contact lens comprising a hydrophilic silicon-containing polymeric component having high oxygen permeability and an ophthalmically acceptable water content. A silicone hydrogel contact lens can be understood to be a contact lens comprising a silicone hydrogel material. For example, silicone hydrogel contact lenses can comprise one or more hydrophilic silicon-containing macromers. Examples of suitable materials for the manufacture of silicone hydrogel contact lenses include, without limitation, etafilcon A, genfilcon A, galyfilcon A, senofilcon A, lenefilcon A, lotrafilcon B, balafilcon A, comfilcon A, or polymacon. Other examples of materials useful in the manufacture of the silicone hydrogel contact lenses of the present invention include those disclosed in U.S. patent No. 6,867,245.

Lenses made using the systems and methods of the present invention may be understood as extended wear contact lenses, continuous wear lenses or daily wear lenses. For example, the lenses may be worn continuously for more than 1 day (e.g., 24 hours) without undue discomfort or damage to the eyes. Certain lenses may be worn for at least 5 days, for example, for about one or two weeks or for about 30 days or more.

The present systems and methods are preferably automated and configured to manufacture a large number of contact lenses in a reasonably acceptable amount of time.

As shown in fig. 1, a method of manufacturing a silicone hydrogel contact lens in accordance with the disclosure herein comprises a plurality of steps.

One present method includes a step 110 of forming a plurality of contact lens mold sections. Each mold section is substantially identical to another mold section for a given batch of mold sections. Thus, a batch of mold sections can be manufactured that are all substantially identical in structure. Each mold section includes a lens forming region. The lens forming zone comprises a concave surface of the master that is the optical quality front surface of the contact lens and a convex surface of the master that is the optical quality back surface of the contact lens.

An example of a mold section manufactured using the method and system of the present invention is illustrated in fig. 3. As shown in fig. 3, the mold section 1010 includes a lens forming region 1014 having a concave surface 1016 and an opposing convex surface 1017. As used herein, an optical quality surface means a lens-defining surface having a smoothness effective to impart a high quality optically smooth surface to a lens product molded therefrom. Thus, each mold section of the present invention comprises two surfaces that produce a contact lens having a smooth ophthalmically acceptable surface. In certain aspects, the mold sections of the present invention can be understood to be universal mold sections.

In certain embodiments, 8 mold sections may be manufactured at a time or in a single step. The 8 mold sections can then be transferred to a pallet that can hold a total of 512 substantially identical mold sections.

In the illustrated embodiment, provided by way of example and not limitation, as shown in fig. 3, the method may include the optional step of forming an elongated member 1012 on the mold portion 1010. In the preferred method, the elongate member 1012 and the lens forming region 1014 are integrally formed as a single mold section. For example, the two parts are formed in a single injection molding step. In one embodiment, the forming of the mold sections of the method of the present invention comprises injection molding an ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH) polymer-based material into a contact lens mold shaped cavity. Other similar polymeric materials may be used to form the mold sections, such as other materials that form silicone hydrogel lenses having wettable surfaces. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the cavity is typically a master of the contact lens mold section 1010 shown in FIG. 3.

The lens forming region 1014 of the mold section 1010 can be formed using two optical inserts, each having a smooth surface sufficient to form an optical quality surface of the mold section, as discussed herein. Each insert may be provided in a plate for forming the mould cavity. The shape of the smooth surface of the optical insert imparts certain design features to the contact lenses of the invention, such as optical power. Thus, different batches of mold sections can be manufactured by replacing optical inserts in the plate with different optical inserts. One advantage of manufacturing substantially identically configured mold sections, such as mold sections having two optical quality surfaces, is that the system includes a reduced number of components or parts, a reduced number of molding machines, and/or enhancements to inventory management over existing systems that form mold sections having only one optical quality surface.

As shown in FIG. 1, the method comprises the step 112 of placing a lens precursor composition comprising at least one silicon-containing monomer or macromer on the concave surface of the first mold portion. The composition can be placed on the concave surface using any conventional technique or device. However, in certain embodiments, as shown in fig. 4, the composition is placed on the concave surface using an automated dispensing apparatus. The automatic dispensing apparatus 1110 comprises a dispensing tip 1112 and a hollow body 1114 containing a composition 1118. A piston 1116 is located in the body 1114 to direct the composition from the dispensing tip 1112. Movement of the piston 1116 and dispensing of the composition 1118 may be controlled using pressurized gas delivered through a pump device and conduit 1120. Thus, discrete and reproducible amounts of the composition can be dispensed onto the concave surface.

