Contact lens

Abstract

Disclosed in the present invention is a contact lens. The contact lens comprises a lens body and an electronic assembly; the lens body is used for being worn on an eyeball, and the lens body comprises an optical portion and an annular wearing portion surrounding the optical portion; the annular wearing portion is provided with a C-shaped lower eyelid layout area; the electronic assembly is arranged on the lens body; the electronic assembly is movable along with the eyeball by means of the lens body, and the electronic assembly comprises a stimulation unit and a power supply unit electrically coupled to the stimulation unit; the stimulation unit comprises an electrode module arranged in the lower eyelid layout area and a boost control module electrically coupled to the electrode module; and the boost control module transmits a pulse voltage signal by means of the electrode module, and the pulse voltage signal is used for being conducted by body fluid to the lower eyelid on one side of the eyeball.

Description

Contact lenses Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to eyeglasses, and more particularly to a contact lens. Background Technology

[0002] To alleviate eye discomfort caused by dry eye syndrome, current contact lenses use electrodes to stimulate the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves located in the eye socket, forcing the lacrimal glands in the upper eye socket to produce tears. In other words, current contact lenses relieve dry eye syndrome through tears. However, existing medical literature indicates that dry eye syndrome is not caused by insufficient tear production; therefore, the effectiveness of current contact lenses in relieving dry eye syndrome is not ideal.

[0003] Therefore, the inventor believed that the above-mentioned defects could be improved, and thus devoted himself to research and applied scientific principles, and finally proposed an invention that is reasonably designed and effectively improves the above-mentioned defects.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a contact lens that addresses the shortcomings of the prior art.

[0006] This invention discloses a contact lens, comprising: a lens body for wearing on one eyeball, the lens body including an optical part and an annular wearing part surrounding the optical part, the annular wearing part having a C-shaped lower eyelid layout area; and an electronic component disposed on the lens body, the electronic component being movable with the eyeball via the lens body, and the electronic component including: a stimulation unit comprising: an electrode module disposed within the lower eyelid layout area, the electrode module being usable for contacting a bodily fluid surrounding the eyeball; a boost control module electrically coupled to the electrode module, the boost control module emitting a pulse voltage signal through the electrode module, and the pulse voltage signal being conducted by the bodily fluid to the lower eyelid on one side of the eyeball; and a power supply unit electrically coupled to the stimulation unit.

[0007] Preferably, the electrode module includes two fork electrodes, which are respectively disposed on both sides of the boost control module.

[0008] Preferably, each of the finger electrodes has a plurality of conductors arranged in a comb-like pattern, the width of each conductor being between 1 micrometer and 20 micrometers, and the spacing between two adjacent conductors being between 10 nanometers and 100 micrometers.

[0009] Preferably, the boost control module is a voltage multiplier circuit, and the boost control module can control the frequency of the pulse voltage signal to be adjusted between 1Hz and 1MHz.

[0010] Preferably, the power supply unit provides a base voltage, and the boost control module can boost the base voltage to between 2 and 100 times to generate the pulse voltage signal.

[0011] Preferably, the base voltage is between 1 volt and 5 volts.

[0012] Preferably, the electrode module includes two coils, which are respectively disposed on both sides of the boost control module.

[0013] Preferably, the electrode module includes a plurality of electrode pads spaced apart from each other, and the boost control module can individually emit the pulse voltage signal through the plurality of electrode pads.

[0014] Preferably, the eyeglasses body covers the electronic components, and the eyeglasses body also includes a plurality of micropore structures, the positions of the plurality of micropore structures corresponding to the lower eyelid layout area, and the plurality of micropore structures penetrate the annular wearing part, so that the body fluid can contact the electrode module through the plurality of micropore structures.

[0015] Preferably, the eyeglasses body covers the electronic components, and the eyeglasses body also includes a cutout portion disposed within the lower eyelid layout area of ​​the annular wearing portion, wherein the electrode module can be exposed outside the eyeglasses body through the cutout portion and come into contact with the bodily fluid.

[0016] In summary, the contact lens disclosed in this embodiment of the invention, through the design of "the electrode module being disposed in the lower eyelid layout area, and the electrode module being able to contact the body fluid around the eyeball" and "the boost control module emitting a pulse voltage signal through the electrode module, and the pulse voltage signal being transmitted by the body fluid to the lower eyelid on one side of the eyeball", can effectively stimulate the meibomian glands to secrete oil, thereby relieving dry eye syndrome.

[0017] To further understand the features and technical content of this invention, please refer to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. However, these descriptions and drawings are only for illustrating the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the invention in any way. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 is a planar schematic diagram of the contact lens of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 is a plan view of the electronic component of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 3 is a planar schematic diagram of the contact lens of the present invention when worn on the eye.

[0021] Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view along section IV-IV in Figure 1.

