A process for the manufacture of a molded contact lens containing a transparent central visual region circumscribed by a colored iris portion which comprisesa. coating a colored liquid which is either curable or thermoplastic in a mold for making a contact lens onto a surface thereof where the iris portion of the lens is formed to produce a colored film thereon which film contains a surface exposed to the interior of the mold and a surface in contact with the mold,b. charging the mold with the resin used to form the body of the lens while maintaining the colored film in the iris portion and configuring the resin about the colored film whereby the surface of the film becomes integral with the body of the lens and the surface of the film becomes part of the outer surface of the lens when the molded lens is removed from the mold.