TELESCOPIC CONTACT LENS

• US 20130265507A1
• Filed: 10/11/2011
• Published: 10/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Ford, Joseph E., Tremblay, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 9,063,352 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/13
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/0808 on-axis systems with at least one of the mirrors having a central aperture
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/06 having a focussing action, e.g. parabolic mirror
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/04 Contact lenses for the eyes disinfection or sterilisation of contact lenses A61L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/044 Annular configuration, e.g. pupil tuned
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/088 Lens systems mounted to spectacles
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/101 having an electro-optical light valve electro-optical elements per se G02F

Abstract

Techniques, systems and apparatus are described for implementing a telescopic contact lens. In one aspect, a telescopic contact lens includes an inner lens including optical apertures and aspheric reflectors, an outer lens of a biocompatible material, and a switching device that rapidly switches between normal and telescopic vision. The optical apertures of the inner lens includes a center aperture that allows light to pass through for normal vision and an annular aperture located on the periphery of the inner lens that allows light to enter for telescopic vision, The aspheric reflectors are configured between the annular aperture and the center aperture to reflect the light and magnify a visual image for telescopic vision.

Claims

1. A contact lens, comprising:

a lens assembly structured to include a central aperture formed of a material capable of transmitting light through the central aperture to enter an eye behind the lens assembly as a first optical imaging device for forming images in the eye, an annular aperture separated from and enclosing the central aperture to receive light outside the central aperture, and an annular optical element coupled to the annular aperture to receive light from the annular aperture and to guide the received light along a folded optical path to enter the eye as a second optical imaging device for forming images in the eye that are optically different from images formed through the central aperture; and

a soft lens skirt formed outside the lens assembly to form contact with the eye.

2. The lens as in claim 1, comprising:

an aperture control mechanism that operates one of the central aperture and the annular aperture to receive light for forming images in the eye while shutting down the other one of the central aperture and the annular aperture not to receive light.

3. The lens as in claim 2, comprising:

a central aperture shutter that is controlled by the aperture control mechanism to shut or open the central aperture; and

an annular aperture shutter that is controlled by the aperture control mechanism to shut or open the annular aperture.

4. The lens as in claim 3, wherein:

the central aperture shutter or the annular aperture shutter includes a spatial light modulator.

5. The lens as in claim 3, wherein:

the central aperture shutter or the annular aperture shutter includes a photochromic shutter.

6. The lens as in claim 3, wherein:

the central aperture shutter or the annular aperture shutter includes a liquid crystal switch.

7. The lens as in claim 3, comprising:

a power source formed in the lens assembly to supply power to the central aperture shutter and the annular aperture shutter.

8. The lens as in claim 7, comprising:

a blink-recognition element formed in the lens assembly to detect a blink of the eye, wherein the aperture control mechanism is coupled to the blink-recognition element to control, based on detected blinks, the central aperture shutter and the annular aperture shutter.

9. The lens as in claim 7, wherein:

the power source is located in an area between the central aperture and the annular aperture.

10. The lens as in claim 1, wherein:

the annular optical element includes optical diffractive elements concentrically located in the annular optical element to form the folded optical path at each location on the annular optical element.

11. The lens as in claim 1, wherein:

the annular optical element includes optical reflectors concentrically located in the annular optical element to form the folded optical path at each location on the annular optical element.

12. The lens as in claim 1, wherein:

the annular optical element includes optical reflective and diffractive elements concentrically located in the annular optical element to form the folded optical path at each location on the annular optical element.

13. The lens as in claim 1, wherein:

the annular aperture and the annular optical element form a telescope to magnify images formed in the eye to be greater than images formed through the central aperture.

23. The lens as in claim 1, wherein:

an eyeglasses that guides light transmission into the lens includes a polarized lens assembly structured to include a polarized lens of a particular polarization made of a switchable polarizing material and a polarization control mechanism coupled to the polarized lens that controls an orientation of the particular polarization of the polarized lens, and

the lens further comprising a central aperture polarizer that is of a first polarization and an annular aperture polarizer that is of a second polarization,

wherein the polarized assembly lens filters light to guide the light to the central aperture or the annular aperture of the lens.

24. The lens as in claim 23, wherein:

the polarization control mechanism determines the particular polarization to match the first polarization or the second polarization.

25. The lens as in claim 24, wherein:

the particular polarization is orthogonal to the first polarization, thereby blocking light from transmitting through the central aperture.

26. The lens as in claim 24, wherein:

the particular polarization is orthogonal to the second polarization, thereby blocking light from transmitting through the annular aperture.

27. The lens as in claim 23, wherein:

the switchable polarizing material includes at least one of liquid crystals, elecro-absorptive electrochromic material, and electro-reflective electrochromic mirrors.

28. The lens as in claim 1, wherein:

an eyeglasses that guides light transmission into the lens includes a polarized lens assembly structured to include a polarized lens of a particular polarization, and

the lens further comprising a central aperture polarizer made of a switchable polarizing material that is of a first polarization, an annular aperture polarizer made of a switchable polarizing material that is of a second polarization, and an aperture control mechanism coupled to the central aperture polarizer and the annular aperture polarizer that controls an orientation of at least one of the first polarization and the second polarization,

wherein the polarized assembly lens filters light to guide the light to the central aperture or the annular aperture of the lens at the particular polarization.

