Colored contact lens having very natural appearance

a contact lens and very natural technology, applied in the field of colored contact lenses, can solve the problems of lens not reaching commercial success, unnatural appearance of lens,

Inactive Publication Date: 2005-06-16
JAHNKE RICHARD L
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0005] One aspect of the invention comprises a colored contact lens comprising a non-opaque pupil section, an iris section surrounding said pupil section, and a colored, opaque intermittent pattern over said entire iris section, that leaves a substantial portion within the interstices of the pattern non-opaque, said pattern covering at least about 25 percent of the area of said iris section, the elements of said pattern being undiscernible to the ordinary viewer, wherein a first portion of the elements of said pattern are of a first shade and a second portion of the elements of said pattern are of a second shade different from said first shade, wherein said first portion is located generally on the outside of said iris section and said second portion is located generally on the inside of said iris section, and a jagged border separates said first and second portions, wherein the minimum distance of said jagged border from the outer perimeter of said iris section is from about 5% to about 45% of the radial width of said iris section, and the maximum distance of said border from the outer perimeter of said iris section is from about 45% to about 95% of the radial width of said iris section, thereby providing a lens capable of changing the apparent color of the iris of a person wearing the lens and imparting a very natural appearance.

Problems solved by technology

Such a lens imparts a very unnatural appearance.
Such a lens never achieved commercial success.
However, neither the Knapp commercial lenses, nor the Knapp patent disclose or suggest how one would arrange a pattern of dots having more than one color to achieve a more natural appearance.

Method used

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  • Colored contact lens having very natural appearance
  • Colored contact lens having very natural appearance
  • Colored contact lens having very natural appearance

Examples

Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test

example 1

[0033] A hydrophilic lens made of hydroxyethyl methacrylate, ethoxy ethyl methacrylate, and methacrylic acid as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,668,240 is printed on its front, convex side with ink of a first shade containing pigment, binding polymer made from the same monomers used to form the lens, hexamethylene diisocyanate and solvent. The printed pattern is shown in FIG. 1. It covers most of the iris section, having an annular form, with an outer radius R1 of about 5.2 mm and an inner radius R2 of about 2.2 mm. After the ink has cured, the first pattern is overprinted with the pattern shown in FIG. 2 having a different shade than the pattern of FIG. 1. To accomplish this second printing, it is highly preferable to have the centers 23 of the patterns overlap. However, it is not necessary to rotationally align the patterns of FIGS. 1 and 2. That is, after the FIG. 1 pattern is printed on the lens, the rotation of the lens or the pad used in printing the pattern of FIG. 2 about lens cent...

example 2

[0044] A contact lens is printed first with the pattern of FIG. 3 and then with the pattern of FIG. 2 in a second shade. When using these two patterns, centers 23 of both patterns are in alignment and in addition the patterns are rotationally aligned so that radial lines RL1 and RL2 coincide. The following color combinations are currently preferred:

EXAMPLEFIG. 3 PATTERNFIG. 2 PATTERN2AInk No. 1 (Blue)Ink No. 2 (Hazel)2BInk No. 3 (Green)Ink No. 2 (Hazel)2CInk No. 4 (Brown)Ink No. 5 (Yellow Brown)2DInk No. 1 (Blue)Ink No. 6 (Misty Gray)2EInk No. 6 (Misty Gray)Ink No. 7 (Dark Gray)

EXAMPLE 3

[0045] Contact lenses are printed with the pattern of FIG. 4, then with the pattern of FIG. 5 in a second shade, and finally with the pattern of FIG. 6 in a third shade. Centers 23 of each pattern are aligned and patterns 4 and 5 are rotationally aligned along radial lines RL3 and RL4. As seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the jagged border between the portions of the iris sections having the first and second ...

example 4

[0048] Prepare a lens in accordance with the second aspect of this invention by using the patterns of FIG. 7. In FIG. 7, an opaque iris section 26 has non-opaque elements 27 (only a few of which are labeled). The non-opaque elements of FIG. 7 are roughly radially elongated areas and dots. The opaque area has a first section of a first shade and a second inner section of a second shade different from the first shade, separated by jagged border 28.

EXAMPLE 5

[0049] Prepare a lens in accordance with the third aspect of the invention by using the patterns of FIG. 8. The iris section of the lens is opaque. An outer section 29 has a first shade and an inner section 30 has a second shade. Jagged border 31 separates sections 29 and 30.

[0050] Although lenses in accordance with Examples 4 and have not been produced, it is believed that they would achieve a far more natural appearance than the same lenses having a single color. Yet preparing lenses in accordance with these two embodiments is m...

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Abstract

A colored contact lens having a very natural appearance is disclosed. The inventive lens has a non-opaque pupil section and iris section that is at least partially opaque and comprised of two portions. A first portion, generally located on the outside of the iris section, has a first shade. A second portion, generally located on the inside of the iris section has a second shade. A jagged border separates the two portions. A third iris section and second jagged border are also disclosed. In some embodiments portions of the iris section may be non-opaque.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to colored contact lenses and in particular to such lenses having opaque colored portions that are able to change the apparent color of the wearer's iris while imparting a very natural appearance. [0002] It was recognized very early that a contact lens with opaque coloring should not have a simple solidly colored iris. Such a lens imparts a very unnatural appearance. Wichterle in U.S. Pat. No. 3,679,504 discloses an opaque lens having an iris of more than a single color that is artistically drawn or photographically reproduced. Such a lens never achieved commercial success. Other attempts to produce an opaque lens with a natural appearance are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,536,386, (Spivak); U.S. Pat. No. 3,712,718 (LeGrand), U.S. Pat. No. 4,460,523 (Neefe), U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,657 (Bawa), U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,647 (Meshel et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,449 (Jenkins); European Patent Publication No. 0 309 154 (Allergan) and U.K. Patent Application No....

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): G02C7/02G02C7/04
CPCG02C7/046B29D11/00923B29D11/00038B29D11/00317G02C7/04
Inventor JAHNKE, RICHARD L.
Owner JAHNKE RICHARD L
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