Contact lenses with blended microchannels
AssigneeOcular Sciences, Inc.
InventorsJ. Christopher Marmo, Gregg A. Dean
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Contact lenses for use in eyes are provided and include a lens body and a plurality of microchannels defined in a posterior face of the lens body. The microchannels are structured to promote effective tear fluid exchange between an exposed surface of the eye and a surface of the eye covered by the lens body. Each of the microchannels preferably includes a substantially junctionless, convex surface along a major portion of a length of the microchannel.
Claims50
A contact lens for use on an eye, the lens comprising:
- a lens body having a posterior face and an anterior face;
- and
- a plurality of microchannels defined in the posterior face of the lens body and defining a substantially continuous waveform circumferentially,
- the lens body being structured to reduce the time to exchange 95% of tear fluid by at least about 5% when the contact lens is worn on an eye relative to a substantially identical contact lens without a plurality of microchannels.
A contact lens for use on an eye, the lens comprising:
- a lens body having a posterior face, and an anterior face;
- and
- a plurality of microchannels having a non-circular length and being defined in the posterior face of the lens body, each of the microchannels formed by spaced apart and substantially opposing first and second convex surfaces relative to the anterior face, each convex surface being substantially symmetrical, and a non-convex surface located between the first and the second convex surfaces, the microchannels sized and adapted to promote effective tear fluid exchange between an exposed surface of the eye and a surface of the eye covered by the lens body.
A contact lens for use on an eye, the lens comprising:
- a lens body having a posterior face and an anterior face;
- a plurality of microchannels having a non-circular length arid being defined in the posterior face of the lens body, each of the microchannels being located between a first apex of a first substantially symmetrical convex posterior surface portion relative to the anterior face of the lens body and a second apex of a second substantially symmetrical convex posterior surf ace portion relative to the anterior face of the lens body in a substantially abutting relationship to one or more of the microchannels, the microchannels sized and adapted to promote effective tear fluid exchange between an exposed surface of the eye and a surface of the eye covered by the lens body.
A contact lens for use on an eye, the lens comprising:
- a lens body having a posterior face and including a plurality of microchannels defined in the posterior face, the microchannels being effective to provide enhanced tear mixing of post-lens tear film of a person of a desired group of people when worn on an eye of the person relative to a substantially identical contact lens worn by another person of a different group of people.
The contact lens of 45 wherein the lens body is structured to enhance tear mixing when the contact lens is worn on an eye of an Asian person relative to tear mixing provided by an identically structured contact lens worn on an eye of a non-Asian person.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.