Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090204207 | Advanced Electro-Active Optic Device - Optical devices having a dynamic aperture and/or an apodization mask are provided. The aperture and/or mask may be provided by one or more electro-active elements, and may be used in an ophthalmic device that that is spaced apart from but in optical communication with an intraocular lens, a corneal inlay, a corneal onlay, or a spectacle lens that provide an optical power. | 08-13-2009 |
20100004741 | SENSOR FOR DETECTING ACCOMMODATIVE TRIGGER - A sensor is provided to detect an accommodative trigger, particularly ion concentration. The sensor can send a signal to an optical component, which in turn can respond by changing optical power to focus on a near object. | 01-07-2010 |
20100026958 | Fitting Method for Multifocal Lenses - The invention provides methods for fitting multifocal contact lenses that are less time consuming and result in more successful fittings than conventional methods. | 02-04-2010 |
20100060852 | SINGLE VISION SPECTACLE LENS - An improved single lens comprising: | 03-11-2010 |
20100201941 | OPHTHALMIC LENSES WITH ASPHERIC OPTICAL FEATURES - Aspects of the present invention provide a lens comprising a non-rotationally symmetric aspheric optical element, surface or feature and a rotationally symmetric aspheric optical element, surface or feature. The non-rotationally symmetric aspheric optical feature can be a progressive power region. The non-rotationally symmetric aspheric optical feature and rotationally symmetric aspheric optical feature can be in optical communication when located on different surfaces of a lens or can be collapsed to occupy a single surface of a lens. The non-rotationally symmetric aspheric optical feature and rotationally symmetric aspheric optical feature can each contribute to the add power of a lens. Distortion (e.g., astigmatism) of a lens of the present invention can be reduced (e.g., globally and/or locally) by optically combing the non-rotationally symmetric aspheric optical feature with the rotationally symmetric aspheric optical feature. Accordingly, the effective or useable vision zones of a lens of the present invention can be increased. | 08-12-2010 |
20100208194 | VARIABLE FOCUS LIQUID FILLED LENS APPARATUS - A variable focus lens apparatus includes at least one rigid optical disc, at least one flexible optical membrane and at least one layer of a transparent fluid that is in communication with a fluid channel and a reservoir. When incorporated in a spectacle lens, the lens system enables wearers to adjust the power of each lens individually, so as to achieve the preferred binocular visual performance, consistent with maximum stereopsis and binocular fusion at any desired object plane. | 08-19-2010 |
20100208195 | VARIABLE FOCUS LIQUID FILLED LENS MECHANISM - A mechanism allows for changing the optical strength of a liquid-filled lens having a cavity filled with fluid. A reservoir contains additional fluid and is in fluid communication with the cavity, and the mechanism draws fluid from the reservoir into the cavity or pulls fluid from the cavity back into the reservoir, whereby a change in the amount of fluid within the lens cavity changes the lens's optical strength. A membrane seals the reservoir, and a plunger impinges upon the membrane. A movement device, such as a barrel screw or lever, moves the plunger in a controlled manner toward the membrane to increase pressure within the reservoir and thereby force fluid out of the reservoir into the lens cavity, and away from the membrane to decrease pressure within the reservoir and thereby withdraw fluid from the lens cavity and into the reservoir. | 08-19-2010 |
20110015733 | Folding Designs for Intraocular Lenses - Folding patterns for intraocular lenses are provided. | 01-20-2011 |
20110058143 | MULTIFOCAL OPHTHALMIC LENS WITH DISCONTINUITIES - Aspects of the present invention provide multifocal ophthalmic lenses—for example, an ophthalmic lens having a progressive addition optical power region—having one or more discontinuities. The discontinuities can be used to merge or connect regions of the lens surface having different curvatures or average optical power. The use of discontinuities can obviate the need for blend zones which are largely responsible for the introduction of unwanted astigmatism in conventional lenses. In turn, a multifocal ophthalmic lens of the present invention can provide a desired additive power with less unwanted astigmatism than a conventional progressive addition lens (PAL). | 03-10-2011 |
20110085131 | Aspheric Fluid Filled Lens Optic - A non-round fluid lens assembly includes a non-round rigid lens and a flexible membrane attached to the non-round rigid lens, such that a cavity is formed between the non-round rigid lens and the flexible membrane. A reservoir in fluid communication with the cavity allows a fluid to be transferred into and out of the cavity so as to change the optical power of the fluid lens assembly. In an embodiment, a front surface of the non-round rigid lens is aspheric. Additionally or alternatively, a thickness of the flexible membrane may be contoured so that it changes shape in a spheric manner when fluid is transferred between the cavity and the reservoir. | 04-14-2011 |
