Laminates with optical microstructures for incorporation into ophthalmic lenses

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a laminate comprising: a first film including a microstructured pattern embossed on its first surface, each microstructure being arranged to have a predetermined distance between adjacent optical microstructures; and a second film including structures disposed on its first surface at positions corresponding to regions of the first surface of the first film defined by the predetermined distance; wherein when the second film is laminated to the first film, the structures disposed on the first surface of the second film contact the regions of the first surface of the first film defined by the predetermined distance, the height of these structures being greater than the height of each microstructure, and the Δ defined therebetween encapsulates a void filling material in at least a portion of at least one void defined by Δ.

Description

Background Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a laminate that includes optical microstructures that allow for general application to ophthalmic lenses for correcting vision anomalies. Background Art

[0003] Myopia (also known as nearsightedness and shortsightedness) is an eye condition in which light entering the eye does not directly focus on the retina. Instead, the light entering the eye focuses in front of the retina, resulting in an image that is in or out of focus as observed by the individual, depending on the distance of the object from the individual's eye. For example, when the object is a distant object, the observed object will be out of focus, while when the object is a nearby object, the observed object will be in focus.

[0004] Although it can be corrected by refractive surgery, myopia is most commonly corrected by using corrective lenses such as glasses or contact lenses. The corrective lenses have a negative optical power (i.e., have a net concave effect), which compensates for the excessive positive refractive power of the nearsighted eye. The negative refractive power is typically used to describe the severity of the myopia condition, as this is the value of the lens that corrects the vision.

[0005] Recently, efforts to address the development of myopia in children and young adults have included providing optical microstructures directly on the surface of corrective lenses. The optical microstructures can be, for example, microlenses that redirect a portion of the incident light onto the retina. The introduction of peripheral defocus using microlenses on the surface of a conventional single-vision lens has been shown to be very effective in slowing the progression of myopia.

[0006] However, to date, the optical microstructures have been incorporated directly onto the surface of the corrective lenses. The optical microstructures can be directly engraved, etched, or imprinted on the convex surface of the corrective lens (e.g., the lens surface opposite the lens surface adjacent to the wearer's eye) or the concave surface of the corrective lens (e.g., the lens surface adjacent to the wearer's eye). In one case, such an arrangement may result in scratching or other damage to the optical microstructures due to daily use. Moreover, by creating the optical microstructures directly on the lens surface of the corrective lens, a unique design may be required for each lens substrate material, as each optical microstructure design is related to the refractive index change between the optical microstructure and the surrounding medium, and each lens substrate material requires a unique set of optical designs. In this way, each lens substrate material may require a unique optical microstructure architecture and arrangement. It can be appreciated that this approach becomes impractical on a large scale and requires a more generally applicable solution.

[0007] According to an embodiment, the present disclosure provides a solution that allows for the use of a limited number of optical microstructure designs with any given material and on various lens substrate materials.

[0008] The foregoing “Background” description is for the purpose of generally introducing the context of the present disclosure. The work of the inventors described in this Background section, as well as aspects of this description that may not be considered prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor implicitly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure. Summary of the Invention

[0009] According to the claims, the present disclosure relates to a laminate and a method of producing a laminate for preventing myopia progression.

[0010] According to an embodiment, the present disclosure further relates to a laminate comprising: a first film of a first material having a first refractive index, the first film comprising a microstructured pattern embossed on a first surface of the first film, each microstructure in the embossed microstructured pattern being an optical microstructure which is arranged to have a predetermined distance between adjacent optical microstructures, and a second film of a second material having a second refractive index, the second film comprising a structure arranged on a first surface of the second film at a position corresponding to a region of the first surface of the first film defined by the predetermined distance between adjacent optical microstructures, wherein when the second film is laminated to the first film, the structure arranged on the first surface of the second film contacts the region of the first surface of the first film defined by the predetermined distance between adjacent optical microstructures, the height of the structure of the second film is greater than the height of each optical microstructure, and a void filling material is encapsulated within at least a portion of at least one void defined by Δ between the height of the structure of the second film and the height of each optical microstructure when the second film is laminated to the first film, the void filling material having a predetermined refractive index.