The lens precursor composition comprises a plurality of monomers that are polymerizable upon exposure to a polymerization source such as light, heat, and the like. The photosensitive composition is preferably stored in a device that blocks or filters ambient polymerizing light to prevent premature polymerization of the composition. The compositions of the present invention can also be stored at a controlled temperature, such as about room temperature (e.g., 20-25℃.) using a temperature controller. For example, the body 1114 can be formed of a uv resistant material to prevent exposure to the lens precursor composition 1118 or to reduce the amount of uv exposure to the lens precursor composition 1118.

After placing the lens precursor composition 1118 onto the concave surface 1016 of the mold section 1010, the method can comprise the step 114 of placing a second mold section onto the first mold section such that the convex surface of the second mold section and the concave surface of the first mold section form a contact lens shaped cavity. The combination of a first mold section and a second mold section located thereon is referred to as a contact lens mold assembly. A contact lens mold assembly 1020 is illustrated in fig. 5.

The first and second mold portions 1010 of the mold assembly 1020 can be held together using a variety of techniques. For example, the mold sections can be held together by applying pressure to opposing plates that contact opposite sides of the mold assembly. Alternatively, the mold sections may be held together by an interference fit between the first and second mold sections. Alternatively, the mold sections may be welded together. Welding appears to provide benefits when the mold sections are formed from EVOH and similar materials. In the illustrated embodiment, welding the first and second mold sections to each other can include forming a discontinuous ring around the lens forming region of the mold assembly 1020 using an ultrasonic transmission device 1210 as shown in fig. 6. Any conventional ultrasonic delivery device can be used to deliver ultrasonic energy to the mold assembly, such as 40kHz ultrasonic energy. The ultrasonic transmission device 1210 includes an ultrasonic horn 1212 that contacts the mold section of the mold assembly 1020. In embodiments where the mold assembly has a contact gap surrounding the lens forming region, the ultrasonic horn 1212 can be a continuous ring ultrasonic horn. In embodiments where the mold sections do not have contact gaps, the ultrasonic horn may have discrete contact areas that contact the mold sections of the mold assembly to form a discontinuous ring of welds or attachments.

The lens precursor composition can then be polymerized, as shown in step 116 of FIG. 1. Polymerization or curing of the lens precursor composition is effective to form a silicone hydrogel contact lens. In the illustrated embodiment, the polymerizing comprises exposing the lens precursor composition to ultraviolet radiation. As shown in fig. 7, the polymerizing can include moving the contact lens or lenses through a housing 1310 containing a plurality of uv lamps 1312 that expose the lens precursor composition to uv radiation substantially uniformly and substantially constantly. In the illustrated embodiment, when the contact lens mold assembly is exposed to light, the lamp 1312 is located on the assemblyA lower side and a lower side. In addition, using the housing of the present invention, the composition is polymerized using a lesser amount of ultraviolet radiation than prior polymerization systems. In certain embodiments, polymerizing comprises exposing the lens precursor composition to less than about 1000 μ W/cm²At the intensity of the ultraviolet radiation. For example, the radiation intensity may be about 340 ± 50 μ W/cm²To about 900. + -. 50. mu.W/cm². As shown in FIG. 7, two trays carrying a plurality of contact lens mold assemblies can be inserted through the opening 1316 into the inlet vestibule 1314. The light shield 1318 prevents unwanted premature exposure of the lens precursor composition to the ultraviolet light emitted by the lamp 1312. The pallet is transported through the housing 1310 past the lamps 1312 to the exit vestibule 1320 where the pallet and mold assembly can be further processed.

After polymerizing the lens precursor composition, the method can include the step 118 of separating the second mold portion from the first mold portion. In certain embodiments, the separating comprises placing a wedge or other separation device 1510, as shown in fig. 9, between the first mold portion and the second mold portion. This can be accomplished by moving the wedge relative to the stationary mold section or can be accomplished by moving the mold assembly relative to the stationary wedge. In embodiments where the wedge is linear, it is typically moved linearly from a thin region of the wedge to a thick region of the wedge. In embodiments where the wedge is circular, such as a disk, the circular movement may be such that the wedge or assembly rotates about the central axis and separates the first mold section from the second mold section. In certain embodiments, the wedge is not heated. However, in other embodiments, the wedge may be heated to facilitate separation of the mold sections. Alternatively, the wedge may be cooled. Other embodiments may use a laser cutting blade to separate the mold sections.