20110085243 | Non-Round Fluid Filled Lens Optic - An optical and mechanical design of a sealed, non-round fluid-filled lens capable of providing variation of optical power. The fluid lens includes at least three optical components: at least one mostly rigid optical disc, at least one mostly flexible optical membrane and a layer of a transparent fluid that is in communication via a fluid channel with a reservoir of excess fluid contained in a reservoir that can be accessed to augment the fluid volume inside the fluid lens to change the power of the fluid lens. The fluid lens is capable of providing correction of spherical and astigmatic errors, and utilizes contoured membranes to minimize image aberrations. | 04-14-2011 |
20110090455 | Opthalmic Lens With Regressive and Non-Regressive Rotationally Symmetric Optical Design Elements - Aspects of the present invention provide an ophthalmic lens comprising at least one regressive and at least one non-regressive rotationally symmetric optical design element. The regressive and non-regressive optical design elements can be combined so as to form a desired optical power profile for the lens while simultaneously exploiting the different relative orientation of the astigmatic vectors of the constituent regressive and non-regressive design elements, thereby resulting in reduced unwanted astigmatism. The regressive and non-regressive rotationally symmetric optical design elements can be positioned on different lens surfaces and in optical communication or can be collapsed onto the same lens surface. The regressive and non-regressive rotationally symmetric optical design elements can each contribute to the total add power of an ophthalmic lens. The regressive and non-regressive rotationally symmetric optical design elements can be combined with any other optical design feature positioned on the same or a different surface of the lens. | 04-21-2011 |
20110102735 | Fluid Filled Lens Reservoir System and Manufacturing Method of the Reservoir System - Disclosed are apparatuses and manufacturing methods for a fluid filled lens reservoir system. The eyeglass reservoir system includes a temple piece having a cavity, a bladder positioned within the cavity and configured to repeatedly compress and relax, the bladder being made of a flexible material, and a connecting tube coupled to an inlet port of a lens module and to the bladder, configured to carry a fluid between the bladder and a fluid filled lens cavity of the lens module. The eyeglass reservoir system further comprises a compression arm contacting the bladder and configured to transmit force from an actuator to the bladder to cause movement of the fluid between the bladder and the connecting tube. The bladder and connecting tube are made of a flexible material such as polyvinyledende difluoride. The connecting tube further comprises a flared end configured to couple to the inlet port of the lens module. | 05-05-2011 |
20110102738 | Variable Focus Liquid Filled Lens Apparatus - A variable focus optical apparatus including a rigid, curved, transparent optical component; two transparent, distensible membranes attached to a periphery of the rigid optical component to define two cavities, a first cavity between the rigid optical component and a first membrane and a second cavity between the first membrane and a second membrane; and a variable amount of fluid filling each of the cavities, and a reservoir containing additional fluid and in fluid communication with the cavity, wherein the reservoir is configured to provide injection of fluid into the cavity or withdrawal of fluid out of the cavity in response to a force or an impulse. | 05-05-2011 |
20110116037 | PROGRESSIVE ADDITION LENS DESIGN - Aspects of the present invention provide progressive addition lenses (PALs) and techniques for designing PALs that result in improved visual performance for the wearer. PALs of the present invention can have vision zones with widths that are more in line with the actual or functional sizes used by wearers. PALs of the present invention can also introduce controlled amounts of unwanted astigmatism into one or more vision zones. By allowing vision zones to include manageable levels of astigmatism, the resulting PAL can avoid the harsh build-up of astigmatism typically found in conventional PALs at the periphery of the channel and viewing zones. Further, PALs of the present invention can be designed using a merit function to achieve an optimized iterative design that accounts for astigmatism vector orientation and not simply astigmatism magnitude as is the case with conventional PAL design. | 05-19-2011 |
