Eye exercize device

Abstract

Provided is an eye exercise device for the treatment of amblyopia, diplopia, and strabismus. The device comprises a body with a disk-shaped frontal surface designed to be positioned vertically in front of the user. The frontal surface comprises multiple areas intended to emit light beams from each area. The first three areas are arranged along a vertical line, spaced apart, and are configured to emit light sequentially in blue, green, or red; white; and blue, green, or red colors. A fourth area is positioned along a horizontal line extending from the area emitting white light, spaced apart from it, and is configured to emit light in blue, green, or red. The body includes at least one light source placed within it, designed to emit light beams through these areas.

Description

[0001] EYE EXERCIZE DEVICE

[0002] The present invention pertains to vision therapy devices and, specifically, to an eye exercise device.

[0003] Scientists have determined that humans see through their eyes and brain, with one- third of the information received being visual. For this reason, vision plays a critical role in the processes of learning and working.

[0004] The development of visual skills involves learning to use both eyes effectively simultaneously, which includes the movement, fixation, and focusing of both eyes.

[0005] Visual exercises can play a significant role in the development and improvement of visual skills. These exercises include:

[0006] • Tracking - when both eyes have the ability to smoothly follow a moving object for observation;

[0007] • Fixation - when both eyes quickly and accurately locate and focus on stationary objects;

[0008] • Focus adjustment - when the eyes can assess the relative distances of objects and accurately navigate in three-dimensional space;

[0009] • Peripheral vision - observing and understanding what is happening around a person;

[0010] • Binocularity - the ability to use both eyes simultaneously, equally, and accurately.

[0011] • Near vision acuity - the ability to clearly see and identify objects at close distances;

[0012] • Distance vision acuity - the ability to clearly see and identify objects at far distances; and so on. Vision therapy sessions typically include procedures aimed at enhancing the brain's ability to control eye coordination, eye movements, focusing capabilities, and binocular vision.

[0013] A vision training device for therapeutic purposes is known, as described in U.S. Patent Application US2011 184498. The device comprises a board with an array of light sources featuring two-color illumination (red and green), a microprocessor controller to manage operation, lighting sequences, and timing, as well as a user feedback mechanism, such as a touch-activated panel, to provide visual training and therapy functions for the user. The described invention offers the ability to use only red, only green, or red and green colors in a random sequence. This invention is compatible with red / green glasses for binocular exercises. The invention provides the improvement of eye coordination, reaction time, peripheral vision, localization, spatial and depth perception.

[0014] The disadvantage of this device is its complexity, along with the fact that the exercises conducted with it are overwhelming, require a relatively long time, and, as a result, the therapeutic effect is relatively low.

[0015] The technical effect of the present invention is the simplification of the device and the enhancement of the therapeutic effect.

[0016] The enhancement of the therapeutic effect is achieved by the fact that the device according to the present invention allows vision exercises to be performed using specially developed exercise schemes, which enable the simultaneous resolution of several vision-related issues.

[0017] Summary of the invention

[0018] The eye exercise device according to the present invention for the treatment of amblyopia, diplopia, and strabismus comprises a housing with a disk-shaped front surface designed to be positioned vertically in front of the user, wherein the front surface has multiple areas, each intended for emitting light beams. The first three areas are arranged along a vertical line, spaced apart from each other, one of which intended to sequentially emit light of blue or green or red color, the second of which intended to emit light of white color, and the third of which intended to emit light of blue or green or red color; and the fourth area is arranged along a horizontal line passing through said area designed to emit white light, spaced apart from said area, and intended to emit light of blue or green or red color. Within the housing, one or more light sources are placed to emit light rays from said areas.

[0019] According to one aspect of the invention, the light sources of the eye exercise device consist of bulbs and / or light-emitting diodes that emit white, blue or green, and red light.

[0020] According to one aspect of the invention, the at least one light source is a bulb emitting white light, and the areas are provided with light filters for selectively passing white, blue or green, and red light.

[0021] In one embodiment of the present invention, an eye exercise system for the treatment of amblyopia, diplopia, and strabismus is provided that comprises the eye exercise device described above; a guiding device designed to allow the eye exercise device to be mounted thereon with the capability of moving along it; and a control device functionally connected to the aforementioned eye exercise device and designed to control the movement of the eye exercise device along the said guiding device.

[0022] Brief description of the drawings

[0023] The present invention can be explained based on the appended drawings, wherein fig. 1 shows the eye exercise device for the treatment of amblyopia, diplopia, and strabismus according to the present invention; fig. 2 shows a schematic representation of the eye exercise system for the treatment of amblyopia, diplopia, and strabismus according to the present invention; fig. 3 shows special glasses designed to be used in combination with the eye exercise device or system for the treatment of amblyopia, diplopia, and strabismus according to the present invention.

[0024] Detailed description Fig. 1 shows the eye exercise device according to the present invention. The device comprises a housing 1 with a disk-shaped front surface, that is designed to be positioned vertically in front of the user. The front surface has a number of areas, such as holes 2, 3, 4, 5, each designed to emit light rays therefrom. The first three holes 2, 3, 4 are arranged along a vertical line, spaced from each other, the hole 2 intended to emit light in blue or green or red color, the hole 3 intended to emit light in white color, and the hole 4 intended to emit light in blue or green or red color. The fourth hole 5 is arranged along a horizontal line passing through the hole 3 intended for emitting white light, spaced from it, and is designed to emit light in blue or green or red color.

[0025] Within the housing, at least one light source (not shown in the figure) is disposed, that is designed to emit light rays through the aforementioned holes. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that instead of the holes, light sources can be directly mounted on the corresponding areas.

[0026] According to one embodiment, the light sources are light-emitting bulbs and / or lightemitting diodes that emit white, blue or green, and red light.

