METHOD AND A SYSTEM FOR PROTECTION OF RETINA FROM LIGHT-INDUCED DAMAGE

• US 20100277687A1
• Filed: 07/20/2008
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences
• Original Assignee: Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences
• Inventors: Perlman, Ido, Shehadeh, Naim
• Granted Patent: US 8,833,937 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 351/158
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 2202/16 Laminated or compound lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/101 having an electro-optical light valve electro-optical elements per se G02F
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/104 having spectral characteristics for purposes other than sun-protection

Abstract

The present applications describes, inter alia, a retinal light management system that allows for removal of dangerous wavelengths of light while controlling the intensity of the remaining light that is allowed to pass to a user'"'"'s eyes. In one embodiment, the system involves a pair of glasses that include filters that can be modified in the presence of light to reduce total light intensity reaching a diabetic'"'"'s eyes.

Claims

1. Eyewear including at least one filter configured to control light reaching an eye, the at least one filter comprising:

a filtering property operable to block light with wavelength shorter than a wavelength in the range of 450-650 nm, wherein light with wavelength shorter than a wavelength in said range includes blue light; and

a variable filtering property operative to actively maintain light with wavelengths longer than a wavelength in said range within a preset range of light intensities.

2. Eyewear according to claim 1, wherein the preset range maintain light intensities reaching an eye to be below a first preset value and above a second preset value, which second value is functionally usable and above 30 Lux, over a range of illumination conditions ranging from 100 Lux to 5000 Lux.

3. Eyewear according to claim 2, wherein the first preset value is selected from one of 50 Lux, 100 Lux, 150 Lux, 350 Lux, 500 Lux and 800 Lux.

4. Eyewear according to claim 1, comprising at least one electrically controlled light attenuating element, at least one sensor and at least one circuitry which controls said light attenuating element in response to a light intensity signal from said sensor.

5. Eyewear according to claim 4, wherein said circuitry varies said reaching intensities according to an estimating of accumulated damage.

6. Eyewear according to claim 4, wherein said circuitry includes an alarm.

7. Eyewear according to claim 4, wherein said sensor is physically separate from said eyewear.

8. Eyewear according to claim 4, wherein said circuitry is programmable with respect to at least one of said preset values.

9. Eyewear according to claim 1, comprising at least one non-linear dye which changes optical density in response to light intensity impinging thereon.

10. Eyewear according to claim 1, wherein said wavelength range is between 500-650 nm.

11. Eyewear according to claim 10, wherein said blocked light is blocked to intensity below said preset range of light intensities.

13. Eyewear according to claim 1 comprising an eye damage monitor comprising:

(a) a light sensor;

(b) circuitry which accumulates light readings from said sensor and generates an indication of -light-caused damage-; and

(c) an output device which reacts to said indication.

14. A monitor according to claim 13, wherein said output device comprises an alarm device.

15. A monitor according to claim 13, wherein said output device comprises at least one optical light filter adapted to be mounted adjacent an eye.

16. A monitor according to claim 13, wherein said circuitry accumulates different readings at different wavelengths.

27. Eyewear according to claim 1, wherein said eyewear further includes a filtering property operable to block light of all wavelengths a variable amount.

12. Eyewear configured to actively maintain light intensities reaching an eye to be below a first preset value and above a second preset value, which second value is functionally usable and above 30 Lux, over a range of illumination conditions ranging from 100 Lux to 5000 Lux, wherein the eyewear includes at least one variable light filter which blocks light in wavelengths of shorter than 530 nm or 550 nm.

17. A method of preventing or reducing damage to an eye, comprising:

blocking light below a wavelength in the range of 450-650 nm; and

maintaining a light intensity reaching an eye at a range above said wavelength range at an intensity below a damage level for both indoor and outdoor activities, using an active optical element associated with the eye.

18. A method according to claim 17, comprising determining said damage level for a particular patient.

19. A method according to claim 17, comprising trading off damage levels and functionally useful levels in said maintaining.

20. A method according to claim 17, wherein maintaining comprises maintaining for at least 50% of the time.

21. A method according to claim 17, comprising:

tracking an intensity of light reaching an eye over prolonged periods of time.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein said tracking comprises tracking at a plurality of wavelengths.

23. A method according to claim 17 for preventing retinal damage in a diabetic patient and to prevent the development of cataract, including the following steps:

selecting a patient; and

,

providing said patient with light filters, said light filters having a maximum light intensity cutoff for light that passes through lenses of said light filters.

24. The method according to claim 23 wherein said maximum light intensity cutoff is 150 Lux.

25. The method according to claim 23, further providing filters for removal of at least 90% of light with wavelength between 300-530 nanometers.

26. The method according to claim 23, wherein said light filters are made of photorefractive materials.