20110194068 | V-Shape Progressive Lens Design - Progressive lens designs are provided with various features relative to the corridor width, corridor length, and relative positioning of areas of maximum gradient power progression and maximum gradient, that differ from conventional progressive lens designs. Progressive lenses according to the invention may include a “V-shaped” cylinder map, a relatively low position of maximum gradient of power progression, and/or a large vertical separation between vertical position of maximal cylinder and vertical position of maximum gradient of power progression. | 08-11-2011 |
20110249232 | Hinge Mechanism for a Fluid Filled Lens Assembly - In an embodiment, a hinge for a fluid-filled lens assembly includes a base having a first end configured to connect to a temple arm of the lens assembly and a second end configured to connect to a frame of the lens assembly, wherein the base includes a gap that is shaped to allow for tubing to pass from the first end to the second end of the base. In an embodiment, the first end of the base includes a cammed surface configured to engage a surface of the temple arm. In an embodiment, the first and second ends of the base are configured to flex around a rotation axis of the hinge. | 10-13-2011 |
20110285959 | REDUCTION OF IMAGE JUMP - Embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein are directed to apparatuses and systems for reducing the image jump from a dynamic lens component. The apparatuses and systems disclosed herein may be used in ophthalmic devices, such as eye glasses or contact lenses, as well as any other suitable application. Embodiments provide a first apparatus that comprises a dynamic power zone having a periphery. The first apparatus further comprises a static power zone in optical communication with at least a portion of the dynamic power zone. The static power zone has a negative optical power at a first portion of the periphery of the dynamic power zone. | 11-24-2011 |
20120041553 | Fluid-Filled Lenses and their Ophthalmic Applications - A fluid lens assembly including a front rigid lens, a semi-flexible membrane that is adapted to be expanded from a minimum inflation level to a maximum inflation level, and a fluid layer therebetween. The front lens of the fluid lens assembly is configured to have a negative optical power. In an embodiment, the fluid lens assembly may be configured to have an overall negative optical power when the membrane is expanded to the maximum inflation level. In an embodiment, the fluid lens assembly can be configured to have an overall negative optical power when the membrane is expanded between the minimum inflation level and the maximum inflation level. | 02-16-2012 |
20120143004 | Variable Power Endoscope Based On Liquid Lens Technology - An endoscope realized as either a borescope or a fiberscope including one or more fluid filled lenses is described. In an embodiment, the optical power of the fluid filled lenses may be adjusted to adjust the focal length associated with the endoscope. Thus, variable working distances are allowable while maintaining focus on an object in front of the endoscope. The endoscope may include a distance sensor, which is used to determine a distance between the endoscope and a sample. A processor may compare the measured distance to the current optical power of the one or more sealed fluid filled lenses. The processor may transmit signals to one or more actuators coupled to one or more sealed fluid filed lenses to change the optical power of the one or more sealed fluid filled lenses based on the comparison. | 06-07-2012 |
20120154925 | Fluid Lens Assembly - A non-round fluid lens assembly includes a non-round rigid lens and a flexible membrane attached to the non-round rigid lens, such that a cavity is formed between the non-round rigid lens and the flexible membrane. A reservoir in fluid communication with the cavity allows a fluid to be transferred into and out of the cavity so as to change the optical power of the fluid lens assembly. In an embodiment, a front surface of the non-round rigid lens is aspheric. Additionally or alternatively, a thickness of the flexible membrane may be contoured so that it changes shape in a spheric manner when fluid is transferred between the cavity and the reservoir. | 06-21-2012 |
20120192991 | Methods of filling a liquid-filled lens mechanism - Methods for filling an internal volume of a liquid filled lens mechanism with fluid are provided. In some embodiments, the methods include creating a vacuum within the internal volume, de-aerating the fluid, filling the vacuum in the internal volume with the de-aerated fluid, and sealing the internal volume. In some embodiments, the methods include elevating a temperature of the fluid prior to sealing the internal volume. In some embodiments, the internal volume is formed by a structure having at least one flexible component. | 08-02-2012 |
