Light control devices and methods for regional variation of visual information and sampling

• US 10,175,490 B1
• Filed: 02/23/2018
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aperture In Motion LLC
• Original Assignee: Aperture In Motion LLC
• Inventors: Serdarevic, Olivia, Yavitz, Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Eurice, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US15/903,923
• Time in Patent Office: 319 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0655 Control therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0008 provided with illuminating means A61B3/117 takes precedence; goniolenses used for laser treatment A61F9/009; illuminating means for optical instruments G02B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/005 Constructional features of the display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/032 Devices for presenting test symbols or characters, e.g. test chart projectors A61B3/036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/10 Objective types, i.e. instruments for examining the eyes independent of the patients' perceptions or reactions
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/04 Methods or devices for enabling ear patients to achieve auditory perception through physiological senses other than hearing sense, e.g. through the touch sense electronic stimulation of auditory nerves A61N1/36036
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/14 Eye parts, e.g. lenses, corneal implants; Implanting instruments specially adapted therefor; Artificial eyes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/1451 Inlays or onlays
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/16 Intraocular lenses
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/1613 having special lens configurations, e.g. multipart lenses; having particular optical properties, e.g. pseudo-accommodative lenses, lenses having aberration corrections, diffractive lenses, lenses for variably absorbing electromagnetic radiation, lenses having variable focus
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/1624 having adjustable focus; power activated variable focus means, e.g. mechanically or electrically by the ciliary muscle or from the outside
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/1632 for changing radial position, i.e. perpendicularly to the visual axis when implanted
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/1635 for changing shape
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/1696 Having structure for blocking or reducing amount of light transmitted, e.g. glare reduction
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0001 Means for transferring electromagnetic energy to implants
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/30 Apparatus for iontophoresis, i.e. transfer of media in ionic state by an electromotoric force into the body, or cataphoresis
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0112 comprising device for genereting colour display
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 : Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 : Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 : characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 : Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00

Abstract

Exemplary light control devices and methods provide a regional variation of visual information and sampling (“V-VIS”) of an ocular field of view that improves or stabilizes vision, ameliorates a visual symptom, reduces the rate of vision loss, or reduces the progression of an ophthalmic or neurologic condition, disease, injury or disorder. The V-VIS devices and methods may optically move, at a sampling rate between 50 hertz and 50 kilohertz, one or more apertures anterior to a retina between one or more positions anterior to the retina that are non-coaxial with a center of a pupil and a position anterior to the retina that is coaxial with the center of the pupil. Certain of these V-VIS devices and methods may be combined with augmented or virtual reality, vision measurement, vision monitoring, or other therapies including, but not limited to, pharmacological, gene, retinal replacement and stem cell therapies.

Claims

1. A light control device, comprising:

one or more transparent layers disposed anterior to a retina of an eye;

one or more optically active elements disposed on a surface of, or within, the one or more transparent layers; and

a controller coupled to a power source, the controller being coupled electrically to the one or more optically active elements via an electrically conductive layer and being configured to generate and route control signals to the one or more optically active elements in accordance with a temporal sequence,

wherein anterior to the retina comprises one of extraocular, intracorneal or intraocular, placement,

wherein, upon receipt of the control signals, the one or more optically active elements produce one or more areas within the one or more transparent layers having a reduced transparency, the one or more areas having the reduced transparency surrounding and defining one or more apertures that include corresponding transparent areas; and

wherein the one or more apertures appear optically at spatially separated or overlapping positions within the one or more transparent layers in accordance with the temporal sequence, the one or more apertures generating a moving aperture effect that samples and delivers to the retina environmental light from an ocular field of view at a sampling rate between 50 hertz and 50 kilohertz.

2. The light control device of claim 1, further comprising at least one sensor electrically coupled to the controller, the at least one sensor measuring at least one of (i) a maximum sampling rate that produces, in a subject, a perception of the ocular field of view sampled and delivered to the retina of the eye of the subject by the moving aperture effect or (ii) a minimum sampling rate that produces, in a subject, a perception without causing one or more of a stroboscopic or phantom array effect of the ocular field of view sampled and delivered to the retina of the eye of the subject by the moving aperture effect.

3. The light control device of claim 1, wherein the controller generates and routes additional control signals to adjust at least one of a transparency, color, chromaticity, size, or shape of at least one of (i) the one or more apertures or (ii) an area outside of a bounded region that includes the one or more apertures.

4. The light control device of claim 1, wherein:

the light control device further comprises a display unit electrically coupled to the controller;

the controller generates and routes an additional control signal to the display unit;

in response to the additional control signal, the display unit displays for visual perception by a subject at least one of an augmented reality image, a virtual reality image, or a camera-derived image; and

the camera-derived image comprises visual information, the visual information comprising environmental light captured by one or more externally mounted cameras from at least one of peripheral to, above, below, or behind the eye, a fellow eye, or both eyes of the subject.