[0011] The preceding paragraphs are provided as a general introduction and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims. The described embodiments, as well as further advantages, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012] The present disclosure and many of its attendant advantages become better understood by reference to the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, whereby a more complete understanding thereof will be readily obtained, in which:

[0013] Figure 1 is a diagram of a lens having optical microstructures directly on its surface;

[0014] Figure 2 is a diagram of a laminate including optical microstructures according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0015] Figure 3A is a diagram of a laminate including optical microstructures according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 3B is a flowchart of a method for preparing a laminate including an optical microstructure according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 4A is an illustration of a first film of a laminate including an optical microstructure according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 4B is an illustration of a second film of a laminate including an optical microstructure according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 5 is an illustration of a first film of a laminate including an optical microstructure according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 6A is an illustration of a lens having a laminate including an optical microstructure laminated thereon according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 6B is an illustration of a lens having a laminate including an optical microstructure laminated thereon according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 7A is an illustration of a lens having a laminate including an optical microstructure laminated thereon via an adhesive layer; and

[0023] Figure 7B is an illustration of a lens having a laminate including an optical microstructure laminated thereon via an adhesive layer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] As used herein, the term "a" or "an" is defined as one or more than one. As used herein, the term "plurality" is defined as two or more than two. As used herein, the term "another" is defined as at least a second or more. As used herein, the terms "comprising" and / or "having" are defined as including (i.e., open language). References throughout this document to "one embodiment," "certain embodiments," "an embodiment," "implementations," "examples," or similar terms mean that the particular features, structures, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, the appearances of such phrases throughout this specification or in various places do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. Additionally, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner without limitation in one or more embodiments.

[0025] The terms "wafer" and "laminate" may be used interchangeably to refer to similar structures.

[0026] The terms "about" and "substantially" are defined as being close to what would be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. In a non-limiting embodiment, these terms are defined as within 10%, preferably within 5%, more preferably within 1%, and most preferably within 0.5%.

[0027] According to an embodiment, the present disclosure provides a solution that allows the use of a limited number of optical microstructural designs with any given material and on various lens substrate materials. In fact, the present disclosure describes a laminate comprising optical microstructures that can be widely applied to a given corrective lens via lamination.

[0028] In particular, the present invention relates to a method of incorporating a planar, flat, or curved wafer of a laminate film comprising optical microstructures (such as microscale features) into or onto the body of an optical lens (e.g., planar or with a diopter) that does not have optical microstructures. In this way, the intensive design and manufacturing processes associated with generating unique architectures and arrangements for different lens substrate materials can be avoided, thus facilitating a more generally applicable method.

[0029] In an embodiment, the curved wafer or laminate can be a single design and material that can be used with several optical lens substrate materials. As described above, this method avoids the need to use different optical microstructural designs for different optical lens substrate materials.

[0030] In an embodiment, the optical microstructural design can be a protrusion from the film surface of the wafer. For example, the optical microstructural design can be a microlens and can have the appearance of concentric circles or other regular pattern arrangements on the lens surface. The design of the microlens array providing the appearance of concentric circles or other surface patterns can be fixed relative to other components of the wafer. For example, the design of the microlens can be fixed by considering the difference in refractive index between the microlens material and the adjacent medium (such as a coating, an adhesive, a conformation film, etc.).

[0031] Turning now to the drawings, the above design of each optical microstructure in the optical microstructure array allows the wafer or laminate of the present disclosure to be applied to various optical lens substrates. This method is an improvement over the prior art, as Figure 1 shown, where the optical lens 101 can be directly modified by engraving, etching, embossing, coating, or other methods to directly provide the optical microstructure 105 on the surface of the optical lens 101. As described above, directly modifying the surface 101 of the optical lens may result in poor visual acuity due to, for example, scratching of the optical microstructure 105 disposed thereon. Accordingly, the present disclosure describes a laminate, inFigure 2 It is introduced that it allows the wide use of optical microstructures of a single architecture and arrangement to adapt to various optical lens substrates.

