Phototherapy Method and Device

• US 20070233207A1
• Filed: 03/30/2005
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schreder Be SA
• Original Assignee: Constructions Electriques RV (Synov SAS)
• Inventors: Poirrier, Robert, Moreau, Vicnent
• Granted Patent: US 9,044,567 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/88
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0044 by the sight sense
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 21/00 Other devices or methods to cause a change in the state of consciousness; Devices for producing or ending sleep by mechanical, optical, or acoustical means, e.g. for hypnosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0648 the light being directed to the eyes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/0618 Psychological treatment

Abstract

A phototherapy method, acting on the eyes (5) of an individual through light rays (R) of at least one specific wavelength, emitted by at least one light source (3) stationary relative to his/her head, which consists in: arranging the light source (3) at the periphery of his/her visual field allowing the individual'"'"'s normal activities and in deflecting the light rays (R) onto a specific zone (9) of the retina (11), so as to maintain vision.

Claims

1. Phototherapy method, acting on a set of eyes of an individual with a head, each eye comprising a pupil, a retina and a fovea, through light rays of at least one specific wavelength, emitted by at least one light source which is stationary relative to the head of the individual,

wherein it consists:

in arranging the light source at the periphery of the field of vision so as to allow the usual activities of the individual, and

in deflecting said light rays by diffraction onto a specific zone of the retina so as to maintain vision.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein said specific zone which receives the deflected rays is selected in such a way as to exclude the fovea regardless of the direction of vision below a plane passing through the optical axis of lenses arranged so as to deflect the light rays towards this specific zone.

3. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the deflected light rays are made to converge in the eye at a point located slightly behind the pupil of the eye.

15. Method according to claim 2, characterised in that the deflected light rays are made to converge in the eye at a point located slightly behind the pupil of the eye.

4. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

6. Device for implementing a phototherapy method on a set of eyes of an individual with a head, each eye comprising a pupil, a retina and a fovea, and comprising:

a support designed to be immobilised on the head of the individual,

at least one light source mounted on the support at the periphery of a field of vision of the individual, emitting light rays of at least one specific wavelength and being arranged so that the latter are directed into the eyes, by deflection means, onto said specific zone;

wherein said deflection means consist of at least one diffractive lens, such as an off-axis diffractive optical element, for each eye.

7. Device according to claim 6, wherein said support consists of a spectacle frame, said deflection means being in the form of spectacle lenses.

8. Device according to claim 6, wherein the support consists on the one hand of a spectacle frame with corrective lenses and on the other hand of a spectacle attachment, said deflection means being in the form of lenses of said attachment, the at least one light source being mounted on this attachment.

9. Device according to claim 6, wherein it comprises, for each eye, one or more light sources, such as light-emitting diodes, and separate deflection means which are arranged so as to cooperate with the light sources of each eye.

10. Device according to claim 9, wherein it comprises, preferably separately for each light sources, a condenser

which is arranged so as to direct the light rays emitted by each of the sources onto said deflection means, and

which is associated with the light source at the periphery of the field of vision.

13. Device according to claim 10, wherein the condenser for the light rays is arranged so as to direct said rays onto the face of the corresponding diffractive lens at an angle of incidence, with respect to the optical axis of this lens, provided such that the distance separating the latter from the eye is such that the actual image of the light source is located in the eye, slightly behind the pupil thereof.

14. Device according to either of claim 6, characterised in that an F number of the diffractive lens of around 0.7 is selected.

11. (canceled)

12. (canceled)