Peripheral defocus lenses and related methods

Abstract

A corrective lens system for reducing choroidal thickness in an eye of a subject includes a central region having a positive power reading prescription of the eye, and a peripheral region arranged about the central region, wherein the peripheral region has a negative power addition to defocus the eye. A method of reducing choroidal thickness in an eye of a subject using the corrective lens system includes providing the corrective lens system for the eye of the subject, wearing the corrective lens system by the subject, and reading by the subject while wearing the corrective lens system.

Description

105957.00007PERIPHERAL DEFOCUS LENSES AND RELATED METHODSCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] The present application claims priority benefit of U.S. provisional patent application no. 63 / 756,306 filed February 10, 2025, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0002] The present disclosure relates to ophthalmological devices and methods for controlling choroidal thickness in presbyopic individuals.BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0003] Studies have indicated that presbyopic individuals (“presbyopes”) who read with conventional positive power spectacles experience axial length shortening (choroidal thickness increase) after about twenty minutes. This result has been found in presbyopes with Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and in presbyopes without ocular pathology. It is suspected that reading with traditional positive lenses during the years of presbyopia may be a risk factor for the genesis of AMD.SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0004] The present disclosure provides lenses and methods for reducing or avoiding choroidal thickness increase in presbyopes.

[0005] A corrective lens system for reducing choroidal thickness in an eye of a subject generally comprises a central region having a positive power reading prescription of the eye, and a peripheral region arranged about the central region, wherein the peripheral region has a negative power addition to defocus the eye. The corrective lens system may comprise exactly one lens element having both the central region and the peripheral region formed therein. Alternatively, the corrective lens system may comprise a first lens element having the central region and a second lens element having the peripheral region. Various embodiments of the corrective lens system of the present disclosure are described.105957.00007

[0006] The present disclosure encompasses a method of reducing choroidal thickness in an eye of a subject. The method generally comprises (A) providing a corrective lens system for the eye of the subject, the corrective lens system including a central region having a positive power reading prescription of the eye and a peripheral region arranged about the central region, wherein the peripheral region has a negative power addition to defocus the eye; (B) wearing the corrective lens system by the subject; and (C) reading by the subject while wearing the corrective lens system.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING VIEWS

[0007] The nature and mode of operation of the present disclosure will now be more fully described in the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawing figures, in which:

[0008] Fig. l is a schematic side view of a corrective lens system for reducing choroidal thickness in an eye of a subject in accordance with a first embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0009] Fig. 2 is a schematic front view of a corrective lens system for reducing choroidal thickness in an eye of a subject in accordance with a second embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0010] Fig. 3 is a schematic front view of a corrective lens system for reducing choroidal thickness in an eye of a subject in accordance with a third embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0011] Fig. 4 is a schematic front view of a corrective lens system for reducing choroidal thickness in an eye of a subject in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0012] Fig. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of reducing choroidal thickness in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] Fig. 1 schematically shows a corrective lens system 10 formed in accordance with a first embodiment of the present disclosure. Corrective lens system105957.0000710 is configured to reduce choroidal thickness in an eye of a subject. Corrective lens system 10 of the first embodiment comprises a first lens element LI corresponding to a positive power reading prescription of a presbyopic subject and a second lens element L2 configured to provide peripheral defocus in the subject during viewing. First and second lens elements may be axially aligned along a viewing axis of the subject, for example by mounting the lens elements in a trial frame as shown.Alternatively, first and second lens element LI and L2 may be adhered to one another to form a compound lens.

[0014] First lens element LI is a convex reading prescription lens exhibiting positive power, including throughout a central region 20 of lens element LI. Second lens element L2 includes a peripheral region 30 configured as a relatively more concave negative power lens region and a central region PL surrounded by peripheral region 30 and configured as a piano-refractive (i.e., zero power) lens region. As may be understood, the positive refractive power through central region 20 of first lens element LI is unaffected by the coaxially arranged piano-refractive central region PL of second lens element L2, thereby allowing the subject to read through central region 20 of first lens element LI. However, the negative power addition in peripheral region 30 of second lens element L2 causes a defocusing of peripheral vision in the subject in the region surrounding central region 20. In the present disclosure, “negative power addition” means a dioptric power less than the positive dioptric power associated with central region 20, even if the negative power addition has a positive dioptric power. For example, if the central region 20 has a positive power of +4.0 Diopters, the negative power addition may be +0.5 Diopters, -4.0 Diopters, or some other value less than +4.0 Diopters. In a clinically tested implementation, a peripheral region 30 having a power of -3.5 Diopters has been found effective in reducing choroidal thickness in presbyopic subject eyes with and without AMD after periods of reading through corrective lens system 10.

[0015] The present disclosure may be practiced using a single (i.e., exactly one) lens element having surfaces formed to provide the positive power central region and negative power addition peripheral region. Fig. 2 shows a corrective lens system 110 comprising only a single lens element having a positive power central region 120105957.00007corresponding to a subject’s reading prescription surrounded by a negative power addition peripheral defocus region 130. In this regard, the second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment except that the central and peripheral regions are portions of the same lens element. As in the first embodiment, peripheral region 130 may have a negative power addition of -3.5 Diopters, however other negative power addition values may be used to achieve defocusing.