[0032] Reference Figure 2 , is a cross-sectional schematic view of the laminate 210 before lamination, providing a first film 211 and a second film 212 of the laminate 210. The first film 211 may be a first material having a first refractive index. In an example, the first film 211 as the first material may be cellulose triacetate (TAC), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), or polycarbonate (PC), where the first material has a refractive index of approximately 1.48, 1.5, or 1.59 for its material. The first film 211 may include one or more optical microstructures 205 disposed on a first surface 216 of the first film 211. Each of the one or more optical microstructures 205 may have a dimension height 207, a dimension width 260, and may be separated from an adjacent one of the one or more optical microstructures 205 by a predetermined distance 206, which defines a region between the one or more optical microstructures 205. In Figure 2 presented as having a hemispherical shape in, each of the one or more optical microstructures 205 may have various shapes, including hemispherical, rectangular, cylindrical, pyramidal, circular, elliptical, triangular, and prismatic, etc., as required by visual needs. It can be understood that the first film 211 (having one or more optical microstructures 205 on its first surface 216) provides an appearance of concentric circles or other surface patterns. The second film 212 of the laminate 210 may be a second material having a second refractive index. In an example, the second material of the second film 212 may have the same, lower, or higher refractive index. Accordingly, the second refractive index may be, for example, 1.4, 1.5, or 1.74. It can be understood that the use of the phrases "lower refractive index" and "higher refractive index" reflects relative terms between the first material of the first film 211 and the second material of the second film 212. The second film 212 may include one or more structures 214 disposed on a first surface 217 of the second film 212. Each of the one or more structures 214 may have a dimension height 215 and may be separated by a certain distance such that the contact surface 218 is aligned with a corresponding region of the first film 211 defined by the predetermined distance 206 between adjacent structures among the one or more optical microstructures 205. In Figure 2 presented as having a rectangular shape in, each of the one or more structures 214 may have various shapes, especially including hemispherical, rectangular, cylindrical, pyramidal, circular, elliptical, prismatic, and triangular, etc., as indicated by the shape of the region defined by the predetermined distance 206 between adjacent structures among the one or more optical microstructures 205.

[0033] According to an embodiment, each of the one or more optical microstructures 205 may have a higher refractive index than the medium surrounding it. In other words, the difference in refractive index may be positive.

[0034] According to an embodiment, the one or more optical microstructures 205 may be hemispherical and the dimension width 260 may be the diameter. Given a fixed diameter and assuming a large difference in refractive index between the one or more optical microstructures 205 and the surrounding medium (i.e., Δ = 0.7), the dimension height 207 of the one or more optical microstructures 205 may be small. However, if a fixed diameter is given and assuming a small difference in refractive index between the one or more optical microstructures 205 and the surrounding medium (i.e., Δ = 0.2), the dimension height 207 of the one or more optical microstructures 205 may be large.

[0035] In an example, if the difference in refractive index between the one or more optical microstructures 205 and the surrounding medium is negative, the concavity of the one or more optical microstructures 205 must be changed (e.g., inverted) to ensure the same focal power result. In an embodiment, the curvature design depends on the desired target function of the one or more optical microstructures 205. If the desired target function is to prevent myopia progression, a positive refractive index difference is preferred. It can be understood that given a refractive index of the surrounding medium of 1.0, the refractive index of the one or more optical microstructures 205 may be 1.74, resulting in a minimum dimension height 207.

[0036] In an embodiment, referring to Figure 3A and Figure 3B , a laminate 310 similar to Figure 2 may include a first film 311 and a second film 312. During lamination, in step 320 of method 300, one or more structures 314 provided on the second surface 317 of the second film 312 may be aligned, and in step 325 of method 300, they may be brought into contact with an area of the first surface 316 of the first film 311 defined by a predetermined distance 306 between one or more optical microstructures 305 provided on the first surface 316 of the first film 311. Lamination may be achieved in particular by a roll-to-roll process or the like. As can be seen from Figure 3AIt will be appreciated that the laminate 310 can be designed such that the magnitude of the dimensional height 315 of the one or more structures 314 is greater than the magnitude of the dimensional height 307 of each of the one or more optical microstructures 305. In this way, at least one void remains between the first film 311 and the second film 312 during lamination. After lamination, in step 330 of method 300, a void filling material 313 can be encapsulated within at least a portion of the at least one void to form a surrounding medium. The void filling material 313 can be a material having a predetermined refractive index. In an example, the void filling material 313 can be a gel, a solid, a fluid such as a liquid or a gas, or a combination thereof. The gas can be an impermeable gas and / or can be air, nitrogen, argon, xenon, etc. The predetermined refractive index of the void filling material 313 can be 1.0.

