A gripper for grasping an ophthalmic lens immersed in a liquid, for example a contact lens or soft contact lens, the gripper including a housing having an opening arranged at the distal end of the housing, the opening being in communication with an interior space defined by the housing and being sized to allow the ophthalmic lens to pass therethrough; a supply channel to generate suction in the interior space of the housing to allow the ophthalmic lens together with an amount of the liquid in which the ophthalmic lens is immersed to be sucked through the opening into the interior space of the housing; and a supply channel for generating overpressure in the interior space of the housing so as to allow the ophthalmic lens together with the amount of liquid to be released from the interior space through the opening at the distal end of the housing.