Prosthetic iris preparation method
OwnerJohn M. Stolpe, John C. Stolpe +1inventors
InventorsJohn M. Stolpe, John C. Stolpe, Fredric M. Harwin
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Abstract
A method and system of producing a digitally printed iris structure for an artificial eye by using suitable digital graphics software, the appearance of a dilating pupil/collarette is created within the combined center portion/inner ring area of a prosthetic eye—in that a pupil appears to dilate from a small diameter in bright light to a comparatively large diameter in dimmer or darker light. The process of creating such effect is a unique extension of the knowledge that certain colors and pigments in bright light are most apparent, and in dark light tend to appear grey to black.
Claims22
A method for producing a color-matched iris for a prosthetic eye, with a lifelike appearance of a dilating pupil effect, for a prosthetic eye, comprising:
- a. providing an array of sample irises, each sample iris comprising:
- i. a sample cornea;
- ii. a digitized iris print encapsulated in the cornea;
- and
- iii. a backing;
- b. receiving at least one unique indicia of at least one sample iris having at least one unique characteristic that matches a corresponding characteristic of a natural eye of a patient;
- c. retrieving a digital image associated with the at least one unique indicia;
- and
- d. printing the digital image to create a final iris, wherein the array of sample irises covers an entire spectrum of eye colors, wherein the unique characteristics are selected from the group consisting of:
- an iris color, an inner ring color, an inner ring dimension, an outer ring color, and an outer ring dimension, wherein the array of sample irises is removably mounted to a tray,
- and wherein the iris has a lifelike appearance of a dilating pupil effect by providing over at least a portion of a pupil region an overlay screen of closely spaced marks of a selected color in which the opacity of the overlay color increases with as distance from the center of the iris increases.
The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving multiple unique indicia to create the final iris, wherein each unique indicia corresponds with one unique characteristic matching the corresponding characteristic in the natural eye.
The method of claim 2, further comprising:
- a. distributing a plurality of sample irises to a plurality of ocularists;
- b. receiving a plurality of unique indicia to print a plurality of final irises;
- and
- c. printing a plurality of final irises corresponding to the plurality of unique indicia.
The method of claim 2, wherein the digitized iris print comprises a transparent pupil area.
The method of claim 2, wherein the sample cornea comprises a tapered stem.
The method of claim 2, wherein the digital image is printed with a PMMA-resistant ink on a PMMA-resistant media.
A method for producing a color-matched iris for a prosthetic eye, comprising:
- a. providing an array of sample irises, each sample iris comprising:
- i. a sample cornea;
- ii. a digitized iris print encapsulated in the cornea;
- and
- iii. a unique indicia associated with the digitized iris print, wherein each sample iris has unique characteristics identifiable by the unique indicia;
- b. receiving at least one unique indicia selected by matching at least one sample iris from the array of sample irises with a natural eye of a patient;
- c. retrieving a digital image associated with the at least one unique indicia that includes over at least a portion of a pupil region an overlay screen of closely spaced marks of a selected color in which the opacity of the overlay color increases with as distance from the center of the iris increases to give the iris a lifelike appearance of a dilating pupil effect in dimmed light;
- and
- e. printing the digital image to create a final iris.
A method of producing an iris color-matched with an iris of a natural eye, comprising:
- a. using a computer and printer to print an iris matching the natural eye (printed iris);
- b. providing over at least a portion of a pupil region an overlay screen of closely spaced marks of a selected color in which the opacity of the overlay color increases with as distance from the center of the iris increases to give the printed iris a lifelike appearance of a dilating pupil effect in dimmed light;
- and
- c. encapsulating the printed iris in a final iris, wherein the final iris comprises:
- i. a final cornea,
- ii. the printed iris, and
- iii. a final backing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.