[0037] According to an embodiment, the laminate 310 of FIG. 3 can be incorporated onto the convex surface of a thermoplastic or thermosetting optical lens by a method such as front-side lamination (e.g., laminating a wafer onto the convex surface of a lens) to produce an optical lens having optical microstructures on the convex side.

[0038] Now referring to Figure 4A , the first film 411 can be a first material having a first refractive index. The first film 411 can have one or more optical microstructures 405 disposed on a first surface 416 of the first film 411. Each of the one or more optical microstructures 405 can have a dimensional height 407 and can be separated from an adjacent one of the one or more optical microstructures by a predetermined distance 406.

[0039] According to an embodiment, the one or more optical microstructures 405 can be disposed on the first surface 416 of the first film 411 by one of a variety of methods. In one example, a nickel-platinum coated spacer or a nickel-silicon coated spacer can be used to emboss a given optical microstructure architecture and design onto the first surface 416 of the first film 411. The nickel-platinum coated spacer and / or the nickel-silicon coated spacer can include an array of the one or more optical microstructures to be embossed. The first film 411 can be heated to a temperature above the glass transition temperature (T Figure 4B , ,

[0040] , g ) of the first material. In another example, an imprint can be pressed into the first surface 416 of the first film 411 to dispose the one or more optical microstructures 405 thereon. Such pressing can be assisted by an ultraviolet process, where a thin coating of an ultraviolet curable material is applied to the first surface 416 of the first film 411 and then cured by ultraviolet light to cure the pattern of the one or more optical microstructures 405 onto the first surface 416 of the first film 411.

[0040] Now referring to Figure 4B, the second film 412 can be a second material having a second refractive index. The second film 412 can have one or more structures 414 disposed on a first surface 417 of the second film 412. Each of the one or more structures 414 can have a dimension height 415 and be separated from an adjacent one of the one or more structures 415 by a predetermined distance that corresponds to a predetermined distance between one or more optical microstructures of the first film of the laminate. This allows the one or more structures 415 to occupy at least a portion of the space not covered by the one or more optical microstructures of the first film. This can be referred to as the "microlens-free coverage" of the "gap space". The one or more structures 414 of the second film 412 can be flatter, smaller, or larger than the one or more optical microstructures of the first film and occupy more or less space.

[0041] According to an embodiment, the one or more structures 414 can be disposed on the first surface 417 of the second film 412 by one of a variety of methods, as referenced above Figure 4A described. In one example, nickel-platinum plated shims or nickel-silicon plated shims can be used to emboss a given architecture and design on the first surface 417 of the second film 412. The nickel-platinum plated shims and / or nickel-silicon plated shims can include an array of the one or more structures to be embossed. The second film 412 can be heated to a temperature above the glass transition temperature (T g ) of the second material. In another example, a stamp can be imprinted into the first surface 417 of the second film 412 to dispose the one or more structures 414 thereon. Such imprinting can be assisted by an ultraviolet process, where a thin coating of an ultraviolet curable material is applied to the first surface 417 of the second film 412 and then cured by ultraviolet light to cure the pattern of the one or more structures 414 on the first surface 417 of the second film 412.

[0042] According to an embodiment and in view of the above, the first film 511 and the second film 512 of the laminate 510 can be laminated as Figure 5 shown such that the void filling material is not encapsulated within at least a portion of at least one void between the one or more optical microstructures 505 of the first film 511 and the second film 512. The first film 511 can be a first material having a first refractive index. The second film 512 can be a second material having a second refractive index. As described above, the second refractive index can be different from the first refractive index.

[0043] In an embodiment, Figure 5 the first film 511 of the laminate 510 can be in accordance with regarding Figure 4Amanufactured by one of the various methods described for the first film 411 above. The second film 512 can be deposited on the first film 511 including one or more optical microstructures 505 by depositing a material on the first surface of the first film 511. Examples of deposition processes can include chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, inkjet, dry or wet spraying, electroplating assisted by an electric or magnetic field, digital printing, etc., and a densification process involving the application of heat and pressure can be carried out subsequently. Such heat and pressure can be applied by an autoclave, between heated nip rolls, in a flat die, etc. Alternatively, the first surface or contact side of the second film 512 can be heated above its softening temperature by an infrared lamp, hot air, or convection and brought into contact with the first surface of the first film 511 in a pressing process. The pressing process can include nip rolls, flat dies, vacuum forming, etc.

