Soft contact lenses are made from hydrogel or silicone hydrogel by cast moulding in high-volume automated plants. Silicone hydrogel allows far more oxygen through and is now the standard for daily and monthly lenses. Rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses are lathe-cut from buttons of fluorosilicone acrylate for specialist fitting.
Modalities are daily disposable, two-weekly and monthly. Designs are spherical, toric (astigmatism) and multifocal; coloured and myopia-control lenses are growing categories. Four companies — Johnson & Johnson Vision, Alcon, CooperVision and Bausch + Lomb — make most of the world's soft lenses; Taiwan (St. Shine, Pegavision, Ginko) and Korea (Interojo) are the main OEM sources for private labels.
Contact lenses are medical devices everywhere: FDA clearance in the United States, CE marking under the MDR in Europe, PMDA approval in Japan, and national registration elsewhere. Private label buyers need the manufacturer's regulatory file for each market.