20120243106 | Full Field Membrane Design for Non-Round Liquid Lens Assemblies - An optical and mechanical design of a sealed, non-round fluid-filled lens capable of providing variation of optical power. The fluid lens includes at least three optical components: at least one mostly rigid optical disc, at least one mostly flexible optical membrane and a layer of a transparent fluid that is in communication via a fluid channel with a reservoir of excess fluid contained in a reservoir that can be accessed to augment the fluid volume inside the fluid lens to change the power of the fluid lens. The fluid lens is capable of providing correction of spherical and astigmatic errors, and utilizes contoured membranes to provide for a substantially constant desired spherical power over a substantially full field of view of a user. | 09-27-2012 |
20120274894 | Fluid Filled Lenses and Mechanisms of Inflation Thereof - An actuator for a fluid-filled lens including a housing having a first and a second end; a reservoir disposed within the housing. In an embodiment, a slider is slidingly disposed within the housing and disposed adjacent to the reservoir. In an embodiment, the actuator further includes a compression arm having a first end that is fixed and a second end that is not fixed, wherein the compression arm is disposed adjacent to the reservoir. Sliding the slider from one end of the housing to the other causes the slider to push the second end of the compression arm so as to compress the reservoir. In an embodiment, the slider includes a first end having a wedge shape configured to compress the reservoir. Sliding of the slider from one end of the housing to the other causes the first end of the slider to compress the reservoir. | 11-01-2012 |
20120300171 | Programmable Ophthalmic Lenses - Ophthalmic lenses are described including a deformable layer and a deformable membrane disposed opposite the deformable layer. The lens is configured with at least two regions of adjustable optical power, such as by using a patterned electrode which is used to drive the membrane move axially along an optical path of the lens. A surface of the deformable layer is configured to expand and/or contract based on movement of the membrane along the optical path of the lens, such as by bonding one side of the deformable layer to the membrane and bonding the other side to a fixed optical element layer. | 11-29-2012 |
20130027655 | Electro-Active Lenses Including Thin Glass Substrates - An electro-active optical cell is described including a layer of electro-active material, a front glass substrate member, and a back glass substrate member. The optical cell is capable of independently providing changeable optical power with the application of an electrical potential. The cell is also configured to be affixed to an external surface of a plastic substrate and to provide the changeable optical power, with at least one of the front substrate or the back substrate of the optical cell being an outermost optical layer. The layer of electro-active material may have a thickness less than 10 μm, and the glass substrate members may each have a thickness approximately between 20 μm and 500 μm. | 01-31-2013 |
20130050639 | OBLIQUE-INCIDENCE DEPOSITED SILICON OXIDE LAYERS FOR DYNAMIC OPHTHALMIC LENSES - An ophthalmic lens including an electro-active optical element including a substrate; a liquid crystalline material; and at least one first layer. The at least one first layer can include a layer of silicon oxide (SiOx) disposed between the liquid crystalline material and the substrate, and deposited onto a surface of the substrate at an oblique angle in reference to a plane normal to the mean surface of the substrate facing the liquid crystalline material. | 02-28-2013 |
20130211515 | IMPLANTABLE OPHTHALMIC DEVICES WITH CIRCULARLY ASYMMETRIC OPTIC AND METHODS - Astigmatism is an optical aberration that displaces the eye's vertical focal plane with respect to its horizontal focal plane. This displacement in focal planes, which may be caused by an irregularly shaped cornea and/or crystalline lens, causes images to appear blurry. Astigmatism can be corrected by implanting an optic, such as section of a spherical lens, whose projection onto a plane perpendicular to the optical axis is noncircular (e.g., rectangular or elliptical). Because the optic is noncircular, it provides more optical power along one axis than along another axis. As a result, it introduces an astigmatism that can be used to offset or compensate the eye's corneal and/or lenticular astigmatism when aligned properly with respect to the principal meridians of the cornea and/or crystalline lens. | 08-15-2013 |
20130211516 | HERMETICALLY SEALED IMPLANTABLE OPHTHALMIC DEVICES AND METHODS OF MAKING SAME - Many modern implantable ophthalmic devices include electronic components, such as electro-active cells, that can leak harmful substances into the eye and/or surrounding tissue. In the implantable ophthalmic devices disclosed herein, electronic components are hermetically scaled within cavities formed by bonding together two or more glass wafers. Bonding the glass wafers together with laser fusion bonding, pressure bonding, or anodic bonding creates a seal that leaks at a rate of less than about 5×10 | 08-15-2013 |