[0044] In an embodiment, a coating can be applied via a slot die coater to encapsulate one or more optical microstructures on the first film. The coating can be a thick coating and can be water-based, solvent-based, or solvent-free. The coating can be applied as a first coating type and a second coating type, where a volatile carrier (such as water, solvent) evaporates, leaving the coating solids as a residue. A third coating type can be used to cure the coating. The third coating type can be one of heat, ultraviolet light, electron beam, etc. The third coating type can be a third material having a third refractive index. The third material can be MR-8 (refractive index of ∼1.60), MR-10 (refractive index ∼1.67), or any other plastic (refractive index between ∼1.70 and ∼1.74).

[0045] The above coatings and similar coatings can be applied using a slot die, curtain, knife, or other thick film coating methods to encapsulate the one or more optical microstructures. Such application can be assisted by using a self-leveling coating material on top of the one or more optical microstructures of the first film to create the second film. The coating can be a solvent-free coating cured using energy assistance, which can be one of heat, ultraviolet light, electron beam, etc., or can be solvent-based (e.g., water-based or VOC solvent-based) and dried and densified in a convection, conduction, or infrared oven.

[0046] In another embodiment, the second film of the laminate can be brought into contact with the first film of the laminate, the first film having one or more optical microstructures on its first surface, and laminated by applying an adhesive. The adhesive can be a water-based adhesive, a solvent-based adhesive, or a solvent-free adhesive, as the case may be.

[0047] In another embodiment, in view of Figure 5, the second film of the laminate can be brought into contact with the first film of the laminate by extrusion lamination. The first film of the laminate can include one or more optical microstructures. During extrusion lamination, the second film can be a thermally extruded film and can be brought into contact with the first film via nip rolls.

[0048] Now referring to Figure 6A and Figure 6B , any of the above laminates as a non-limiting group can be cut, formed into a curved wafer, and incorporated into an optical lens 601. The incorporation of the laminate 610 including optical microstructures can be carried out in particular by: injection overmolding, wafer casting (i.e., on the surface or within the lens), or pressure and / or heat-assisted "front-side lamination" and / or "back-side lamination" onto an existing semi-finished and / or finished lens. Any of the above techniques may require one or both surfaces of the laminate to include or be coated with a primer layer or an adhesive layer (e.g., a pressure-sensitive adhesive, a hot-melt adhesive) to facilitate adhesion to the lens substrate material. As Figure 6A shown, the laminate 610 can be adhered to the convex surface of the optical lens 601, thus arranging the laminate 610 opposite to the surface of the optical lens 601 adjacent to the eye of the glasses wearer. As Figure 6B shown, the laminate 610 can be adhered to the concave surface of the optical lens 601, thus arranging the laminate 610 on the surface of the optical lens 601 adjacent to the eye of the glasses wearer. The optical lens 610 can be an existing thermoplastic or thermosetting optical lens.

[0049] According to an embodiment and referring to Figure 7A and Figure 7B , a laminate or wafer 710 including one or more optical microstructures 705 and having a refractive index RI 晶片 can be prepared according to the concave surface of the optical lens 701 and then laminated onto the convex surface of the optical lens 701. The optical lens 701 can have a refractive index RI 镜片 . The one or more optical microstructures can be microlenses, particularly microlenses of the Fresnel lens type. Lamination can be facilitated by using an adhesive 702 having a refractive index RI adh . The adhesive 702 can be a water-based adhesive, a solvent-based adhesive, or a solventless adhesive, as the case may be. Of course, as an alternative, the laminate 710 can be prepared according to the convex surface of the optical lens 701 as needed and then laminated onto the concave surface of the optical lens 701.

[0050] In an embodiment, the resulting diopter of the one or more optical microstructures depends on ΔRI = (RI 晶片 - RI adh ) and is independent of RI 镜片 , assuming RI 晶片 ≠ RIadh In this way, it can be understood that when the laminate and the adhesive are carefully selected, the substrate material is not important for the function of the laminate.

[0051] According to an embodiment, in addition to the above method, the laminate can also be produced by injection molding. The lamination step can be carried out by an in-mold lamination process during the injection molding of an optical thermoplastic lens, so that this process can be used for mass production. In addition, lamination can be carried out in a prescription laboratory by "front-side lamination" or "back-side lamination" according to the desired results.