29. The lens as in claim 28, wherein:

the aperture control mechanism determines the first polarization to match the particular polarization of the polarized lens and the second polarization to be orthogonal to the particular polarization of the polarized lens, thereby blocking light from transmitting through the annular aperture.

30. The lens as in claim 29, wherein:

the aperture control mechanism determines the second polarization to match the particular polarization of the polarized lens and the first polarization to be orthogonal to the particular polarization of the polarized lens, thereby blocking light from transmitting through the central aperture.

31. The lens as in claim 28, wherein:

the switchable polarizing material includes at least one of liquid crystals, elecro-absorptive electrochromic material, and electro-reflective electrochromic mirrors.

14. A method for using a contact lens to form images in an eye, comprising:

using a central aperture of the contact lens as a first optical imaging device to form images in the eye in a first vision;

using an annular aperture of the contact lens, that is separated from and encloses the central aperture, to receive light outside the central aperture, to guide the received light along a folded optical path to enter the eye as a second optical imaging device to form images in the eye in a second vision that is optically different from the first vision; and

switching on and off the central aperture and the annular aperture, one aperture at a time, to form images in the first and second visions in the eye.

15. The method as in claim 14, wherein the first vision and second vision have different image magnifications.

16. The method as in claim 14, wherein the second vision is a telescope vision.

17. A contact lens, comprising:

a lens assembly structured to include a central aperture formed of a material capable of transmitting light through the central aperture to enter an eye behind the lens assembly as a first optical imaging device for forming images in the eye;

an annular aperture formed in the lens assembly, that is separated from and encloses the central aperture, to receive light outside the central aperture, and to guide the received light along a folded optical path to enter the eye as a second optical imaging device for forming images in the eye that are optically different from images formed through the central aperture;

a central aperture shutter that shuts or opens the central aperture;

an annular aperture shutter that shuts or opens the annular aperture; and

an aperture control that operates one of the central aperture and the annular aperture to receive light for forming images in the eye while shutting down the other one of the central aperture and the annular aperture not to receive light.

18. The lens as in claim 17, comprising:

a power source formed in the lens assembly to supply power for operating the contact lens.

19. The lens as in claim 18, comprising:

a blink-recognition element formed in the lens assembly to detect a blink of the eye, wherein the aperture control is coupled to the blink-recognition element to control, based on detected blinks, the central aperture shutter and the annular aperture shutter.

20. The lens as in claim 18, wherein:

the power source is located in an area between the central aperture and the annular aperture.

21. The lens as in claim 18, wherein:

the power source is a photovoltaic power source that converts light into electrical power.

22. The lens as in claim 18, comprising:

a wink-recognition element formed in the lens assembly to detect a wink of the eye, wherein the aperture control is coupled to the wink-recognition element to control, based on detected winks, the central aperture shutter and the annular aperture shutter.

32. A contact lens, comprising:

an inner lens including two or more optical apertures and optical reflectors, wherein the two or more optical apertures include a central optical aperture located in the center of the inner lens that receives light and directs received light onto a central region of a retina of an eye for normal vision and an annular optical aperture located on a periphery of the inner lens that receives light and directs received light along a folded optical path formed by the optical reflectors to magnify an image in the received light onto a peripheral region of the retina for a telescopic vision, and wherein the optical reflectors are arranged in a region between the annular optical aperture and the central optical aperture to reflect the received light from one reflector to another along the folded optical path that is separated from an optical path of the received light from the central optical aperture; and

a switching device that is located on the exterior of the inner lens between the two or more optical apertures that switches between normal and telescopic vision.

33. The contact lens of claim 32, wherein the two or more optical apertures are concentric.

34. The contact lens of claim 32, wherein the plurality of aspheric reflectors are concentric.

35. The contact lens of claim 32, wherein the switching device comprises a conformal spatial light modulator.

36. The contact lens of claim 35, wherein the conformal spatial light modulator comprises at least one of a photochromic shutter, electrochromic shutter, and a liquid crystal switch.

37. The contact lens of claim 35, wherein the switching device is powered and controlled using light and photovoltaic cells.

38. The contact lens of claim 32, wherein the inner lens further includes diffractive optical elements (DOE) to control chromatic aberrations.

39. A contact lens, comprising:

a lens assembly structured to include a single annular optical aperture located on a periphery of the lens assembly that receives light and guides received light along a folded optical path formed by optical reflectors to magnify an image in the received light onto a region of retina of an eye for a telescopic vision, and wherein the optical reflectors are arranged in a region that is hollow between the annular optical aperture and the center of the lens assembly to reflect the received light from one optical reflector to another along the folded optical path; and

a soft lens skirt formed outside the lens assembly to form contact with the eye, wherein the lens assembly is made of the same material as the soft lens skirt.

40. A contact lens, comprising:

concentric reflective optical surfaces that provide a vision path through an annular input aperture, wherein the concentric reflective optical surfaces are internal surfaces to a smooth outer structure, and wherein the concentric reflective surfaces lie on a first material embedded within a second material, and wherein the combination of reflections and refractions through the first and second materials provide a substantially color independent visual magnification.

41. A contact lens, comprising:

concentric reflective optical surfaces that provide a vision path through an annular input aperture, wherein the concentric reflective optical surfaces are internal surfaces to a smooth outer structure, and wherein the concentric reflective optical surfaces lie on the internal surfaces of a substantially hollow volume within the smooth outer structure, and wherein the combination of refractive and reflective surfaces provide a substantially color independent visual magnification.