20130242256 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING ACCOMMODATION - A sensor system includes at least two sensors for distinguishing accommodative stimuli from changes in ambient lights levels and task-induced changes in the pupil diameter. When implanted, the first sensor is disposed completely within the pupil; even when fully constricted, the pupil does not occlude the first sensor, allowing the sensor to make precise measurements of ambient luminous flux levels. The pupil occludes part of the second sensor's active area(s) as the pupil dilates and constricts. As a result, the second sensor measures both ambient luminous flux and pupil diameter. A processor estimates the pupil diameter and determines whether it's changing in response to accommodative stimuli or other factors by comparing to predetermined values. The sensor system sends a signal to an optical component, which in turn can respond by changing optical power to focus for near vision upon detection of accommodative stimuli. | 09-19-2013 |
20130261744 | IMPLANTABLE OPHTHALMIC DEVICE WITH AN ASPHERIC LENS - Implantable ophthalmic devices with aspheric lenses and dynamic electro-active elements offer excellent depth of field and image quality while providing high optical throughput. An exemplary implantable ophthalmic device includes an aspheric lens with a negative spherical aberration that varies with radius. The aspheric lens can have peak optical powers at its geometric centers surrounded by a region of varying optical power (with varying slope) that extends radially from its center. When implanted, these aspheric lenses provide an incremental optical power that varies as a function of pupil diameter, which changes with object distance, for viewing far, intermediate, and near objects. The aspheric lens may also bonded or integrally formed with a spherical lens that provides fixed optical power for viewing far objects and/or a dynamic electro-active element that with two or more states (e.g., on and off) for increasing the effective optical power when viewing near objects. | 10-03-2013 |
20130293825 | ELECTROCHROMIC MATERIALS AND OPTICAL SYSTEMS EMPLOYING THE SAME - The present invention relates generally to electrochromic materials and their use. In some embodiments, the invention relates to electrochromic materials for use on an optical substrate, such as a lens, a semi-finished lens blank, and the like. | 11-07-2013 |
20130308088 | Hinge Mechanism for a Fluid Filled Lens Assembly - In an embodiment, a hinge for a fluid-filled lens assembly includes a base having a first end configured to connect to a temple arm of the lens assembly and a second end configured to connect to a frame of the lens assembly, wherein the base includes a gap that is shaped to allow for tubing to pass from the first end to the second end of the base. In an embodiment, the first end of the base includes a cammed surface configured to engage a surface of the temple arm. In an embodiment, the first and second ends of the base are configured to flex around a rotation axis of the hinge. | 11-21-2013 |
20130321762 | Progressive Addition Lens Design - Aspects of the present invention provide progressive addition lenses (PALs) and techniques for designing PALs that result in improved visual performance for the wearer, PALs of the present invention can have vision zones with widths that are more in line with the actual. or functional sizes used by wearers. PALs of the present invention can also introduce controlled amounts of unwanted astigmatism into one or more vision zones. By allowing vision zones to include manageable levels of astigmatism, the resulting PAL can avoid the harsh build-up of astigmatism typically found in conventional PALs at the periphery of the channel and viewing zones. Further, PALs of the present invention can be designed using a merit function to achieve an optimized iterative design that accounts for astigmatism vector orientation and not simply astigmatism magnitude as is the case with conventional PAL design. | 12-05-2013 |
20140016087 | Fluid Lenses, Lens Blanks, and Methods of Manufacturing the Same - A lens blank for a fluid lens includes a rigid lens and a semi-flexible inflatable membrane attached to the rigid lens. The lens blank is divided into a cavity zone and a bonded zone. The cavity zone extends radially outward from a central area of the lens blank and a cavity is formed between the membrane and the rigid lens within the cavity zone. The bonded zone extends radially outward from the cavity zone and the membrane is bonded and fluidly sealed to the rigid lens throughout the bonded zone. The bonded zone is dimensioned to be trimmed to accommodate a plurality of frame shapes and sizes. Methods of manufacturing lens blanks are also provided. Arrays of lens blanks and fluid lenses are also provided. | 01-16-2014 |
20140016089 | Variable Focus Liquid Filled Lens Apparatus - A variable focus optical apparatus including a rigid, curved, transparent optical component; two transparent, distensible membranes attached to a periphery of the rigid optical component to define two cavities, a first cavity between the rigid optical component and a first membrane and a second cavity between the first membrane and a second membrane; and a variable amount of fluid filling each of the cavities, and a reservoir Containing additional fluid and in fluid communication with the cavity, wherein the reservoir is configured to provide injection of fluid into the cavity or withdrawal of fluid out of the cavity in response to a force or an impulse. | 01-16-2014 |