As shown in FIG. 9, a mold assembly separation device is illustrated at 1510. The device 1510 includes a first separator 1512a and a second separator 1512 b. The first separator 1512a and the second separator 1512b are spaced apart to form a mold assembly track 1514 a. The mold assembly 1010 is movable along the track 1514a in the direction of the arrow to separate the two mold sections of the mold assembly. The first separator 1512a includes a wedge 1516 a. Similarly, the second separator 1512b comprises a wedge 1516 b. Additionally, the second separator 1512b includes a second wedge 1516c and may be used to form one side of a second track 1514b formed with a third separator (not shown).

As shown in the side view of fig. 10, the first wedge 1516a tapers along the length of the separator 1512 a. For example, the wedge 1516a has a smaller thickness, such as a knife edge, at the first end 1518 of the separator 1512a and a relatively larger thickness at the second end 1520 of the separator 1512 a. The wedge thickness gradually increases along the length of the separator. In certain embodiments, the thickness may remain constant (i.e., not tapered) at a portion of the separator near the second end 1520. Wedges 1516b and 1516c are substantially identical in structure to wedge 1516 a.

To separate the mold sections of the mold assembly 1020, the mold assembly 1020 is brought into contact with the wedges 1516a and 1516b between the two mold sections of the mold assembly. The mold assembly 1020 moves relative to the wedges 1516a and 1516b until the second mold section separates from the first mold section due to the stress caused by the gradually increasing thickness of the wedges. Alternatively, the separators can be moved relative to the mold assembly, if desired.

In certain embodiments, the methods of the present disclosure can comprise the step of contacting the silicone hydrogel contact lens with a liquid to separate the lens from the surface of the separated mold section. For example, the contacting step can comprise placing the mold sections containing the polymerized contact lens in a volume of water. Water or other suitable liquid causes the lens to swell or expand and become separated from the surface of the mold section. The swollen lens is separated from the surface but remains in the lens shaped region of the mold section due to the concave shape of the lens region of the mold section.

After separating the mold sections, as shown in FIG. 1, the method comprises a step 120 of removing the silicone hydrogel contact lens from the mold sections. The contact lens can selectively adhere to the first mold section (e.g., the concave surface of the lens forming region) or to the second mold section (e.g., the convex surface of the lens forming region). In the illustrated embodiment, the lens remains adhered to the concave surface of the first mold section. In certain embodiments, it may be desirable to cool the mold sections to which the contact lenses are adhered. For example, a method may include the step of cooling the first mold section such that the contact lens adheres to the first mold section when the first mold section is separated from the second mold section.

The removing 120 of the present method can include the step of applying a negative pressure to the surface of the contact lens using a vacuum apparatus to separate the contact lens from the mold section. More specifically and as shown in fig. 11, a vacuum apparatus 1610 comprising a vacuum head 1612 having a plurality of apertures 1614a, 1614b, and 1614c can be placed adjacent or near the surface of the contact lens 1413. Reducing the pressure in the vacuum head 1612 through the holes 1614a, 1614b, and 1614c causes the lens 1413 to become attached to the vacuum head 1612 and to be removed from the surface 1016 of the lens region 1014 of the mold section 1010. The method may also include the step of displacing the contact lens from the surface of the vacuum apparatus onto a tray. In other words, the contact lens may be removed from the vacuum head surface 1616 and placed on a tray for further processing. In certain embodiments, the displacement is achieved by reducing the vacuum pressure delivered by the vacuum head 1612. In other embodiments, the vacuum head 1612 can include an air delivery device 1618 configured to deliver a column of air along the vacuum head (as shown by arrow a) to facilitate displacement of the contact lens 1413. The column or shroud of air is adapted to prevent the soft silicone hydrogel contact lens from folding and/or moving along the vacuum head during dislodgement.

As shown in fig. 1, after removing the contact lens from the mold section, the method comprises extracting 122 extractable components from the silicone hydrogel contact lens. Extractable components refer to components of the polymeric lens that are removable to render the lens more ophthalmically compatible than the lens containing the extractable component. The extractable component is typically unreacted or unpolymerized monomer in the lens precursor composition. Because some of the extractable components are organic, it may be desirable to use one or more organic solvents. Thus, the methods of the present invention can comprise the step of placing the contact lens in a volume of organic solvent. Examples of suitable organic solvents include methanol, ethanol, propanol, and the like, and combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the organic solvent comprises a blend of methanol and ethanol (i.e., Industrial Methylated Spirit (IMS)). In certain embodiments, the methods of the present invention may comprise the step of recycling the organic solvent used to extract the extractable component. This is in contrast to prior systems that dispense organic solvent after the extraction procedure.

