Composite contact lenses with ultrathin objects

A method for producing contact lenses, comprising the steps of:

• (1) obtaining a preformed contact lens precursor that is made of a first crosslinked polymeric material and comprises a front surface and a back surface opposite the front surface, wherein one of the front surface and the back surface is a recess-containing surface comprising one or more recesses each of which has side walls, a bottom surface, a depth of between about 0.5 micron and about 30 microns, and a width or length of greater than about 2.0 mm;
• (2) accurately and uniformly applying a polymerizable composition to the one or more recesses to fully cover each recess with a layer of the polymerizable composition in a way that a top surface of the layer merges with the recess-containing surface and has a curvature substantially identical to the curvature of the recess-containing surface;
• and
• (3) curing actinically or thermally the polymerizable composition in the recesses to form a contact lens comprising thin objects that are made of a second crosslinked polymeric material and has a thickness of between about 0.5 micron and about 30 microns and a width or length of greater than about 2.0 millimeters, wherein each thin object is partially embedded in the contact lens and comprises a buried surface and an exposed surface opposite the buried surface, wherein the buried surface is in contact directly with the first crosslinked polymeric material whereas the exposed surface merges with an anterior surface or a posterior surface of the contact lens and has a curvature substantially identical to the curvature of the anterior surface or the posterior surface of the contact lens.