[0022] Figure 5 is an enlarged schematic diagram of region V in Figure 4.

[0023] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the contact lens of the present invention in another embodiment.

[0024] Figure 7 is an enlarged schematic diagram of region VII in Figure 6.

[0025] Figure 8 is a plan view of the contact lens of the present invention in another embodiment.

[0026] Figure 9 is a plan view of the contact lens of the present invention in another embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation methods disclosed in this invention. Those skilled in the art can understand the advantages and effects of this invention from the content disclosed in this specification. This invention can be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details in this specification can also be modified and changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the concept of this invention. Furthermore, the accompanying drawings of this invention are for simple illustrative purposes only and are not depictions of actual dimensions; this is stated beforehand. The following embodiments will further describe the relevant technical content of this invention in detail, but the disclosed content is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this invention.

[0028] It should be understood that while terms such as "first," "second," and "third" may be used in this document to describe various components or signals, these components or signals should not be limited by these terms. These terms are primarily used to distinguish one component from another, or one signal from another. Furthermore, the term "or" as used herein may, depending on the context, include any combination of one or more of the related listed items. Moreover, the term "electrical coupling" as used herein refers to either "indirect electrical connection" or "direct electrical connection."

[0029] Please refer to Figures 1 to 9, which illustrate a contact lens 100A to 100C according to the present invention. As shown in Figures 1 to 4, this embodiment discloses a contact lens 100A (or smart contact lens). The contact lens 100A can be worn on the user's eye 200 (e.g., located between the eyeball 210, upper eyelid 220, and lower eyelid 230) or embedded within the eye 200 (not shown in the figures), depending on design requirements.

[0030] It should be noted that, as shown in Figure 3, the contact lens 100A in this embodiment may have the function of correcting refractive errors, and the refractive errors include hyperopia, myopia, astigmatism, or presbyopia, or astigmatism-presbyopia; or, the contact lens 100A may be a makeup lens without corrective function.

[0031] Referring to Figures 1, 2, and 4, the contact lens 100A in this embodiment includes a lens body 1 and an electronic component 2 disposed on the lens body 1. The various components of the contact lens 100A in this embodiment will be described in turn below, and the connection relationships between the multiple components will be introduced as appropriate.

[0032] In this embodiment, the eyeglass body 1 is formed by curing with hydrogel or silicone hydrogel, and the hydrogel is, for example, p-HEMA, but is not limited thereto. The eyeglass body 1 includes an optical part 11 and a ring-shaped wearing part 12 surrounding the optical part 11. The optical part 11 may or may not have the function of correcting the refractive error, depending on design requirements.

[0033] It should be noted that although no components are embedded in the optical part 11 in this embodiment, components may be embedded in the optical part 11 according to design requirements (e.g., the contact lens 100A is used in a digital zoom device), and it is not limited by the above description of this embodiment.

[0034] Furthermore, the optical section 11 defines a central axis (not shown), and the center of the optical section 11 and the center of the annular wearing portion 12 both reside on the central axis. The annular wearing portion 12 is connected to the outer edge of the optical section 11 and is generally annular in shape, and the electronic component 2 is embedded inside the annular wearing portion 12. Moreover, the manufacturing method (or the method of manufacturing the contact lens 100A) for embedding the electronic component 2 in the annular wearing portion 12 can be adjusted and varied according to design requirements, and this invention is not limited thereto.

[0035] More specifically, the annular wearing part 12 has a C-shaped lower eyelid layout area GA. The position of the lower eyelid layout area GA can be understood as corresponding to the position of the lower eyelid 230 of the eye 200, and the electronic component 2 is embedded within the lower eyelid layout area GA. When the contact lens 100A is worn on the eye 200, the positions of the lower eyelid layout area GA and the electronic component 2 correspond to the less sensitive lower eyelid 230 of the eye 200, thereby effectively reducing the user's foreign body sensation.

[0036] In practice, the electronic component 2 is located between the eyeball and the lower eyelid 230 of the eye 200, and the electronic component 2 can move (or rotate) with the eyeball 210 via the eyeglass body 1. The electronic component 2 includes a stimulation unit 21 and a power supply unit 22 electrically coupled to the stimulation unit 21. The power supply unit 22 provides power to the stimulation unit 21, and the stimulation unit 21 can emit a pulsed voltage signal using body fluid as a medium, stimulating the meibomian glands (or McBurney's glands) located at the lower eyelid 230 to produce lipids and proteins. Accordingly, the electronic component 2 can relieve discomfort caused by dry eye syndrome through lipids and proteins.

[0037] More specifically, the stimulation unit 21 includes an electrode module 211 and a boost control module 212 electrically coupled to the electrode module 211. The electrode module 211 is disposed within the lower eyelid layout area GA and is capable of contacting a fluid (e.g., tears or oil) surrounding the eyeball 210.

