01Manufacturing & Quality
An Italian smart factory for eye health.
Over 3,000 sqm of facilities in Gallarate, including 1,000 sqm of production space, with a dedicated 70 sqm cleanroom. All under one roof.
Gallarate, VA — Italy
Where Desìo lenses are made
Behind every Desìo coloured contact lens is Qualimed, a company based in Gallarate (VA), in the heart of the Lombardy industrial district. From here Qualimed designs its own brands, defines quality standards and oversees the entire manufacturing process of Desìo coloured contact lenses and of other brands.
Manufacturing coloured contact lenses is not an assembly operation. It is a chain of technical steps in which polymer chemistry, precision optics and aesthetic care for colour must coincide perfectly. That is what this page describes: the journey of a Desìo lens, from the mould to the sterile blister.
3.000 m²
Facility
50+
Countries
ISO 13485
Medical certification
Qualimed and the manufacturing process
Qualimed carefully oversees every stage of the manufacturing process, from polymerisation to quality control and packaging. The goal guiding every decision is the adoption of the most advanced technologies, for the constant improvement of products, operations and services.
Attention to detail, creativity in design development, the utmost rigour in quality control: this is the distinctive quality Qualimed brings to every stage of its cosmetic lens manufacturing process. ISO 13485 certification and compliance with the European Medical Device Regulation (MDR) form the daily framework of this work, behind a brand distributed in over 50 countries.
The most advanced technology
Cast Molding: the most advanced manufacturing technology
Qualimed disposable lenses are produced using the Cast Molding technique, today the most advanced manufacturing method for soft contact lenses. Unlike traditional lathe cutting, cast molding starts from a precision mould and builds the lens layer upon layer.
The principle is that of the “sandwich” lens. A first polymer film is deposited in the concave part of the mould; the colour is printed onto it; a second polymer film covers and seals the pigmentation; finally the convex part of the mould is placed over the concave one, giving the lens its final shape. The lens is then hydrated until it reaches the intended softness and comfort characteristics.
This technique makes it possible to produce daily, monthly and quarterly replacement lenses, with excellent reproducibility for both spherical and toric powers. There are four concrete benefits for those who wear the lenses:
- Reduced and uniform thickness, for perfect alignment with the corneal morphology
- Consistent reproducibility from batch to batch: every lens is identical to the previous one
- Optimal comfort from the very first application
- Greater oxygen transmissibility, ensured precisely by the reduced thickness
The colour, sealed between two polymer films, never comes into direct contact with the eye: a design choice that combines aesthetic result and safety.
The manufacturing process in 12 steps
The manufacturing process of Desìo lenses is organised into 12 steps, grouped into two main stages: forming the lens, and quality control with packaging.
Stage 1, Forming the lensStage 2, Quality control and packaging
01
02Drying the coloured mould
03Adding the raw material (polymer)
04Coupling the moulds
05Polymerisation
06Releasing the lens
07Lens inspection
Every lens produced undergoes inspection under optical magnification: optical surface, iris colouring, edge and absence of defects.
08Placing in the blister
The inspected lens is placed in the sterile blister with isotonic saline solution, in a controlled-contamination environment.
09Packaging in blister
The blister is hermetically sealed to guarantee sterility and protect the lens until opening.
10Sterilisation
The sterilisation process guarantees the safety of the medical device until opening, in compliance with MDR requirements.
11Packaging and labelling
Final packaging with full batch traceability, as required for CE-MDR and FDA Cleared medical devices.
12Finished product
The lens is ready: sterile, traced and compliant with all regulatory requirements, ready for distribution in over 50 countries.
Each step feeds the next: it is the sequence that turns polymer and pigment into a ready-to-use medical device.
Quality control, zero defects tolerated
Control is the moment when Qualimed says "no". Every lens produced undergoes inspection under optical magnification before packaging. The parameters checked are precise:
- Centred optical surface
- Uniform and correctly positioned iris colouring
- Regular edge, free from chipping
- Absence of perforations, marks or particles
- Correct positioning of the coloured iris zone
The rule is clear-cut: any defect detected during inspection means the lens is immediately destroyed. No non-conforming lens reaches packaging. There are no tolerance thresholds for defects, there is only the conforming lens.
Sterile packaging
Once it has passed inspection, the lens enters its final stage. Lenses are packaged in sterile blisters with isotonic saline solution, and the sealing process guarantees sterility until the wearer opens them. Sterilisation, packaging and labelling follow, with the batch traceability required for a medical device.
The lens that reaches the optometrist, the distributor or the end customer is exactly the lens that passed every check: sterile, traced, ready to use.
Industria 4.0
Industry 4.0
Every stage is monitored in real time: from polymer processing to final packaging. Automated machinery checks geometry and optical power, ensuring micrometric precision even across extended ranges (−13.00 / +6.00).
- Full traceability
- Automated quality control
- Waste reduction
- Research into sustainable materials
The characteristics of Desìo coloured contact lenses
Qualimed stands out for its excellence in manufacturing coloured contact lenses with a sandwich polymerisation system, offering a wide range of shades suited to the different needs of wearers. Design development and the choice of shades are studied to achieve a natural and realistic variation of the iris pigmentation.
Qualimed's expertise does not stop at aesthetics. We also specialise in manufacturing coloured lenses with dioptric powers, designed to correct myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism: colour and corrected vision in the same lens.
Explore the range of high-quality Desìo coloured contact lenses, designed to meet the most varied needs. Step into the Qualimed world.