5. A light control device, comprising:

a projection unit;

one or more transparent layers disposed anterior to a retina of an eye;

optically active particles disposed on a surface of, or within, the one or more transparent layers; and

a controller coupled to a power source, the controller being coupled electrically to the projection unit and being configured to generate and route control signals to the projection unit in accordance with a temporal sequence,

wherein anterior to the retina comprises one of extraocular, intracorneal, or intraocular placement, and

wherein, upon receipt of each of the control signals, the projection unit projects excitation light onto a portion of the one or more transparent layers, the optically active particles disposed on the surface of or within the portions of the one or more transparent layers absorbing the excitation light and producing one or more areas having a reduced transparency, the one or more areas having the reduced transparency surrounding and defining one or more apertures that include corresponding transparent areas, and

wherein the one or more apertures appear optically at spatially separated or overlapping positions within the one or more transparent layers in accordance with the temporal sequence, the one or more apertures generating a moving aperture effect that samples and delivers to the retina environmental light from an ocular field of view at a sampling rate between 50 hertz and 50 kilohertz.

6. The light control device of claim 5, further comprising at least one sensor electrically coupled to the controller, the at least one sensor measuring at least one of (i) a maximum sampling rate that produces, in a subject, a perception of the ocular field of view sampled and delivered to the retina of the eye of the subject by the moving aperture effect or (ii) a minimum sampling rate that produces, in a subject, a perception without causing one or more of a stroboscopic or phantom array effect of the ocular field of view sampled and delivered to the retina of the eye of the subject by the moving aperture effect.

7. The light control device of claim 5, wherein:

the controller generates and routes additional control signals to

adjust at least one of a transparency, color, chromaticity, size, or shape of at least one of (i) the one or more apertures or (ii) an area outside of a bounded region that includes the one or more apertures.

8. The light control device of claim 5, wherein:

the light control device further comprises a display unit electrically coupled to the controller;

the controller generates and routes an additional control signal to the display unit;

in response to the additional control signal, the display unit displays for visual perception by a subject at least one of an augmented reality image, a virtual reality image, or a camera-derived image; and

the camera-derived image comprises visual information, the visual information comprising environmental light captured by one or more externally mounted cameras from at least one of peripheral to, above, below, or behind the eye, a fellow eye, or both eyes of the subject.

9. A light control device, comprising:

a transparent waveguide disposed anterior to a retina of an eye; and

a controller coupled to a power source, the controller being coupled to the transparent waveguide and being configured to generate and route control signals in accordance with a temporal sequence,

wherein anterior to the retina comprises one of extraocular, intracorneal, or intraocular placement, and

wherein, responsive to the control signals, the transparent waveguide presents image data that reduces a transparency of one or more areas within the transparent waveguide, the one or more areas characterized by the reduced transparency surrounding and defining one or more apertures that include corresponding transparent areas, and

wherein the one or more apertures appear optically at spatially separated or overlapping positions within the transparent waveguide in accordance with the temporal sequence, the one or more apertures generating a moving aperture effect that samples and delivers to the retina environmental light from an ocular field of view at a sampling rate between 50 hertz and 50 kilohertz.

10. The light control device of claim 9, further comprising at least one sensor electrically coupled to the controller, the at least one sensor measuring at least one of (i) a maximum sampling rate that produces, in a subject, a perception of the ocular field of view sampled and delivered to the retina of the eye of the subject by the moving aperture effect or (ii) a minimum sampling rate that produces, in a subject, a perception without causing one or more of a stroboscopic or phantom array effect of the ocular field of view sampled and delivered to the retina of the eye of the subject by the moving aperture effect.

11. The light control device of claim 9, wherein:

the controller generates and routes additional control signals to

adjust at least one of a transparency, color, chromaticity, size, or shape of at least one of (i) the one or more apertures or (ii) an area outside of a bounded region that includes the one or more apertures.

12. The light control device of claim 9, wherein:

the light control device further comprises a display unit electrically coupled to the controller;

the controller generates and routes an additional control signal to the display unit;

in response to the additional control signal, the display unit displays for visual perception by a subject at least one of an augmented reality image, a virtual reality image, or a camera-derived image; and

the camera-derived image comprises visual information, the visual information comprising environmental light captured by one or more externally mounted cameras from at least one of peripheral to, above, below, or behind the eye, a fellow eye, or both eyes of the subject.

13. A method, comprising:

generating, using a light control device, a moving aperture effect anterior to a retina of an eye, the generating comprising producing optically, in accordance with a temporal sequence, one or more areas within an ocular field of view of the eye that are characterized by a reduced transparency, the one or more areas characterized by the reduced transparency surrounding and defining one or more apertures that include corresponding transparent areas, and the one or more apertures appearing at spatially separated or overlapping positions within the ocular field of view in accordance with the temporal sequence; and

based on the generated moving aperture effect, and using the light control device, sampling and delivering to the retina environmental light from the ocular field of view at a sampling rate between 50 hertz and 50 kilohertz.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising measuring, using the light control device, at least one of (i) a maximum sampling rate that produces, in a subject, a perception of the ocular field of view sampled and delivered to the retina of the eye of the subject by the moving aperture effect or (ii) a minimum sampling rate that produces, in a subject, a perception without causing one or more of a stroboscopic or phantom array effect of the ocular field of view sampled and delivered to the retina of the eye of the subject by the moving aperture effect.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising adjusting, using the light control device, at least one of a transparency, color, chromaticity, size, or shape of at least one of (i) the one or more apertures or (ii) an area outside of a bounded region that includes the one or more apertures.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising displaying, using the light control device, and for visual perception by a subject, at least one of an augmented reality image, a virtual reality image, or a camera-derived image, the camera-derived image comprising visual information, and the visual information comprising environmental light captured by one or more externally mounted cameras from at least one of peripheral to, above, below, or behind the eye, a fellow eye, or both eyes of the subject.