[0052] In other words, there are various manufacturing options. In at least one option, the laminate as described above can be positioned in the mold before the optical lens is formed. In at least one option, the laminate can be adhered and / or bonded to an already formed optical lens. For example, in order to form a thermoplastic polycarbonate (PC) lens, the laminate can be overmolded on the convex surface of the lens. In other words, molten PC can be injected behind the laminate. In another example, for a thermosetting cast lens, the laminate can be positioned on the surface of the mold, or the laminate can be offset from the surface of the mold by 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm. In this way, at least a part of at least one gap therebetween can be filled with a thermosetting monomer / resin and allowed to cure. A primer layer may be required to allow the surface of the laminate to bond to the thermosetting monomer / resin.

[0053] Obviously, many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, it should be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention can be practiced in a manner different from that specifically described herein.

[0054] Embodiments of the present disclosure can also be as described in the following parentheses.

[0055] (1) A laminate, comprising: a first film of a first material having a first refractive index, the first film including a microstructured pattern embossed on a first surface of the first film, each microstructure in the embossed microstructured pattern being an optical microstructure, which is arranged to have a predetermined distance between adjacent optical microstructures, and a second film of a second material having a second refractive index, the second film including a structure disposed on a first surface of the second film at a position corresponding to a region of the first surface of the first film defined by the predetermined distance between adjacent optical microstructures, wherein when the second film is laminated to the first film, the structure disposed on the first surface of the second film contacts the region of the first surface of the first film defined by the predetermined distance between adjacent optical microstructures, the height of the structure of the second film is greater than the height of each optical microstructure, and a void filling material is encapsulated within at least a portion of at least one void defined by Δ when the second film is laminated to the first film, the void filling material having a predetermined refractive index.

[0056] (2) The laminate according to (1), wherein the laminate is laminated on a convex surface of a lens, the convex surface of the lens being opposite to a surface of the lens adjacent to the eye of the lens wearer, and a second surface of the first film contacts the convex surface of the lens.

[0057] (3) The laminate according to (1) or (2), wherein the laminate is laminated on a convex surface of a lens, the convex surface of the lens being opposite to a surface of the lens adjacent to the eye of the lens wearer, and a second surface of the second film contacts the convex surface of the lens.

[0058] (4) The laminate according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the first refractive index of the first material is different from the predetermined refractive index of the void filling material.

[0059] (5) The laminate according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the first refractive index of the first material is greater than 1.4.

[0060] (6) The laminate according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the first material of the first film and the second material of the second film are the same thermoplastic.

[0061] (7) The laminate according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the void filling material is an impermeable gas.

[0062] (8) A method of producing a laminate, comprising: laminating a first film of the laminate onto a second film of the laminate by bringing a structure disposed on a first surface of the second film into contact with a region of the first surface of the first film defined by a predetermined distance between adjacent optical microstructures, the first film being a first material having a first refractive index and the second film being a second material having a second refractive index, wherein each optical microstructure is a microstructure in a microstructure pattern that is embossed on the first surface of the first film and arranged with a predetermined distance between adjacent optical microstructures, the structure on the first surface of the second film is arranged to correspond to the region of the first surface of the first film defined by the predetermined distance between adjacent optical microstructures, the height of the structure on the first surface of the second film is greater than the height of each optical microstructure embossed on the first surface of the first film, and a void filling material is encapsulated within at least a portion of at least one void defined by Δ when laminating the first film and the second film, the void filling material having a predetermined refractive index.

[0063] (9) The method according to (8), further comprising laminating the laminate onto a convex surface of a lens, the convex surface of the lens being opposite to the surface of the lens adjacent to the eye of the lens wearer, and a second surface of the first film being in contact with the convex surface of the lens.

[0064] (10) The method according to (8) or (9), further comprising laminating the laminate onto a convex surface of a lens, the convex surface of the lens being opposite to the surface of the lens adjacent to the eye of the lens wearer, and a second surface of the second film being in contact with a concave surface of the lens.

[0065] (11) The method according to any one of (8) to (10), wherein the laminating comprises applying an adhesive to a contact surface of the structure disposed on the first surface of the second film and the region of the first surface of the first film defined by the predetermined distance between adjacent optical microstructures.

[0066] (12) The method according to any one of (8) to (11), wherein the first refractive index of the first material is different from the predetermined refractive index of the void filling material.

