Patent ID: 8298458

Claim:
A method of producing silicone hydrogel contact lenses, comprising: placing a plurality of contact lens mold assemblies, each assembly comprising a silicone hydrogel lens precursor composition, between a first light source and a second light source located in a housing of a curing system, the curing system further comprising a carrier movable in a chamber defined by the housing and configured to carry the plurality of contact lens mold assemblies, the first light source located in the housing spaced apart from and generally facing a first side of the carrier for providing light effective to facilitate polymerization of the precursor composition in the plurality of contact lens mold assemblies, the second light source located in the housing spaced apart from and generally facing a substantially opposing second side of the carrier for providing light effective to facilitate polymerization of the precursor composition in the plurality of contact lens mold assemblies, a first substantially planar optical surface spaced apart from the plurality of contact lens mold assemblies and positioned in the housing to provide a substantially uniform intensity of light from the first light source over the contact lens mold assemblies positioned substantially perpendicular to a length of the chamber, a second substantially planar optical surface spaced apart from the plurality of contact lens mold assemblies and positioned in the housing to provide a substantially uniform intensity of light from the second light source over the contact lens mold assemblies positioned substantially perpendicular to the length of the chamber; and exposing the plurality of contact lens mold assemblies carried by the carrier to ultraviolet light at an ultraviolet light intensity effective in forming polymerized silicone hydrogel contact lenses, wherein the ultraviolet light intensity varies from about 5% to about 30% from an average light intensity value during the exposure.