[0038] In practice, the electrode module 211 is preferably positioned with the Chengqi acupoint as the center, that is, the electrode module 211 is located directly below the pupil when the eyeball 210 is looking straight ahead and between the eyeball 210 and the lower edge of the orbital bone (e.g., about 2.3 cm below the pupil), but the electrode module 211 is not limited to this. In addition, the boost control module 212 emits a pulse voltage signal through the electrode module 211, and the pulse voltage signal is used to be conducted by the body fluid to the lower eyelid 230 on one side of the eyeball 210.

[0039] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG2, the electrode module 211 may include two finger electrodes 2111, which are respectively disposed on both sides of the boost control module 212, so that the two finger electrodes 2111 can be symmetrically arranged with respect to the boost control module 212. In practice, the finger electrodes 2111 have a plurality of conductors arranged in a comb shape, the width W of each conductor is preferably between 1 micrometer and 20 micrometers, and the spacing S between two adjacent conductors can be between 10 nanometers and 100 micrometers, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0040] For example, in another embodiment, as shown in FIG8, the electrode module 211 may include two coils 2112, the two coils 2112 being wound in a circular manner, and the two coils 2112 being respectively disposed on both sides of the boost control module 212.

[0041] As another example, as shown in Figure 9, the electrode module 211 may further include multiple electrode pads 2113 spaced apart from each other. Each electrode pad 2113 is rectangular and arranged in an array. The boost control module 212 can individually emit a pulse voltage signal through each of the multiple electrode pads 2113; that is, each of the multiple electrode pads 2113 can individually emit the pulse voltage signal. For example, three electrode pads 2113 may emit the pulse voltage signal in turn.

[0042] In practice, to evenly distribute the multiple electrode pads 2113, the electrode pads 2113 can be embedded on the side of the annular wearing part 12 facing the lower eyelid 230, while the boost control module 212 is embedded on the side of the annular wearing part 12 facing the eyeball 210. Of course, the positions of the multiple electrode pads 2113 and the boost control module 212 can also be interchanged depending on the situation.

[0043] In addition, it should be noted that, in practice, the boost control module 212 boosts the voltage using a base voltage provided by the power supply unit 22, so that the electrode module 211 can generate the pulse voltage signal.

[0044] Preferably, the base voltage can be between 1 volt and 5 volts, and the boost control module 212 can use the base voltage to boost it to between 2 and 100 times to generate the pulse voltage signal, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0045] In one embodiment, the boost control module 212 can be a voltage multiplier circuit, and the boost control module 212 can control the frequency of the pulse voltage signal to be adjusted between 1Hz and 1MHz, but the boost control module 212 of the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the boost control module 212 can also be other circuits with the same effect.

[0046] Furthermore, it is worth noting that the pulse voltage signal is transmitted in conjunction with the body fluid and the electrode module 211 of the electronic component 2. However, in order to ensure the wearing comfort of the contact lens 100A, the lens body 1 may completely cover the electronic component 2.

[0047] Specifically, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the eyeglass body 1 may further include a plurality of micropore structures 14, the positions of the plurality of micropore structures 14 being located within the lower eyelid layout area GA, and the plurality of micropore structures 14 penetrating the annular wearing part 12, so that the body fluid can contact the electrode module 211 through the plurality of micropore structures 14, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0048] For example, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the eyeglass body 1 may partially cover the electronic component 2. More specifically, the eyeglass body 1 also includes a cutout portion 13, which is disposed within the lower eyelid layout area GA of the annular wearing portion 12. The electrode module 211 can be exposed outside the eyeglass body 1 through the cutout portion 13 and come into contact with the bodily fluid.

[0049] Furthermore, the contact lens 100A may also include an antenna 15 disposed on the annular wearing part 12 according to the designer's requirements. The antenna 15 can be electrically coupled to the boost control module 212, and the antenna 15 can be used to receive and transmit a signal to control (e.g., adjust) the boost control module 212 or transmit information data of the boost control module 212.

[0050] Finally, it should be noted that eye-wearing devices can be broadly categorized into two types: those that "directly contact the eyeball" and those that "do not contact the eyeball." Common examples include eyeglasses and eye shields, which fall into the "does not contact the eyeball" category, and contact lenses, which fall into the "directly contact the eyeball" category. These two categories differ significantly in function and placement, resulting in completely different designs and layouts of their electronic components. Furthermore, the electronic components between these two categories cannot be easily interchanged.

[0051] More specifically, electronic components in the "direct contact with the eyeball" category must be located between the upper and lower eyelids and the eyeball, making the electronic component adjacent to or in close contact with the eyeball, and any stimulation signal from the electronic component originates from the "inner" side of the eye. Conversely, electronic components in the "non-contact with the eyeball" category indirectly contact the eyeball through the eyelid as a medium, meaning that any stimulation signal from the electronic component originates from the "outer" side of the eye.