As shown in fig. 12, the extraction system 1710 includes a housing 1712. The housing 1712 contains a plurality of extraction stations 1714 and a plurality of hydration stations 1716. A carrier 1718 comprising a plurality of trays 1720 containing polymerized silicone hydrogel contact lenses is shown in the leftmost extraction station 1714. The extraction stations 1714 contain extraction media, such as different concentrations of IMS, to extract extractable components from the silicone hydrogel contact lenses. During the extraction procedure, the carrier 1718 with the tray 1720 of glasses is transferred from station to station. After extraction, the vehicle is transferred to one hydration station 1716 that contains water and then to a second hydration station 1716 that also contains water. Optionally, one or more hydration stations may be located outside the housing 1712.

As schematically shown, the extraction medium of any extraction station 1714 may be directed through a conduit 1724 for recirculation. The media may be passed through one or more filtering devices and/or other processing devices 1722 before being re-added to any one of the extraction stations 1714 for further use. Thus, the extraction system of the present invention can substantially reduce costs as compared to other systems that reject the extraction medium.

Following the extraction step, the method can include a step 124 of placing the silicone hydrogel contact lens in an aqueous medium to hydrate the lens. For example, the contact lens may be placed in deionized water or the like to saturate or swell the lens. As discussed above, this may occur in the housing 1712 or separately.

The methods of the present invention optionally can include inspecting the contact lens for defects such as tears, surface irregularities, debris, and the like. Inspection can be performed manually using magnifying instruments or can be performed automatically using a computer, digital camera, or software to detect defects in the glasses. The lens can be inspected on a flat surface with a large volume of liquid or without a bolus of liquid.

Following an optional inspection step, the lenses of the invention may be placed in a sealable package, such as package 1410 shown in FIG. 8. The package 1410 comprises a hydrophobic material, such as a polyolefin-based material. For example, package 1410 may be a polypropylene blister package. As shown in fig. 8, package 1410 comprises a base member 1412, base member 1412 comprising a cavity 1418 containing a liquid medium (not shown), such as phosphate buffered saline. The silicone hydrogel contact lens 1413 is placed in a liquid medium. The package 1410 also includes a flange 1420 extending from the cavity 1418, the flange 1420 being graspable by a person attempting to remove the contact lens 1413 located in the cavity.

Advantageously, the present silicone hydrogel contact lenses 1413 can be placed in a hydrophobic package and do not stick to the surface of the package without the need for surfactants or surface modified packaging. In addition, the lenses of the invention do not require surface modification or surface treatment or an Interpenetrating Polymer Network (IPN) of a polymeric wetting agent to make the contact lens surface wettable.

As shown in fig. 3, mold portion 1010 may include an identifier 1022, such as a computer readable identifier. The method of the present invention may therefore comprise the step of tracking the mould parts by scanning the identifier. Preferably, in the methods disclosed herein, each batch of mold sections has a unique identifier to allow the lenses and mold sections to be properly tracked and counted.

As schematically shown in fig. 2, a typical system for manufacturing the contact lenses of the invention comprises a plurality of stations or modules. For example, the system 200 includes a molding station 210, a mold filling and closing station 212, a curing or polymerization station 214, a lens separation station 216, an extraction/hydration station 218, an inspection station 220, and a packaging station 222. The various stations can be arranged and/or combined to produce the contact lenses of the invention in any desired manner. Details of the various stations can be understood from the description of fig. 3-12 herein.

Some aspects of other systems and methods of manufacturing contact lenses are disclosed in the following U.S. patents and patent publications: 6,592,356, 5,540,410, 5,759,318, 5,593,620, 5,597,519, 6,359,024, 2003/0090014, 5,850,107, 5,820,895, 5,935,492, 5,836,323, 6,288,852, 6,531,432 and 2005/0171232.

