Ultrasonic ophthalmic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11744731-B2
Application number	US-201916352215-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2019
Priority date	Mar 15, 2018
Publication date	Sep 5, 2023
Grant date	Sep 5, 2023

Abstract

An ophthalmic device comprises an ultrasonic transducer, an accommodation actuator, and a controller. When the ophthalmic device is mounted in or on an eye of a user, the ultrasonic transducer is positioned to direct ultrasonic signals towards ciliary processes in the eye and the accommodation actuator is positioned to focus light entering the eye. The controller is coupled to the ultrasonic transducer and the accommodation actuator. The controller includes logic that when executed by the controller causes the ophthalmic device to perform operations including emitting the ultrasonic signals from the ultrasonic transducer towards the ciliary processes, receiving reflected ultrasonic signals from the ciliary processes with the ultrasonic transducer, calculating a time of flight between emitting the ultrasonic signals and receiving the reflected ultrasonic signals, and adjusting an optical power of the accommodation actuator based on the time of flight.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ophthalmic device, comprising:
an ultrasonic transducer adapted to direct ultrasonic signals towards ciliary processes in an eye;
an accommodation actuator adapted to focus light entering the eye; and
a controller coupled to the ultrasonic transducer and the accommodation actuator, wherein the controller includes logic that when executed by the controller causes the ophthalmic device to perform operations including:
emitting the ultrasonic signals from the ultrasonic transducer towards the ciliary processes;
receiving reflected ultrasonic signals from the ciliary processes with the ultrasonic transducer;
calculating a time of flight between emitting the ultrasonic signals and receiving the reflected ultrasonic signals;
identifying a location or a shape of one or more ciliary processes based on the time of flight, wherein the location or the shape of the one or more ciliary processes is indicative of a level of accommodative effort of the eye; and
adjusting an optical power of the accommodation actuator based on the location or the shape of the one or more ciliary processes.

2. The ophthalmic device of claim 1 , wherein the ophthalmic device includes at least one of a contact lens, an intraocular lens, or an intraocular implant.

3. The ophthalmic device of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic transducer includes a micromachined ultrasonic transducer (MUT).

4. The ophthalmic device of claim 3 , wherein the MUT is a capacitive type transducer.

5. The ophthalmic device of claim 3 , wherein the MUT is included in a plurality of MUTs collectively arranged into an array.

6. The ophthalmic device of claim 5 , wherein the controller further includes logic that when executed by the controller causes the ophthalmic device to perform operations including:
forming an ultrasonic wavefront from the ultrasonic signals by activating individual ultrasonic transducers included in plurality of MUTs at different times to direct the ultrasonic wavefront towards the ciliary processes.

7. The ophthalmic device of claim 6 , wherein the ultrasonic wavefront is shaped to cover an elliptically-shaped area.

8. The ophthalmic device of claim 5 , wherein the controller further includes logic that when executed by the controller causes the ophthalmic device to perform operations including:
steering an ultrasonic wavefront formed by the ultrasonic signals by activating the individual ultrasonic transducers included in the plurality of MUTs at different times to scan for the ciliary processes;
calculating a signal to noise ratio (SNR) of the reflected ultrasonic signal for respective positions the ultrasonic wavefront is steered; and
determining one of the respective positions corresponds to a target position for measuring an accommodative effort of the eye associated with the ciliary processes based, at least in part, on the SNR of the reflected ultrasonic signal.

9. The ophthalmic device of claim 3 , wherein the MUT includes:
a first electrode;
a second electrode;
a space disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the controller further includes logic that when executed by the controller causes the ophthalmic device to perform operations including:
applying a voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode to adjust a size of the space and emit the ultrasonic signals.

10. The ophthalmic device of claim 1 , wherein the location is one location included in a plurality of discrete locations, each associated with different levels, including the level, of the accommodative effort.

11. The ophthalmic device of claim 1 , wherein a width of the ultrasonic signals spans more than one ciliary process included in the ciliary processes.

12. The ophthalmic device of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic transducer is disposed proximate to at least one of a surface of the eye, in a supra-scleral placement, or in a capsular bag of the eye.

13. At least one non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium that provides instructions that, when executed by a machine, will cause the machine to perform operations comprising:
emitting ultrasonic signals from an ultrasonic transducer towards ciliary processes of an eye;
receiving reflected ultrasonic signals from the ciliary processes with the ultrasonic transducer;
calculating, using a controller coupled to the ultrasonic transducer, a time of flight between emitting the ultrasonic signals and receiving the reflected ultrasonic signals;
identifying a location or a shape of one or more ciliary processes based on the time of flight, wherein the location or the shape of the one or more ciliary processes is indicative of a level of accommodative effort of the eye; and
adjusting an optical power of an accommodation actuator based on the location or the shape of the one or more ciliary processes.

14. The at least one non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium of claim 13 , providing additional instructions that, when executed by the machine, will cause the machine to perform further operations, comprising:
directing the ultrasonic signals in a non-normal direction relative to the ultrasonic transducer.

15. The at least one non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium of claim 14 , wherein directing includes using at least one of an acoustic lens disposed on the ultrasonic transducer or a plurality of ultrasonic transducers including the ultrasonic transducer.

16. The at least one non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium of claim 15 , providing additional instructions that, when executed by the machine, will cause the machine to perform further operations, comprising:
forming an ultrasonic wavefront from the ultrasonic signals by activating individual ultrasonic transducers included in the plurality of ultrasonic transducers at different times to direct the ultrasonic wavefront towards the ciliary processes.

17. The at least one non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium of claim 15 , wherein at least one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is a capacitive type micromachined ultrasonic transducer (MUT).

18. The at least one non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium of claim 15 , providing additional instructions that, when executed by the machine, will cause the machine to perform further operations, comprising:
steering an ultrasonic wavefront formed by the ultrasonic signals by activating individual ultrasonic transducers included in the plurality of ultrasonic transducers at different times to scan for the ciliary processes;
calculating a signal to noise ratio (SNR) of the reflected ultrasonic signal for respective positions the ultrasonic wavefront is steered; and
determining one of the respective positions corresponds to a target position for measuring an accommodative effort of the eye associated with the ciliary processes based, at least in part, on the SNR of the reflected ultrasonic signal.

19. The at least one non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium of claim 15 , providing additional instructions that, when executed by the machine, will cause the machine to perform further operations, comprising:
activating individual ultrasonic transducers included in the plurality of ultrasonic transducers at different times in series and out of phase to form an ultrasonic wavefront directed towards the ciliary processes.

20. At least one non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium that provides instructions that, when executed by a machine, will cause the machine to perform operations c

Assignees

• Twenty Twenty Therapeutics Llc

Inventors

• Goetz Georges

Classifications

• A61F9/0017 Primary

  implantable in, or in contact with, the eye, e.g. ocular inserts · CPC title

• A61B8/085

  for locating body or organic structures, e.g. tumours, calculi, blood vessels, nodules · CPC title

• A61B8/10

  Eye inspection · CPC title

• A61B8/54

  Control of the diagnostic device · CPC title

• A61F2/1624 Primary

  having adjustable focus; power activated variable focus means, e.g. mechanically or electrically by the ciliary muscle or from the outside · CPC title