Progressive ophthalmic lens and method of producing one such lens

• US 7,806,526 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2005
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Essilor International SA
• Original Assignee: Essilor International SA
• Inventors: Decreton, Bruno, Bourdoncle, Bernard, Guilloux, Cyril
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwartz; Jordan M.
• Application Number:
  US11/722,914
• Publication Number:
  US 20080143959A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,751 Days
• Field of Search: 351/169, 351/176
• US Class Current: 351/169
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/028 Special mathematical design techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/061 Spectacle lenses with progressively varying focal power

Abstract

The invention relates to a progressive ophthalmic lens and to a method of producing one such lens. Variations in the optical power and the astigmatism of a progressive ophthalmic lens (10) result from (i) spherical and cylindrical variations in the anterior face (2) of the lens and (ii) variations in another physical unit of the lens. In this way, it is possible to customise the design of the progressive lens as a function of at least one behavioural characteristic of the lens wearer. Said customisation can be repeated by modulating the values of the physical unit between the different points of the lens. As a result, progressive lenses with different designs can be obtained from identical semi-finished lenses. The physical unit can comprise the sphere and the cylinder of the posterior face of the lens (3).

Claims

1. A progressive ophthalmic lens comprising an anterior face, a posterior face and an intermediate medium producing variations in optical power and astigmatism when said lens is used by a wearer, in which said variations result from:

a first contribution resulting from variations of a sphere and cylinder of the anterior face of the lens; and

a second contribution resulting from variations of at least one physical parameter of the lens distinct from the sphere and cylinder of the anterior face, and distinct from the resulting optical effects of the sphere and cylinder of the anterior face,

and in which values of the physical parameter at different points on the lens are adapted so that the second contribution produces customization of the variations in optical power and astigmatism of the lens for a wearer as a function of at least one behavioral characteristic specific to the wearer,

the lens being characterized in that it has a prescribed optical power and a prescribed astigmatism resulting from values of another physical parameter in different points of the lens, said other physical parameter being distinct from the sphere and cylinder of the anterior face, and from the physical parameter which produces the second contribution to the variations in optical power and astigmatism of the lens.

2. The lens as claimed in claim 1, in which the behavioral characteristic of the wearer comprises an amplitude of horizontal eye movements with respect to a rotation of the wearer'"'"'s head, when the wearer scans a field of vision horizontally.

3. The lens as claimed in claim 1, in which, for the variation of optical power present between a distance vision point (VL) and a near vision point (VP) of the lens, the second contribution is less than the first contribution, in absolute values.

4. The lens as claimed in claim 3, in which, for the variation of optical power present between the distance vision point (VL) and the near vision point (VP) of the lens, the second contribution is substantially zero.

5. The lens as claimed in claim 1, in which the physical parameter comprises a sphere and cylinder of the posterior face of the lens, a refractive index of a substantially transparent layer included within the lens, or a refractive index of the intermediate medium.

6. The lens as claimed in claim 1, in which said other physical parameter of the lens comprises a sphere and cylinder of the posterior face of the lens, a refractive index of a substantially transparent layer included within the lens, or a refractive index of the intermediate medium.

7. The lens as claimed in claim 1, in which the variations of the physical parameter are adapted so that a width of a field of near vision and/or a field of distance vision of the lens, is modified with respect to an effective field of near vision and/or an effective field of distance vision respectively, resulting only from the variations of the sphere and cylinder of the anterior face of the lens.

9. The lens as claimed in claim 1, in which the variations of the physical parameter are adapted so that a continuous variation of the optical power of the lens along a meridian line (M) between a distance vision point (VL) and a near vision point (VP) of the lens, is modified with respect to an effective variation of the optical power between said points resulting only from the variations of the sphere and of the cylinder of the anterior face of the lens.

10. The lens as claimed in claim 1, in which the variations of the physical parameter are adapted so that a near vision point of the lens (VP) is displaced laterally with respect to an effective location of said point resulting only from the variations of the sphere and of the cylinder of the anterior face of the lens.

8. A progressive ophthalmic lens comprising an anterior face, a posterior face and an intermediate medium producing variations in optical power and astigmatism when said lens is used by a wearer, in which said variations result from:

a first contribution resulting from variations of a sphere and cylinder of the anterior face of the lens; and

a second contribution resulting from variations of at least one physical parameter of the lens distinct from the sphere and cylinder of the anterior face,

and in which values of the physical parameter at different points on the lens are adapted so that the second contribution produces customization of the variations in optical power and astigmatism of the lens as a function of at least one behavioral characteristic of the wearer,

the lens being characterized in that it has a prescribed optical power and a prescribed astigmatism resulting from values of another physical parameter in different points of the lens, said other physical parameter being distinct from the sphere and cylinder of the anterior face, and from the physical parameter which produces the second contribution to the variations in optical power and astigmatism of the lens, and

the variations of the physical parameter are adapted so that a maximum value for astigmatism reached at a point located in lateral parts of the lens and/or a location of said point is modified with respect to an effective maximum value of astigmatism and/or an effective location, respectively, resulting only from variations of the sphere and of the cylinder of the anterior face of the lens.