[0016] Fig. 3 shows a corrective lens system 210 comprising only a single lens element having a positive power central region 220 corresponding to a subject’s reading prescription surrounded by a first peripheral defocus region 230 A and a second peripheral defocus region 230B. In the illustrated embodiment, first peripheral region 230 A comprises an inner circular array of negative power addition subregions 232 and second peripheral region 230B comprises an outer circular array of negative power addition subregions 234. Negative power addition peripheral subregions 232 and 234 may have a power addition of -3.5 Diopters, however other negative power addition values may be used without straying from the present disclosure. As will be understood, peripheral defocus subregions 232 and 234 may be formed by discontinuous regions of the lens element. For example, a ring spacing 222 corresponding to a subject’s reading prescription is provided between first peripheral region 230A and second peripheral region 230B, and positive power spacings exist between individual peripheral subregions 232 and 234 of each array. The peripheral defocus regions 230 A, 230B need not extend to the periphery of the lens element as in the first and second embodiments, as evidenced by the peripheral positive power reading prescription zone 224 located radially beyond second peripheral region 230B.

[0017] Fig. 4 shows a corrective lens system 310 comprising only a single lens element having a positive power central region 320 corresponding to a subject’s reading prescription surrounded by a first peripheral defocus region 330A and a second peripheral defocus region 330B. In the illustrated embodiment, first peripheral region 330A comprises an inner ring-shaped negative power addition region and second peripheral region 330B comprises an outer ring-shaped negative power addition region. Negative power addition peripheral regions 330A and 330B may have a power addition of -3.5 Diopters, however other negative power addition105957.00007values may be used without straying from the present disclosure. Similar to the third embodiment of Fig. 3, peripheral defocus regions 330A and 33 OB may be separated from one another by a ring spacing 322 having the positive power reading prescription. The peripheral defocus regions 330A, 33 OB need not extend to the periphery of the lens element, as evidenced by the peripheral positive power reading prescription zone 324 located radially beyond second peripheral region 330B.

[0018] In the embodiments described above, the central region 20, 120, 220, 320 may have a circular shape centered on the viewing axis having a diameter in a range of 8 mm through 15 mm. However, central regions 20, 120, 220, 320 may have other shapes and sizes.

[0019] Those skilled in the art will understand that the single lens embodiments shown in Figs 2-4 may be adapted to provided variants having two lens elements, wherein a negative power addition lens element is provided with piano-refractive regions aligned with positive power regions of a positive power reading prescription lens element to achieve the desired central region reading prescription surrounded by peripheral defocusing.

[0020] Fig. 5 illustrates a method of reducing choroidal thickness in an eye of a subject using a corrective lens system as described above. The method generally comprises providing a corrective lens system 10, 110, 210, 310 for the eye of the subject according to step SI, wearing the corrective lens system by the subject according to step S2, and reading by the subject while wearing the corrective lens system according to step S3. The corrective lens system 10, 110, 210, 310 includes a central region 20, 120, 220, 320 having a positive power reading prescription of the eye and a peripheral region 30, 130, 230A-230B, 330A-330B arranged about the central region, wherein the peripheral region has a negative power addition to defocus the eye. It has been found that prolonged reading, e.g. for twenty minutes or more, using the disclosed corrective lens system results in reduction in the choroidal thickness in the treated eye.

[0021] While the disclosure sets forth exemplary embodiments, the detailed description is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure to the particular forms set forth. The disclosure is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications and105957.00007equivalents of the described embodiments as may be included within the scope of the claims.

Claims

105957.00007WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A corrective lens system for reducing choroidal thickness in an eye of a subject, the corrective lens system comprising:a central region having a positive power reading prescription of the eye; anda peripheral region arranged about the central region, wherein the peripheral region has a negative power addition to defocus the eye.

2. The corrective lens system according to claim 1, wherein the corrective lens system comprises exactly one lens element having the central region and the peripheral region.

3. The corrective lens system according to claim 1, wherein the corrective lens system comprises a first lens element having the central region and a second lens element having the peripheral region.

4. The corrective lens system according to claim 1, wherein the central region includes a circular region having a diameter in a range from 8 mm through 15 mm.

5. The corrective lens system according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral region includes one or more continuous rings surrounding the central region.

6. The corrective lens system according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral region includes an array of subregions.

7. The corrective lens system according to claim 6, wherein the array of subregions includes one or more circular arrays surrounding the central region.105957.000078. A method of reducing choroidal thickness in an eye of a subject, the method comprising:providing a corrective lens system for the eye of the subject, the corrective lens system including a central region having a positive power reading prescription of the eye and a peripheral region arranged about the central region, wherein the peripheral region has a negative power addition to defocus the eye;wearing the corrective lens system by the subject; andreading by the subject while wearing the corrective lens system.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the method is used to treat maculopathy in the eye.

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