Patent ID: 8721945

Claim:
A method for making a colored silicone hydrogel contact lens, comprising the steps of: (a) applying a color coat to at least a portion of at least one of molding surfaces of a lens mold with an ink comprising at least one colorant, a solvent, and a fluorine-containing binder copolymer, wherein the fluorine-containing binder copolymer comprises multiple ethylenically unsaturated groups, hydrophilic segments derived from one or more hydrophilic vinylic monomers, fluorine-containing segments derived from one or more fluorine-containing vinylic monomers, and silicone-containing segments derived from at least one first silicone-containing vinylic monomer or macromer, wherein the colored coat contains a first surface exposed to the interior of the lens-forming cavity and a second surface in contact with the molding surface; (b) curing the color coat to form a color film which comprises a colorant-entrapping polymer network and the colorant entrapped therein, wherein the amount of the ethylenically unsaturated groups in the fluorine-containing binder polymer is high enough to ensure that the fluorine-containing binder copolymer can be crosslinked actinically or thermally to form the colorant-entrapping polymer network capable of entrapping the colorant in the ink; (c) dispensing a lens-forming material into the lens-forming cavity of the mold, wherein the lens-forming material comprises at least one second silicone-containing vinylic monomer or macromer or a silicone-containing prepolymer; and (d) curing the lens-forming material within the lens-forming cavity to form the silicone hydrogel contact lens, whereby the colored coat detaches from the molding surface and becomes integral with the body of the silicone hydrogel contact lens.