11. A method for producing a progressive ophthalmic lens comprising an anterior face, a posterior face and an intermediate medium, the method comprising the following steps:

producing a semifinished lens in which the anterior face has variations in a sphere and cylinder in order to obtain a first contribution to variations in optical power and astigmatism of the lens when said lens is used by a wearer;

measuring at least one behavioral characteristic of a wearer of the lens;

determining values of a physical parameter of the lens distinct from the sphere and cylinder of the anterior face, and distinct from the resulting optical effects of the sphere and cylinder of the anterior face, so that a second contribution to the variations in optical power and astigmatism of the lens results from variations of said physical parameter between different points on the lens, said second contribution achieving customization of the variations of optical power and astigmatism of the lens for the wearer according to the behavioral characteristic measured specific to the wearer, and

modulating the physical parameter so as to obtain said second contribution, wherein the values of another physical parameter distinct from the sphere and cylinder of the anterior face, and from the physical parameter that produces the second contribution to the variations in optical power and astigmatism of the lens at different points on the lens are determined so as to obtain a prescribed optical power and a prescribed astigmatism for the lens.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the measured characteristic of the wearer comprises an amplitude of horizontal eye movements with respect to a rotation of the wearer'"'"'s head, when the wearer scans a field of vision horizontally.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the values of the physical parameter are further determined so that, for the variation of optical power present between a distance vision point (VL) and a near vision point (VP) of the lens, the second contribution is less than the first contribution, in absolute values.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the values of the physical parameter are further determined so that, for the variation of optical power present between the distance vision point (VL) and the near vision point (VP) of the lens, the second contribution is substantially zero.

15. The method as claimed claim 11, wherein the physical parameter comprises a sphere and a cylinder of the posterior face of the lens, and wherein modulation of the physical parameter is carried out during a subsequent machining of the posterior face of the lens.

16. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the physical parameter comprises a refractive index of a substantially transparent layer included within the semifinished lens, said layer consisting of a material with a refractive index that can be adjusted by irradiation, and wherein the physical parameter is modulated by selectively irradiating different portions of said layer in a variable manner.

17. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the physical parameter comprises a refractive index of the intermediate medium of the lens, said intermediate layer consisting of a material with a refractive index that can be adjusted by irradiation, and wherein the physical parameter is modulated by selectively irradiating different portions of the intermediate medium in a variable manner.

18. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said other physical parameter comprises a sphere and a cylinder of the posterior face of the lens, and wherein modulation of said other parameter is carried out during a subsequent machining of the posterior face of the lens.

19. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said other physical parameter comprises a refractive index of a substantially transparent layer included within the lens, said layer consisting of a material with a refractive index that can be adjusted by irradiation, and wherein said other physical parameter is modulated by selectively irradiating different portions of said layer in a variable manner.

20. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said other physical parameter comprises a refractive index of the intermediate medium of the lens, said intermediate medium consisting of a material with a refractive index that can be adjusted by irradiation, and wherein said other physical parameter is modulated by selectively irradiating different portions of the intermediate medium in a variable manner.

21. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein modulation of the physical parameter is further determined so that the second contribution to variations in optical power and astigmatism of the lens widens a field of near vision and/or a field of distance vision of the lens, with respect to an effective field of near vision and/or an effective field of distance vision respectively, resulting only from the first contribution.

23. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein modulation of the physical parameter is further determined so that the second contribution to the variations in optical power of the lens modifies a progression of the optical power of the lens along a meridian line (M) between a distance vision point (VL) and a near vision point (VP) of the lens, with respect to an effective progression of optical power between said points resulting only from the first contribution.

24. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the modulation of the physical parameter is further determined so that the second contribution to the variations in optical power and astigmatism of the lens displaces a near vision point of the lens (VP) laterally with respect to an effective location of said point resulting only from the first contribution.

22. A method for producing a progressive ophthalmic lens comprising an anterior face, a posterior face and an intermediate medium, the method comprising the following steps:

producing a semifinished lens in which the anterior face has variations in a sphere and cylinder in order to obtain a first contribution to variations in optical power and astigmatism of the lens when said lens is used by a wearer;

measuring at least one behavioral characteristic of a wearer of the lens;

determining values of a physical parameter of the lens distinct from the sphere and cylinder of the anterior face, so that a second contribution to the variations in optical power and astigmatism of the lens results from variations of said physical parameter between different points on the lens, said second contribution achieving customization of the variations of optical power and astigmatism of the lens according to the behavioral characteristic measured, and

modulating the physical parameter so as to obtain said second contribution, wherein the values of another physical parameter distinct from the sphere and cylinder of the anterior face, and from the physical parameter that produces the second contribution to the variations in optical power and astigmatism of the lens at different points on the lens are determined so as to obtain a prescribed optical power and a prescribed astigmatism for the lens,

wherein modulation of the physical parameter is further determined so that the second contribution to the variations in astigmatism of the lens modifies a maximum astigmatism value reached at a point located in lateral parts of the lens and/or a location of said point, with respect to a maximum effective astigmatism value and/or an effective location, respectively, resulting only from the first contribution.