Methods for the manufacture of photoabsorbing contact lenses and photoabsorbing contact lenses produced thereby

A method for manufacturing a photoabsorbing contact lens, the method comprising:

• (a) providing a mold assembly comprised of a base curve and a front curve, the base curve and the front curve defining and enclosing a cavity therebetween, the cavity containing a reactive mixture, wherein the reactive mixture comprises at least one polymerizable monomer, a photoinitiator which absorbs at an activating wavelength, and a photoabsorbing compound which displays absorption at the activating wavelength;
• and
• (b) curing the reactive mixture to form the photoabsorbing contact lens by exposing the reactive mixture to radiation that includes the activating wavelength, wherein the radiation is directed at both the base curve and the front curve of the mold assembly, and wherein the radiation's radiant energy at the base curve is greater than the radiation's radiant energy at the front curve,
• wherein the photoabsorbing contact lens has a root mean squared optical path wavefront deviation from lens design target with spherical and cylindrical power as well as coma removed as measured using a 6.5 millimeter aperture that has been reduced as compared to an otherwise identical lens made under conditions of equal radiant energy at the base and front curves.