Soft Contact Lens Fluidic Module Using Hydrostatic Power Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing contact lenses for presbyopia, such as bifocal spectacles, progressive addition lenses, multifocal contact lenses, and electronic lenses, fail to provide dynamic and controllable focusing power, often leading to optical distortions, blurred vision, and complex manufacturing processes.
Innovation Solution
A fluidic module embedded in a soft contact lens with a central reservoir connected to peripheral chambers, using hydrostatic pressure to change optical power, featuring a meniscus shape, varying thickness profiles, and patterns on the anterior membrane to minimize pressure and fluid movement, ensuring crisp images with reduced optical artifacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If electronic control is used to change optical properties of the lens, then dynamic focusing power is achieved, but device complexity increases substantially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces electronic control systems with a purely mechanical/physical system. Fluid is pumped through channels to change the shape of a flexible membrane, which in turn changes the optical power of the lens. This eliminates electronics, sensors, and power sources while achieving dynamic focusing through hydrostatic pressure and elastic deformation of the membrane.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses hydraulic principles by pumping fluid through channels into a central chamber. The hydrostatic pressure of the fluid causes the flexible membrane to deform, changing the curvature and optical power of the lens. This hydraulic mechanism provides a simple, reliable way to achieve dynamic focusing without complex electronic systems.
2Reliability
If multifocal contact lenses with multiple optical zones are used, then near vision is improved, but optical distortion and blurred vision occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from static multifocal zones to a dynamic single-zone lens. The entire optical zone can change its focal length continuously by adjusting fluid pressure, allowing the lens to adapt to different viewing distances. This dynamic approach eliminates the optical distortion and blurred vision associated with fixed multifocal zones while maintaining reliable near vision correction.
3Power
If fluid pressure is increased to change lens shape, then optical power increases, but optical distortion and artifacts increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible membrane as the optical element. This thin film can deform uniformly under fluid pressure to change its curvature and optical power. The flexibility of the membrane allows for smooth, controlled shape changes that maintain optical quality while avoiding the distortion and artifacts that would occur with rigid structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and shape of the lens by adjusting fluid pressure and membrane curvature. By controlling these parameters, the optical power can be varied continuously while maintaining optimal optical performance. The system exploits the relationship between pressure, membrane deformation, and lens curvature to achieve power adjustment without introducing distortion.
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 fluidic module provides a dynamic range of optical power with decreased distortion, increased comfort, and ease of use, while being readily manufacturable, offering extended wear and improved vision correction.
Implementation Method 1
using hydrostatic pressure to change optical power
Data Source
AI summary
A meniscus shaped lens module comprises one or more structures that decrease an amount of pressure or force to move one or more surfaces of the lens module and increase a separation distance of anterior and posterior surfaces of the module in order to provide an increase in optical power. A lens structure of the module comprises one or more of a pattern of a surface of a central chamber, a meniscus, a reduced diameter or a soft material in order to provide increased amounts of curvature of an outer contact lens surface with decreased amounts of pressure. The pattern can be formed in one or more of many ways, and may comprise one or more of folds, patterning, bellows or concertinaed surface of an optically transmissive material having a substantially uniform thickness such as a sheet of a membrane material.