[0052] Furthermore, within the "direct contact with the eyeball" category, the electronic components targeting the meibomian glands are significantly different from those targeting the lacrimal glands. More specifically, the meibomian glands are located "inner" of the eyelid, adjacent to the edge of the eyeball. Due to the unique location of the meibomian glands, the design of electronic components targeting them requires particular attention to electrode placement and precision. The electrodes must be soft and comfortably attached to the eyelid surface, while avoiding pressure on the eyeball. In addition, to effectively stimulate the meibomian glands, the device needs precise positioning capabilities to ensure that the current is accurately delivered to the meibomian glands without causing unnecessary damage to surrounding tissues. These design considerations necessitate that meibomian gland electrical stimulation devices prioritize both safety and comfort.

[0053] In contrast, the lacrimal gland is located above and to the lateral side of the orbit, deeper and farther from the eyeball than the meibomian gland. This necessitates that lacrimal gland electrical stimulation devices be designed to cover a large area around the orbit or focus on specific neural pathways to effectively stimulate nerves associated with the lacrimal gland. Furthermore, because the target is located at a deeper level, the frequency and intensity of the electrical stimulation may need to be adjusted to ensure that the stimulation penetrates and reaches the lacrimal gland. These design requirements make lacrimal gland electrical stimulation devices more focused on structural stability and the effectiveness of stimulation.

[0054] In other words, any electronic component that is not "located between the eyeball and the eyelid and capable of stimulating the meibomian glands by pulse voltage" (e.g., electronic components of eyeglass frames, electronic components of eye masks) is not the electronic component referred to in this invention.

[0055] [Technical Effects of the Embodiments of the Invention]

[0056] In summary, the contact lens disclosed in this embodiment of the invention, through the design of "the electrode module being disposed in the lower eyelid layout area, and the electrode module being able to contact the body fluid around the eyeball" and "the boost control module emitting a pulse voltage signal through the electrode module, and the pulse voltage signal being transmitted by the body fluid to the lower eyelid on one side of the eyeball", can effectively stimulate the meibomian glands to secrete oil, thereby relieving dry eye syndrome.

[0057] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. All equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the claims of the present invention shall fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A contact lens, characterized in that, The contact lenses include: A pair of eyeglasses for wearing on one eye, the eyeglasses comprising an optical element and an annular wearing portion surrounding the optical element, the annular wearing portion having a C-shaped lower eyelid area; and An electronic component is disposed on the eyeglass body, the electronic component being movable with the eyeball via the eyeglass body, and the electronic component comprising: A stimulus unit, comprising: An electrode module, disposed within the lower eyelid area, is capable of contacting the integrated liquid surrounding the eyeball; and A boost control module, electrically coupled to the electrode module, emits a pulse voltage signal through the electrode module, and the pulse voltage signal is transmitted by the body fluid to the lower eyelid on one side of the eyeball; and A power supply unit is electrically coupled to the stimulation unit.

2. The contact lens according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electrode module includes two fork electrodes, which are respectively disposed on both sides of the boost control module.

3. The contact lens according to claim 2, characterized in that, Each of the finger electrodes has a plurality of conductors arranged in a comb-like pattern, the width of each conductor being between 1 micrometer and 20 micrometers, and the spacing between two adjacent conductors being between 10 nanometers and 100 micrometers.

4. The contact lens according to claim 1, characterized in that, The boost control module is a voltage multiplier circuit, and the boost control module can control the frequency of the pulse voltage signal to be adjusted between 1Hz and 1MHz.

5. The contact lens according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power supply unit provides a base voltage, and the boost control module can boost the base voltage to between 2 and 100 times to generate the pulse voltage signal.

6. The contact lens according to claim 5, characterized in that, The base voltage is between 1 volt and 5 volts.

7. The contact lens according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electrode module includes two coils, which are respectively disposed on both sides of the boost control module.

8. The contact lens according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electrode module includes multiple electrode pads spaced apart from each other, and the boost control module can individually generate the pulse voltage signal through the multiple electrode pads.

9. The contact lens according to claim 1, characterized in that, The glasses body covers the electronic components, and the glasses body also includes a plurality of micropore structures. The positions of the plurality of micropore structures are located within the lower eyelid layout area, and the plurality of micropore structures penetrate the annular wearing part, so that the body fluid can contact the electrode module through the plurality of micropore structures.

10. The contact lens according to claim 1, characterized in that, The glasses body covers the electronic components, and the glasses body also includes a cutout portion disposed in the lower eyelid layout area of ​​the annular wearing part. The electrode module can be exposed outside the glasses body through the cutout portion and come into contact with the body fluid.

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