Optical element for correcting color blindness

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10214685-B2
Application number	US-201615372249-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2016
Priority date	Aug 5, 2011
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

Described herein are devices, compositions, and methods for improving color discernment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ocular lens comprising: an optical element comprising a luminescent compound polymerized into a substantially transparent matrix; wherein the lens is configured so that the optical element modifies a color of an object or image viewed through the optical element by a user to thereby allow the user to better distinguish colors.

2. The ocular lens of claim 1 , wherein the ocular lens is an intraocular lens.

3. The ocular lens of claim 1 , wherein the ocular lens is a hard contact lens.

4. The ocular lens of claim 1 , wherein the ocular lens is a soft contact lens.

5. The ocular lens of claim 1 , wherein the optical element comprises a hydrogel polymer.

6. The ocular lens of claim 5 , wherein the hydrogel polymer incorporates a hydrophilic acrylate monomer.

7. The ocular lens of claim 6 , wherein the hydrogel polymer further incorporates an alkyl acrylate monomer or an alkyl methacrylate monomer.

8. The ocular lens of claim 1 , wherein the optical element absorbs light in a wavelength range near peak sensitivity for an M human cone photopigment and emits light of a longer wavelength in a wavelength range near peak sensitivity for an L human cone photopigment.

9. The ocular lens of claim 8 , wherein the optical element has a peak wavelength of visible absorption of about 510 nm to about 550 nm.

10. The ocular lens of claim 9 , wherein the optical element has a peak wavelength of visible emission of about 540 nm to about 580 nm.

11. The ocular lens of claim 1 , wherein the optical element is configured to absorb and emit visible light so that when an object or image is viewed through the optical element, a first color having a first set of color coordinates is converted to a second color having a second set of color coordinates to aid in distinguishing colors; and the distance between the first set of color coordinates and the second set of color coordinates in the direction normal to a color confusion line nearest to the first set of color coordinates is at least about 0.02 color coordinate units.

12. The ocular lens of claim 11 , wherein the distance between the first set of color coordinates and the second set of color coordinates in the direction normal to a color confusion line nearest to the first set of color coordinates is at least about 0.04 color coordinate units.

13. The ocular lens of claim 11 , wherein the color confusion line is a deuteronopia color confusion line.

14. The ocular lens of claim 13 , wherein the color confusion line is deuteronopia color confusion line 7.

15. The ocular lens of claim 13 , wherein the color confusion line is deuteronopia color confusion line 8.

16. The ocular lens of claim 13 , wherein the color confusion line is deuteronopia color confusion line 9.

17. The ocular lens of claim 11 , wherein the first set of color coordinates is about (0.375-0.380, 0.485-0.490), about (0.475-0.480, 0.410-0.415), or about (0.368-0.373, 0.485-0.490).

18. The ocular lens of claim 11 , wherein the first set of color coordinates is about (0.330-0.335, 0.340-0.345).

19. The ocular lens of claim 11 , wherein the first set of color coordinates is about (0.570-0.575, 0.340-0.345), about (0.475-0.480, 0.468-0.473), or about (0.565-0.570, 0.395-0.400).

20. The ocular lens of claim 11 , wherein the first set of color coordinates is about (0.510-0.515, 0.340-0.344), or about (0.480-0.485, 0.388-0.392).

Assignees

• Nitto Denko Corp

Inventors

• Harding Brett T
• Li Sheng
• Mochizuki Amane

Classifications

• C09K2211/1011

  Condensed systems · CPC title

• C08K5/315

  Compounds containing carbon-to-nitrogen triple bonds · CPC title

• C09B69/109

  containing other specific dyes · CPC title

• G02C7/104

  having spectral characteristics for purposes other than sun-protection · CPC title

• C09B69/103

  containing a diaryl- or triarylmethane dye · CPC title