20140160426 | Opthalmic Lens With Regressive And Non-Regressive Rotationally Symmetric Optical Design Elements - Aspects of the present invention provide an ophthalmic lens comprising at least one regressive and at least one non-regressive rotationally symmetric optical design element. The regressive and non-regressive optical design elements can be combined so as to form a desired optical power profile for the lens while simultaneously exploiting the different relative orientation of the astigmatic vectors of the constituent regressive and non-regressive design elements, thereby resulting in reduced unwanted astigmatism. The regressive and non-regressive rotationally symmetric optical design elements can be positioned on different lens surfaces and in optical communication or can be collapsed onto the same lens surface. The regressive and non-regressive rotationally symmetric optical design elements can each contribute to the total add power of an ophthalmic lens. The regressive and non-regressive rotationally symmetric optical design elements can be combined with any other optical design feature positioned on the same or a different surface of the lens. | 06-12-2014 |
20140204333 | ADJUSTABLE ELECTRO-ACTIVE OPTICAL SYSTEM AND USES THEREOF - The present invention relates generally to electro-active optical systems, such as a pair of spectacles having one or more lenses that employ electro-active optical structures. In some embodiments, the invention relates to electro-active optical systems whose position can be adjusted relative to a wearer's face. In some embodiments, the invention relates to methods of performing such adjustments. | 07-24-2014 |
20140240846 | FLUID LENS ASSEMBLY - A non-round fluid lens assembly includes a non-round rigid lens and a flexible membrane attached to the non-round rigid lens, such that a cavity is formed between the non-round rigid lens and the flexible membrane. A reservoir in fluid communication with the cavity allows a fluid to be transferred into and out of the cavity so as to change the optical power of the fluid lens assembly. In an embodiment, a front surface of the non-round rigid lens is aspheric. Additionally or alternatively, a thickness of the flexible membrane may be contoured so that it changes shape in a spheric manner when fluid is transferred between the cavity and the reservoir. | 08-28-2014 |
20140327950 | ELECTROCHROMIC MATERIALS AND OPTICAL SYSTEMS EMPLOYING THE SAME - Devices and methods related generally to electrochromic materials and their use. In some embodiments, the electrochromic materials are for use on an optical substrate, such as a lens, a semi-finished lens blank, and the like. Some embodiments include an electrochromic stack including nanostructured materials. Some embodiments include an electrochromic stack including nanostructured electrochromic materials. Some embodiments include one or more ion-conducting layers. Methods of making electrochromic stacks having nanostructured materials and/or ion-conducting layers are also discussed. | 11-06-2014 |
20140335301 | Method of Bonding Two Substrates and Device Manufactured Thereby - The invention relates to method for bonding at least two substrates, for example made from glass, silicon, ceramic, aluminum, or boron, by using an intermediate thin film metal layer for providing the bonding, said method comprising the following steps of: a) providing said two substrates; b) depositing said thin film metal layer on at least a part of a surface of a first substrate of the two substrates; c) bringing a surface of the second substrate into contact with said thin film metal layer on said surface of the first substrate such that a bonding between the second substrate and the thin film metal layer on the first substrate is provided; and d) at least locally strengthening the bonding between the second substrate and the thin film metal layer on the first substrate. The invention also relates to a device comprising two substrates, for example made from glass, silicon, ceramic, aluminum, or boron, and an intermediate thin film metal layer. | 11-13-2014 |
20150049296 | HINGE MECHANISM FOR A FLUID FILLED LENS ASSEMBLY - In an embodiment, a hinge for a fluid-filled. lens assembly includes a base having a first end configured to connect to a temple arm of the lens assembly and a second end configured to connect to a frame of the lens assembly, wherein the base includes a gap that is shaped to allow for tubing to pass from the first end to the second end of the base. In an embodiment, the first end of the base includes a cammed surface configured to engage a surface of the temple arm. In an embodiment, the first and second ends of the base are configured to flex around a rotation axis of the hinge. | 02-19-2015 |