[0067] (13) The method according to any one of (8) to (12), wherein the first refractive index of the first material is greater than 1.4.

[0068] (14) The method according to any one of (8) to (13), wherein the first material of the first film and the second material of the second film are the same thermoplastic.

[0069] (15) The method according to any one of (8) to (14), wherein the void filling material is gas-impermeable.

[0070] Accordingly, the foregoing discussion has disclosed and described only exemplary embodiments of the invention. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Accordingly, the disclosure of the invention is intended to be illustrative, rather than limiting the scope of the invention and other claims. This disclosure (including any readily discernible variations of the teachings herein) partially defines the scope of the foregoing claim terms such that no inventive subject matter is dedicated to the public.

Claims

1. A laminate, comprising: a first film of a first material having a first refractive index, the first film including a microstructured pattern embossed on a first surface of the first film, each microstructure in the embossed microstructured pattern being an optical microstructure and being arranged to have a predetermined distance between adjacent optical microstructures; and a second film of a second material having a second refractive index, the second film including structures disposed on a first surface of the second film at positions corresponding to regions of the first surface of the first film defined by the predetermined distance between adjacent optical microstructures, wherein, when the second film is laminated to the first film, the structures disposed on the first surface of the second film contact the regions of the first surface of the first film defined by the predetermined distance between adjacent optical microstructures, the height of the structures of the second film is greater than the height of each optical microstructure, and a Δ between the height of the structures of the second film and the height of each optical microstructure encapsulates a void filling material within at least a portion of at least one void defined by the Δ when the second film is laminated to the first film, the void filling material having a predetermined refractive index.

2. The laminate according to claim 1, wherein The laminate is laminated on a convex surface of a lens, the convex surface of the lens being opposite to a surface of the lens adjacent to the eye of a lens wearer, and a second surface of the first film contacts the convex surface of the lens.

3. The laminate according to claim 1, wherein, The laminate is laminated on a convex surface of a lens, the convex surface of the lens being opposite to a surface of the lens adjacent to the eye of a lens wearer, and a second surface of the second film contacts the convex surface of the lens.

4. The laminate according to claim 1, wherein, The first refractive index of the first material is different from the predetermined refractive index of the void filling material.

5. The laminate according to claim 1, wherein, The first refractive index of the first material is greater than 1.

4.

6. The laminate according to claim 1, wherein, The first material of the first film and the second material of the second film are the same thermoplastic.

7. The laminate according to claim 1, wherein, The void filling material is an impermeable gas.

8. A method of producing a laminate, comprising: laminating a first film of the laminate to a second film of the laminate by bringing structures disposed on a first surface of the second film into contact with regions of the first surface of the first film defined by a predetermined distance between adjacent optical microstructures, the first film being of a first material having a first refractive index and the second film being of a second material having a second refractive index, wherein, each optical microstructure is a microstructure in a microstructured pattern embossed on a first surface of the first film and arranged to have a predetermined distance between adjacent optical microstructures, the structures on the first surface of the second film are arranged to correspond to regions of the first surface of the first film defined by the predetermined distance between adjacent optical microstructures, the height of the structures on the first surface of the second film is greater than the height of each optical microstructure embossed on the first surface of the first film, and The Δ between the height of the structure on the first surface of the second film and the height of each optical microstructure embossed on the first surface of the first film encapsulates a void filling material within at least a portion of at least one void defined by the Δ when laminating the first film and the second film, and the void filling material has a predetermined refractive index.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising laminating the laminate on a convex surface of a lens, the convex surface of the lens being opposite to the surface of the lens adjacent to the eye of the lens wearer, and the second surface of the first film being in contact with the convex surface of the lens.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising laminating the laminate on a convex surface of a lens, the convex surface of the lens being opposite to the surface of the lens adjacent to the eye of the lens wearer, and the second surface of the second film being in contact with the concave surface of the lens.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The laminating includes applying an adhesive to a contact surface of the structure disposed on the first surface of the second film and to an area of the first surface of the first film defined by a predetermined distance between adjacent optical microstructures.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The first refractive index of the first material is different from the predetermined refractive index of the void filling material.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The first refractive index of the first material is greater than 1.

4.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein The first material of the first film and the second material of the second film are the same thermoplastic.

15. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The void filling material is gas-impermeable.

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