Optical lens having at least one stenopaeic opening located in the central area thereof

• US 4,994,080 A
• Filed: 07/15/1988
• Issued: 02/19/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dennis D. Shepard
• Original Assignee: Dennis D. Shepard
• Inventors: Shepard, Dennis D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Frinks, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US07/220,012
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 623/5, 623/6, 351/160, 351/161, 351/162, 351/168, 351/171
• US Class Current: 623/6.64
• 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 2/1616 Pseudo-accommodative, e.g. multifocal or enabling monovision
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0098 radio-opaque, e.g. radio-opaque markers
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/04 Contact lenses for the eyes disinfection or sterilisation of contact lenses A61L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/165 with stenopaeic apertures

Abstract

An optical lens having a transparent lens body for a human eye or mammalian eye is shown. The transparent lens body has an anterior surface and a posterior surface and has formed in the central area thereof at least one stenopaeic opening which is substantially perpendicular to the anterior surface and posterior surface of the lens body. The at least one stenopaeic opening has a dimension "d" which is selected to be a geometrical dimension such that an image of an object located in front of the lens, when the lens is implanted in, or placed upon, the eye, is projected through the lens generally along a predetermined light transmitting path defining the visual axis of an eye and onto the fovea centralis of the eye which is located in back of the lens. The optical lens containing the at least one stenopaeic opening selectively intercepts and passes light through the lens body along the visual axis onto the fovea centralis in a manner to obtain an optical effect by increasing the depth of focus of the eye in order to substitute for the loss of at least one of the focusing power and the accommodation of the eye. Also disclosed herein is an optical lens having at least one stenopaeic opening located substantially central or paracentral therein and having a plurality of stenopaeic openings spaced from and positioned around the at least one stenopaeic opening wherein each one of the plurality of stenopaeic openings has a selected dimension "d".

Claims

1. An optical lens for an eye for use in a human or animal comprising

a clear transparent lens body having a selected diopter pwoer and formed in the central area thereof at least one stenopaeic opening which is located substantially along the central axis of the lens and which is substantially along the central axis of the lens and which is substantially perpendicular to the lens body and having a dimension "d" which is selected to be a geometrical dimension and means for defining a plurality of stenopaeic openings spaced from adn positioned around said at least one stenopaeic opening wherein each of said plurality of stenopaeic openings has a selected dimension such that an image of an outside object located on one side of a lens is projected through the lens, through the eye, generally along predetermined light transmitting paths defining the visual axis and lines parallel to the visual axis and onto substantially the same area of hte fovea centralis of the eye in a manner to obtain an optical effect by increasing the depth of focus of the eye in order to substitute for the loss of at least one of the focusing power and the accommodation of the eye.

2. The optical lens of claim 1 wherein said at least one stenopaeic opening is circular in shape.

3. The optical lens of claim 1 wherein the dimension "d" is selected to have a geometrical dimension in the range of about 0.5 mm to about 3.0 mm.

4. An optical lens for an eye for use in a human or animal comprising

a clear transparent lens body having a selected diopter power, an anterior surface and a posterior surface, said lens body having formed in the central area thereof at least one stenopaeic opening which is located substantially along the central axis of the lens and which is substantially perpendicular to the anterior and posterior surface and having a dimension "d" which is selected to be a geometrical dimension adn means for defining a plurality of stenopaeic openings spaced from and positioned around said at least one stenopaeic opening wherein each of said plurality of stenopaeic openings has selected dimension such that an image of an outside object located onone side of hte lens is projected through the lens, through the eye, generally along predetermined light transmitting paths defining the visual axis and liens parallel to the visual axis and onto the fovea centralis of the eye located on the opposite side of hte lens to selectively intercept and pass light through the lens body along said visual axis and liens parallel to the visual axis onto substantially the same area of said fovea centralis in a manner to obtain an optical effect by increasing the depth of focus of the eye in order to substitute for the loss of at least one of the focusing power and the accommodation of the eye.

5. The optical lens of claim 4 wherein said at least one stenopaeic opening is circular in shape.

6. The optical lens of claim 4 wherein the dimension "d" is selected to have a geometrical dimension inthe range of about 0.5 mm to about 3.0 mm.

7. The optical lens of claim 5 wherein the lens body is a plano disc lens.

8. The optical lens of claim 4 wherein the lens body is a plano-convex lens.

9. The optical lens of claim 4 wherein the lens body is a bi-convex lens.

10. The optical lens of claim 4 wherein the lens body is a concavo-convex lens.

11. The optical lens of claim 4 wherein the selected dimension of each of said plurality of stenopaeic openings is substantially equal to the dimension "d" of said at least one stenopaeic hole.

12. The optical lens of claim 11 wherein each stenopaeic hole of said plurality of stenopaeic oepnings is spaced equally a distance "s" from the at least one stenopaeic hole.

13. The optical lens of claim 12 wherein the dimension "d" is selected to have a geometric dimension in the range of about 0.5 mm to about 3.0 mm. and the distance "s" is selected to be in the range of about 2.0 mm to about 12 mm.

14. The optical lens of claim 4 wherein said plurality of stenopaeic openings comprises eight stenopaeic openings located at equal angles around said at least one stenopaeic opening.

15. The optical lens of claim 4 wherein all of the stenopaeic openings have a central axis and wherein the central axis of each of the plurality of stenopaeic openings are generally parallel to the central axis of said at least one stenopaeic openings.

16. The optical lens of claim 4 wherein the lens body is a contact lens.

17. The optical lens of claim 4 wherein the lens body is a corneal overlay.

18. The optical lens of claim 4 wherein the lens body is an artificial lens adapted to be implanted into the corneal stroma.

19. The optical lens of claim 4 further comprising

resilient support means operatively coupled to said lens hody and adapted to engage tissue in the chamber of an eYe to position the lens in a proper optical relationship to the pupil.

20. The optical lens of claim 19 wherein the optical lens is adapted to be implanted into the anterior chamber of the eye.

21. The optical lens of claim 19 wherein the optical lens is adapted to be implanted into the posterior chamher of the eye.