Certain aspects and advantages of the present invention may be more clearly understood and/or appreciated with reference to the following commonly owned U.S. patent applications, filed on even date herewith, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety: U.S. patent application No. 11/200,848 entitled Contact lenses Molds and Systems and Methods for Producing Same and attorney docket No. D-4124; U.S. patent application No. 11/200,648 entitled "Contact lenses molds and Systems and Methods of Producing Same" and attorney docket No. D-4125; U.S. patent application No. 11/200,644 entitled "Systems and Methods for Producing contact lenses from a Polymerizable Composition" and attorney docket No. D-4126; U.S. patent application No. 11/201,410 entitled "Systems and Methods for Removing leaves from leaves Molds" and attorney docket No. D-4127; U.S. patent application No. 11/200,863 entitled "Contact extraction/hydrogenation Systems and Methods of processing fluid Used Therein" and attorney docket No. D-4128; U.S. patent application No. 11/200,862 entitled Contact Lens Package and attorney docket No. D-4129; and U.S. patent application No. 60/707,029 entitled composite Methods for Producing silicon Hydrogel Contact Lenses and attorney docket No. D-4153P.

A number of publications and patents have been cited above. Each of the cited publications and patents is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

While the invention has been described in terms of various specific examples and embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not so limited and that it can be practiced in various ways within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (14)

1. A method of manufacturing a non-surface treated, wettable silicone hydrogel contact lens, comprising:

injection molding an ethylene-vinyl alcohol polymer-based material to form a plurality of injection molded mold sections, the plurality of mold sections comprising a first mold section and a second mold section, each mold section being identically configured and comprising a lens forming region comprising a concave surface that is a negative of an optical quality anterior surface of a contact lens and a convex surface that is a negative of an optical quality posterior surface of a contact lens, wherein each mold section comprises the ethylene-vinyl alcohol polymer-based material and the first mold section and the second mold section together are effective to form a silicone hydrogel contact lens having a wettable surface that is not surface treated;

placing a lens precursor composition comprising at least one silicon-containing monomer on the concave surface of the first mold portion;

placing said second mold section on said first mold section such that said convex surface of said second mold section and said concave surface of said first mold section form a contact lens shaped cavity;

welding the second mold section and the first mold section together to form a contact lens mold assembly;

polymerizing the lens precursor composition in the contact lens shaped cavity to form a wettable silicone hydrogel contact lens;

separating the second mold portion from the first mold portion, including placing a wedge between the first mold portion and the second mold portion to separate the second mold portion from the first mold portion;

contacting the wettable silicone hydrogel contact lens with a liquid to separate the lens from the surface of the mold section;

removing the wettable silicone hydrogel contact lens from the first mold section or the second mold section, the removing step comprising applying a negative pressure to a surface of the wettable silicone hydrogel contact lens remaining on the mold section using a vacuum apparatus to separate the contact lens from the mold section;

displacing the wettable silicone hydrogel contact lens from the surface of the vacuum apparatus onto a tray;

extracting extractable components from the wettable silicone hydrogel contact lens; and

placing the wettable silicone hydrogel contact lens in an aqueous medium to hydrate the wettable silicone hydrogel contact lens, wherein the wettable silicone hydrogel contact lens is free of a surface treatment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming of the mold section comprises forming an elongated member extending from a lens forming region of the mold section.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the welding comprises forming a discontinuous ring around a cavity of the contact lens shape using an ultrasonic delivery device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the polymerizing comprises exposing the lens precursor composition to ultraviolet radiation.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the polymerizing comprises moving the contact lens mold assembly through a housing comprising a plurality of ultraviolet lamps that uniformly and constantly expose the lens precursor composition to the ultraviolet radiation.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the polymerizing comprises exposing the lens precursor composition to an intensity emitted by a lamp of less than 1000 μ W/cm²Under ultraviolet radiation.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising directing a column of air along the vacuum apparatus to facilitate dislodging the wettable silicone hydrogel contact lens from the vacuum apparatus surface.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the extracting comprises placing the wettable silicone hydrogel contact lens in a plurality of bulk organic solvents.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising inspecting the wettable silicone hydrogel contact lens for defects.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing the wettable silicone hydrogel contact lens in a sealable package comprising a hydrophobic material.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the mold sections includes an identifier, and further comprising tracking the mold sections by scanning the identifier.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising cooling the first mold section to adhere the wettable silicone hydrogel contact lens to the first mold section when the first mold section is separated from the second mold section.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising contacting the wettable silicone hydrogel contact lens in the first mold section with water after the second mold section has been separated from the first mold section.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising recycling organic solvent used to extract the extractable component from the wettable silicone hydrogel contact lens.