Tear Shaping Lens With Central Cavity For Refractive Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing contact lenses can cause complications such as stasis and entrapment of the tear film, leading to toxic waste accumulation and mechanical abrasion, and may not provide effective refractive correction due to the negligible effect of the tear lens in flexible lenses.
Innovation Solution
A lens with an anterior central cavity that utilizes capillary action to form a meniscus of tears, allowing for refractive correction by shaping the tear film. The central opening can be structured to form either a concave or convex meniscus, depending on the diameter and shape of the opening, to correct various refractive errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional contact lens is used to cover the cornea, then refractive correction is achieved through the lens material, but the tear film becomes stasis and entrapped leading to waste product accumulation and mechanical abrasion
Solution Approach 1:
The contact lens is divided into multiple zones with different optical properties: a central optical zone for refractive correction and a peripheral zone that allows tear film passage. This segmentation prevents tear entrapment while maintaining correction effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the tear film from the space between the lens and cornea by creating a peripheral opening that allows tears to flow freely. This removes the harmful entrapped tear film while preserving the beneficial refractive correction through the central lens material.
2Reliability
If a rigid contact lens is used to maintain shape independence, then refractive correction is enhanced, but mechanical interaction with corneal epithelium causes abrasion and distortion
Solution Approach 1:
Different zones of the contact lens have different properties: the central zone is rigid for precise refractive correction, while the peripheral zone is designed to be more compliant or open to reduce mechanical interaction with the corneal epithelium, thereby reducing abrasion.
3Ease of operation
If a soft contact lens is used to conform to corneal shape, then comfort is improved, but the tear lens effect becomes negligible reducing refractive correction
Solution Approach 1:
The soft contact lens is segmented into a central optical zone with specific refractive properties and a peripheral zone that maintains conformity to the cornea. This allows the lens to be soft and comfortable while still providing effective refractive correction through the central zone's optimized optical characteristics.
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 described lens effectively enhances refractive correction by forming a tear meniscus with specific curvatures, addressing the limitations of traditional contact lenses while minimizing complications related to tear film stasis and mechanical interaction.
Implementation Method 1
the central opening is structured such that capillary action forms a meniscus of tears in the opening
Implementation Method 2
A tear lens, as understood in this conventional sense, contributes to refractive correction primarily in the context of rigid contact lenses
Data Source
AI summary
A lens for refractive tear shaping, including a curved lens body defining an anterior partial thickness cavity indented into its anterior surface. The anterior partial thickness cavity has an anterior facing tear shaping surface structured to form a tear lens within the anterior partial thickness cavity. The anterior partial thickness cavity is structured to define a tear lens within the anterior partial thickness cavity by interaction between a tear film of the eye and the anterior facing base tear shaping surface. The posterior curvature of the tear lens is dependent on the shape of the anterior facing base tear shaping surface.