Bi-concave Contact Lens for Ophthalmic Illumination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gonioscopic devices fail to provide adequate illumination and observation of the anterior chamber angle of the human eye due to total internal reflection, requiring additional techniques and patient cooperation, and existing gonio lenses have poor optical contact with non-spherical corneas, leading to suboptimal diagnostic capabilities.
Innovation Solution
An ophthalmic illumination/observation device featuring a bi-concave contact lens with a soft elastic material and an optical gonio lens of different refractive indices, allowing for direct illumination of the anterior chamber angle with improved optical contact and light penetration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a conventional gonioscopic device with a single concave surface is used, then the device can be manufactured with simple structure, but the optical contact with non-spherical corneas is poor leading to suboptimal diagnostic capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The contact lens is divided into two distinct surfaces: a front concave surface that contacts the cornea and a rear concave surface that interfaces with the gonio lens. This segmentation allows each surface to be optimized independently - the front surface matches the corneal curvature for optimal contact, while the rear surface provides the necessary optical interface, thereby resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and optical contact quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs dual concave surfaces with specific curvatures designed to match the non-spherical geometry of the human cornea. By using curved surfaces rather than flat or single-surface designs, the lens achieves high-quality optical contact across the irregular corneal surface, improving diagnostic capability without excessive complexity.
2Illumination intensity
If conventional gonioscopic devices are used, then the basic observation function is provided, but adequate illumination of the anterior chamber angle is not achieved due to total internal reflection
Solution Approach 1:
The bi-concave contact lens acts as an intermediary optical element between the illumination source and the anterior chamber angle. The specific dual-concave geometry serves as a mediator that redirects light paths, enabling illumination to penetrate areas that would otherwise be blocked by total internal reflection, thereby improving illumination intensity without introducing additional harmful effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the optical parameters of the illumination system by introducing a contact lens with specific refractive index and dual concave surface curvatures. These parameter changes modify the light propagation paths, allowing the illumination beam to overcome total internal reflection and reach the anterior chamber angle effectively.
3Ease of operation
If indirect gonioscopic techniques are used, then the chamber angle can be viewed through mirrors, but additional efforts, skill and patient cooperation are required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the contact lens and gonio lens into an integrated optical system. The bi-concave contact lens is positioned between the patient's eye and the gonio lens, combining the functions of corneal interface and optical observation in a single unified device. This integration eliminates the need for separate mirror-based indirect techniques, improving ease of operation while maintaining manageable device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device ensures high-quality optical contact and deeper illumination of the anterior chamber angle, enhancing diagnostic capabilities and overcoming the limitations of conventional gonioscopic devices.
Implementation Method 1
a bi-concave contact lens with a soft elastic material
Implementation Method 2
an optical gonio lens of different refractive indices, allowing for direct illumination of the anterior chamber angle with improved optical contact and light penetration
Data Source
AI summary
An ophthalmic illumination/observation device for use in ophthalmology, which consists of a bi-concave contact lens with a front concave surface that matches an external surface of a patient's eye cornea onto which the front concave surface of the bi-concave contact lens is placed during the procedure, a rear concave surface on an opposite side of the bi-concave contact lens, and a separate optical gonio lens having a distal end and a proximal end with a convex surface on the proximal end that during the procedure is placed onto the rear concave surface of the bi-concave contact lens and matches the rear concave surface of the bi-concave contact lens. Preferably, the bi-concave contact lens is made from a soft elastic plastic material. The device provides efficiency of illumination and observation and is inexpensive to manufacture.