The type of contact lens—soft contacts, rigid gas permeable contacts, or hybrid lenses—determines the manufacturing process.
Hydrogels, which are plastic polymers that are hydrophilic (they like water), are used to make soft contacts. These materials are able to take in water and soften and become pliable without losing their optical properties.
A Cast moulding technology process or an injection molding process can be used to make soft contacts, including the new silicone hydrogel lenses, which are highly oxygen-permeable.
With the help of an injection molding process, disposable soft contact lenses that are packaged individually can be produced at a cost-effective rate.
Cutting on a lathe Non-hydrated disks—also known as "buttons"—of soft contact lens material are individually mounted on spinning shafts during this procedure, where computer-controlled precision cutting tools are used to shape them. The lens is then removed from the lathe and hydrated to soften it after the cutting tool has been used to shape the front and back surfaces.
The finished Cast moulding contact lenses are then tested for quality control. Although the lathe cutting process takes longer and involves more steps than the injection molding process, it has become more automated over time. A lathe-cut soft contact lens can now be made in just a few minutes thanks to computers and industrial robotics.
molding by injection. The soft contact lens material undergoes molten heating before being injected under pressure into computer-designed molds. After that, the lenses are quickly cooled and taken out of the molds. Prior to quality assurance testing, the lenses are hydrated to soften them and their edges are polished smooth. Because it is quicker and less expensive than lathe cutting processes, the majority of disposable contact lenses are produced using an injection molding process.
How gas permeable contacts are made The majority of rigid gas Manufacturing contact lenses, also known as GP lenses or RGP lenses, are made of oxygen-permeable plastic polymers that contain fluorine and silicone. GP lenses don't have much water in them and stay rigid in the eye.
Gas permeable lenses are more expensive than soft lenses that are made in large quantities because they are made to the doctor's exacting specifications. Just make sure to get the contact lenses from the reputed stores online.
Because GP contacts keep their shape and do not conform to the eye like soft lenses, they require more customization. With gas permeable lenses, even minute design variations can mean the difference between a comfortable fit and lens failure.
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