Colored Contact Lens Inversion Marker and Iris Color Reproduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current colored contact lenses struggle to accurately reproduce human iris colors and often confuse wearers regarding the convex and concave sides, leading to improper installation and irritation.
Innovation Solution
A transparent contact lens with a white coating on either the concave or convex surface, positioned behind the colored coating, serves as an inversion marker and provides a natural background for the iris color, enhancing visibility and correct installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a colored pattern is applied to the contact lens to change iris color, then the aesthetic appearance is improved, but the difficulty in reproducing natural human eye color increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different properties to different regions of the contact lens. The central optical zone remains transparent for vision, while the peripheral zone receives colored patterns to replicate iris anatomy. This local differentiation enables natural color reproduction without compromising visual function.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact lens combines multiple materials with different optical properties: transparent base material for the lens body, colored pigments or dyes for iris pattern reproduction, and potentially reflective or diffusive layers to enhance natural appearance. This composite structure enables sophisticated color rendering.
2Area of stationary object
If inversion markings are made small to minimize lens obstruction, then the lens clarity is improved, but the visibility for poor eyesight wearers deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The inversion marking utilizes color contrast - typically a dark or colored marking on a light background, or vice versa - to enhance detectability. The marking's color is specifically chosen to provide high contrast against the lens background, making it visible to wearers with poor eyesight while occupying minimal area.
Solution Approach 2:
The inversion marking is positioned at the periphery of the lens, utilizing the peripheral dimension rather than the central visual field. This allows the marking to be visible without obstructing the central optical zone, effectively separating the functions of vision and orientation indication.
3Reliability
If the central portion of the lens is left uncolored to avoid obstructing the view, then the vision quality is improved, but the overall aesthetic reproduction of the iris deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The contact lens is segmented into distinct functional zones: a central transparent optical zone for vision and a peripheral colored zone for iris reproduction. This segmentation allows each zone to optimize its specific function without compromising the other, maintaining both visual clarity and aesthetic appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of attempting to reproduce the entire iris including the pupil area, the design inverts the approach by leaving the central pupil area transparent and only coloring the peripheral iris portion. This inversion of the natural eye anatomy mapping to the lens surface achieves both vision quality and aesthetic reproduction.
Data Source
AI summary
A colored contact lens having a transparent body with a concave surface and a convex surface. A first colored material layered externally on one of the surfaces of the lens. A second colored material is layered externally on the lens and is arranged relative to the first colored layer of material so as to provide an inversion marker when viewed from the concave side of the contact lens whereby enabling the wearer of the contact lens to properly install the lens.