Tear shaping for refractive correction
OwnerVance M. Thompsoninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A lens for refractive tear shaping, having a curved lens body with a peripheral edge and a central opening therein. The central opening is shaped and sized and has a tear shaping edge structured to form a tear meniscus within the central opening. The tear meniscus being formed by interaction of a tear film of the eye and the tear shaping edge and having a posterior curvature conforming to an anterior corneal curvature and an anterior curvature. The anterior curvature is dependent on the size and shape of the central opening and structure of the tear shaping edge.
Claims20
A corneal contact lens for refractive tear shaping, comprising:
- a curved lens body having a peripheral edge and defining a central opening therein, the central opening being a full thickness opening extending from an anterior surface to a posterior surface of the curved lens body;
- the central opening being shaped and sized and having a tear shaping edge structured to form a tear meniscus within the central opening the tear meniscus being formed at a refractive interface between tear film within the central opening and ambient atmosphere, wherein size, shape and tear shaping edge structure are selectable to make the tear meniscus anteriorly convex, anteriorly plano or anteriorly concave, whereby the tear meniscus provides refractive correction;
- and
- the tear meniscus being formed by interaction of a tear film of the eye and the tear shaping edge and having a posterior curvature conforming to an anterior corneal curvature and an anterior curvature, the anterior curvature being dependent on the size and shape of the central opening and structure of the tear shaping edge and the anterior curvature forming the refractive interface between the tear meniscus of the tear film and the ambient atmosphere whereby refractive correction of refractive error is achieved.
A method of correcting refractive error of an eye;
- comprising:
- applying a corneal contact lens to the eye having a central opening therein, the corneal contact lens comprising a curved lens body having a peripheral edge and defining the central opening therein, the central opening being a full thickness opening extending from an anterior surface to a posterior surface of the curved lens body, wherein size, shape and tear shaping edge structure are selectable;
- and
- shaping the tear film within the central opening to form a tear meniscus by capillary action between the tear meniscus and a tear shaping edge of the central opening;
- and
- manipulating the tear meniscus formed to make the tear meniscus anteriorly convex, anteriorly plano or anteriorly concave and to alter an amount of convexity or concavity of the tear film by varying the size of the central opening, by varying the shape of the central opening, by varying the structure of the tear shaping edge or by a combination of varying the size, varying the shape of the central opening and by varying the structure of the tear shaping edge, wherein the tear meniscus forms a refractive interface between the tear meniscus of the tear film in the ambient atmosphere and provides refractive correction to the eye.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.