CONTROL DEVICE RESPONSIVE TO LID FISSURE WIDTH

• US 20170131570A1
• Filed: 01/24/2017
• Published: 05/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Onefocus Vision, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Onefocus Vision, Inc.
• Inventors: THOMPSON, Vance
• Granted Patent: US 10,444,543 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/0017 implantable in, or in contact with, the eye, e.g. ocular inserts
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00028 Bifocal lenses; Multifocal lenses
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00048 composed of parts with dissimilar composition B29D11/00057 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00134 Curing of the contact lens material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2825/06 PS, i.e. polystyrene
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/14 of variable focal length
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 2202/18 Cellular lens surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/04 Contact lenses for the eyes disinfection or sterilisation of contact lenses A61L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/048 Means for stabilising the orientation of lenses in the eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/049 Contact lenses having special fitting or structural features achieved by special materials or material structures
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/083 Electrooptic lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/085 Fluid-filled lenses, e.g. electro-wetting lenses

Abstract

An accommodating contact lens comprises a control device, which comprises one or more eyelid engagement structures. The eyelid engagement structures are configured to move with the eyelid relative to the contact lens. The eyelid engagement structure is coupled to the eyelid and to the accommodating contact lens, which may comprise a fluidic module having inner and outer fluid reservoirs. The eyelid engagement structure is configured to respond to the narrowing or widening of the eyelid fissure, moving a fluid in or out of the inner reservoir to accommodate near or far vision.

Claims

1. A contact lens, comprising:

one or more eyelid engagement structures configured to move with an eyelid relative to the contact lens.

2. The contact lens as in claim 1, further comprising a control device, wherein the control device is coupled to the one or more eyelid engagement structures in order to control an amount of accommodation of the accommodating contact lens in response to opening and closing of a palpebral fissure of an eye.

3. The contact lens as in claim 1, wherein the one or more eyelid engagement structures is coupled to a reservoir of the contact lens with an extension comprising one or more of an arm, a lever, or a wing.

4. The contact lens as in claim 3, wherein the extension is sized to provide leverage to the eyelid engagement structure and decrease resistance to movement of the eyelid engagement structure when eyelids close.

5. The contact lens as in claim 3, wherein the eyelid engagement structure comprises a surface shaped to receive a portion of the eyelid and wherein the extension extends between the reservoir and the eyelid engagement structure in order to provide leverage of forces of the eyelid to the reservoir.

6. The contact lens as in claim 3, the extension is coupled to the reservoir in order to resiliently deform the reservoir.

7. The contact lens as in claim 1, wherein the eyelid engagement structure is coupled to the contact lens with one or more of a lever, a ball, a protrusion, a slider or a fulcrum.

8. The contact lens as in claim 1, wherein the eyelid engagement structure is coupled to the contact lens in order to allow movement of the eyelid engagement structure relative to the contact lens and inhibit translational movement of the contact lens.

9. The contact lens as in claim 1, wherein the eyelid engagement structure comprises a plurality of structures to engage opposing eyelids at a plurality of locations.

10. The contact lens as in claim 1, wherein the eyelid engagement structure is configured to engage one or more puncta of the eye.

11. The contact lens as in claim 1, wherein the eyelid engagement structure comprises a plurality of opposing structures to engage a plurality of eyelids at opposing locations in order to inhibit movement of the lens.

12. The contact lens as in claim 1, wherein the contact lens comprises the fluidic module and wherein the fluidic module comprises a coupling structure to couple the eyelid engagement structure with the fluidic module, wherein the coupling structure extends from a support structure of the module to the eyelid engagement structure and wherein the fluidic module comprises an optically transmissive material comprising a plurality of anchor structures embedded in a soft contact lens material and wherein the fluidic module comprises an outer reservoir and an inner optical reservoir and wherein the fluidic module comprises a self-supporting module comprising the reservoirs and the coupling structure prior to placement in the soft contact lens material.

13. The contact lens as in claim 12, wherein the eyelid engagement structure comprises first temporal frequency response characteristics and the fluidic module comprises second frequency response characteristics and wherein first temporal frequency response characteristics comprise frequencies greater than the second frequency response characteristics in order to allow movement of the eyelid engagement structure faster than movement of the fluidic chamber.

14. The contact lens as in claim 1, wherein the contact lens comprises a fluidic chamber coupled to the eyelid engagement structure to move a fluid in response to movement of the eyelid engagement structure with the eyelid.

15. The contact lens as in claim 14, wherein the fluidic chamber comprises one or more of a fluid of an accommodating contact lens or a therapeutic agent to be delivered to the eye.

16. The contact lens as in claim 1, wherein the eyelid engagement structure is coupled to the eyelid with one or more of a ball structure, involute structure, u-shaped structure, or concave structure in order to allow movement of the eyelid engagement structure when the eyelid moves over the contact lens body.

17. The contact lens as in claim 1, wherein the eyelid engagement structure is coupled to an accommodation module and wherein the accommodation module is configured to allow the eye to blink with movement of the eyelid engagement structure and inhibit accommodation of the module when the eye blinks in order to one or more of lubricate or provide nutrients to the eye.

18. The contact lens as in claim 1, wherein the eyelid engagement structure is coupled to a reservoir of a therapeutic agent in order to release an amount of therapeutic agent in response to the eyelid engagement structure moving relative to the contact lens.

19. A method of coupling an eyelid with a contact lens, the method comprising:

providing a contact lens as in any one of the preceding claims.

20. A control device, comprising:

one or more eyelid engagement structures configured to move with an eyelid in order to control an apparatus.

21. The control device of claim 20, wherein the one or more eyelid engagement structures is resiliently coupled to a deflectable structure in order to allow the eyelid engagement structures to move with the eyelids when the eyelids open and close.

22. The control device of claim 20, wherein the control device is configured to couple to an apparatus with one or more of mechanical coupling, a mechanical linkage, a wired connection, a wireless connection, electromagnetic coupling, optical coupling.

23. The control device of claim 22, wherein the apparatus comprises one or more of an accommodating eye glass, a contact lens, a smart contact lens, a therapeutic drug delivery reservoir, an accommodating contact lens, an artificial pupil, an accommodating intraocular lens, a computer interface or a visual display.