US 5,507,979 AGranted

Method of manufacturing a segmented multifocal ophthalmic lens

AssigneeJohnson & Johnson Vision Products, Inc.

InventorsJeffrey H. Roffman, Edgar Menezes, Robert LaBelle, John Scrivener

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Abstract

A method of making multifocal refractive contact lens to focus light on the retina of the eye uses a plurality of at least two of each alternating segments having different optical powers for distance vision and for near. The lens of the invention does not require orientation to produce adequate far and near vision and normal steroscoptic effect. One or both of the segments having the optical powers may have aspherical lens surface. Preferably, the lens has at least one aspherical lens surface and the segments are divided by an arcuate path going from the center of the lens to edge. Such a lens is manufactured by taking lens molds and cutting the molds from the edge through the center to the opposite edge along a predetermined path. The molds are cut so that the segments produced are interchangable and can be fitted together to make a mold that can produce the multifocal refractive contact lens by molding.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A method of producing a multifocal contact lens for focusing light on the retina of the eye comprising:

making a first metal mold surface for a first lens refractive optical power,
making a second metal mold surface for a second lens refractive optical power,
wherein one or both of the first and second mold surfaces are aspherical,,
separating the first metal mold surface into a plurality of first segments along a plurality of first paths extending outward from a center of said first mold surface to a peripheral edge thereof,
separating the second metal mold surface into a plurality of second segments along a plurality of second paths extending outward from a center of said second mold surface to a peripheral edge thereof,
forming the first and second segments with complementary shapes,
detachably fitting together at least two of the first segments and at least two of the second segments to form a segmented multifocal surface mold such that all of the first and second segments converge at the center of the segmented multifocal surface mold and for any circle drawn around the center of the segmented multifocal surface mold there are substantially equal areas of first and second optical powers, and
molding a segmented multifocal lens for focusing light on the retina of the eye using said segmented multifocal surface mold.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.