[0027] According to one embodiment, the at least one light source is a light-emitting bulb that emits white light, while the respective holes are equipped with light filters (not shown in the figure) for selectively passing white, blue or green, and red light.

[0028] According to one embodiment, the diameter of the disk-shaped front surface is between 10-100 cm; the diameter of the holes is between 0.5-20 cm; and the distance between the holes is between 3-35 cm.

[0029] Figure 2 depicts a schematic representation of the eye exercise system for the treatment of amblyopia, diplopia, and strabismus, which comprises: the above-described eye exercise device 1 ; a guiding means 2, which is designed to allow movement the aforementioned eye exercise device 1 mounted thereon; a control device 3 functionally connected to the eye exercise device 1 that is intended to control the movement of the eye exercise device by the user along the guiding means.

[0030] The above-described exercise device, shown in figure 1 , and the exercise system, shown in figure 2, should be used in combination with special glasses, as shown in figure 3.

[0031] The glasses are equipped with red and blue or green colored mineral lenses. These lenses are, for example, of the "color filter glasses" type known in the field of technology, which can be made from both mineral and organic glass. The lenses absorb between 0% and 100% in certain parts of the operational wavelength range, from 200 nm to 1100 nm, which also includes the visible spectrum (in the range from 400 nm to 700 nm).

[0032] The therapeutic exercise session is conducted as follows by the device according to the present invention:

[0033] Before starting the therapeutic exercise, the patient wears the above-described glasses with colored lenses. During the exercise, the device should be placed at approximately the height of the patient's head. Initially, the patient is positioned very close to the device and attempts to see all four lights even after wearing the glasses. Afterward, the patient moves away from the device and tries to see the colors correctly again, and so on. If it turns out that the patient can no longer see the colors correctly from a certain distance, the patient returns and repeats the action.

[0034] The therapeutic exercise is based on the fact that individuals with similar types of problems find it difficult to see all four colors correctly with glasses, and the further the patient moves away from the device and the lights, the more difficult it becomes to perceive the colors correctly. Therefore, the exercise scheme for them can be of two types: ) The patient stands close to the device in such a way that he / she can see the given colors and then tries to increase the distance in a manner that allows the patient to consistently perceive all these colors throughout the process, i.e., without "losing" the ability to see them. If the patient loses the correct perception of the colors at a certain distance, he / she will return and start the process again. The ultimate goal of the exercise is for the colors to be perceived correctly even at a distance of 4-5 meters.) The second exercise scheme is similar to the first one, but the exercise starts not from close up, but from a distance away from the device. From this selected distance, if the patient cannot perceive the colors correctly, he / she will try to adjust by moving his / her head, and possibly by shifting slightly to the side, in order to correctly catch the light colors, and then slowly align his / her head and return to the correct position. At the same time, he / she will attempt to move back and forth to increase and decrease the distance.

[0035] In practical implementation, the choice between these two schemes is individual.

[0036] The use of the exercise system shown in Fig. 2 has the advantage that the patient will not need to move during the exercise — approaching and distancing from the device. Instead, he / she will need to move the device 1 back and forth in the guiding means 2 using the control device 3, for example, via special control buttons (not shown in the figure). The implementation of such a device will be apparent to a person skilled in the art and, therefore, is not described in detail.

[0037] The device and therapeutic exercise scheme proposed by the present invention differs from other known solutions in the art because the eye remains active throughout the entire exercise process, there is no risk of damaging the healthy eye (unlike other known technical solutions), and it is focused on treating multiple diseases simultaneously. The eye muscle works at any given moment (if the patient performs the exercise correctly), and the neural pathways involved in vision become more effective in processing visual information. This is why all of this enhances the results, reduces the exercise time, and simultaneously eliminates vision problems.

[0038] As practice has shown, the result of this therapy is not only the improvement and treatment of the condition of individuals with strabismus and amblyopia, but also the improvement of depth perception and the treatment of diplopia.

Claims

Claims1 . An eye exercise device for the treatment of amblyopia, diplopia, and strabismus, that comprises: a housing with a disk-shaped front surface intended to be positioned vertically in front of the user, wherein the front surface has a plurality of areas adapted to emit light rays from each area; with the first three areas arranged along a vertical line, spaced apart from each other, one of which intended to emit light of blue or green or red color, the second of which adapted to emit light of white color, and the third of which adapted to emit light of blue or green or red color; and with the fourth area arranged along a horizontal line passing through said area designed to emit white light, spaced apart from said area, and adapted to emit light of blue or green or red color; one or more light sources placed within the housing, for emitting light rays from said areas.

2. The eye exercise device according to claim 1 , wherein the light sources are bulbs and / or light-emitting diodes that produce white, blue or green, and red colored light.

3. The eye exercise device according to claim 1 , wherein the said at least one light source is a bulb emitting white light, and the said areas are provided with light filters to selectively transmit light of white, blue or green, and red colors.

4. The eye exercise device according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the said areas are made as holes.

5. The eye exercise device according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the diameter of the disc-shaped frontal surface is within the range of 10-100 cm; the diameter of theareas is within the range of 0.5-20 cm; and the spacing between the areas is within the range of 3-35 cm.

6. An eye exercise system for the treatment of amblyopia, diplopia, and strabismus, comprising:An eye exercise device according to any of claims 1 to 5;A guiding mechanism designed to allow the movement of the said eye exercise device along it;A control device functionally connected to the said eye exercise device, designed to enable the user to control the movement of the eye exercise device along the guiding mechanism.

7. An eye exercise kit for the treatment of amblyopia, diplopia, and strabismus, comprising: the eye exercise device according to any of claims 1 -5; and glasses with mineral lenses in red and blue or green colors.

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