Ophthalmic device including dynamic visual field modulation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019107736-A1
Application number	US-201816155040-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 9, 2018
Priority date	Oct 10, 2017
Publication date	Apr 11, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

Ophthalmic devices including dynamic visual field modulation are disclosed herein. An example ophthalmic device may include a first liquid crystal cell including a first dichroic dye, a second liquid crystal cell including a second dichroic dye, wherein the first and second liquid crystal cells are in optical series so that incident light on the ophthalmic device passes through both the first and second liquid crystal cells, a photodetector positioned within the ophthalmic device to detect the incident light and coupled to output a data signal indicative of a property of the incident light, and control electronics coupled to receive the data signal from the photodetector in response to the incident light, and further coupled to independently and dynamically control the first and second liquid crystal cells based at least in part on the data signal.

First claim

what is claimed is:

1 . An ophthalmic device comprising:
a first liquid crystal cell including a first dichroic dye; a second liquid crystal cell including a second dichroic dye, wherein the first and second liquid crystal cells are in optical series so that incident light on the ophthalmic device passes through both the first and second liquid crystal cells; a photodetector positioned within the ophthalmic device to detect the incident light and coupled to output a data signal indicative of a property of the incident light; and control electronics coupled to receive the data signal from the photodetector in response to the incident light, and further coupled to independently and dynamically control the first and second liquid crystal cells based at least in part on the data signal.

2 . The ophthalmic device of claim 1 , wherein the control electronics includes control logic including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the control electronics to:
determine if the data signal shows a change above a threshold from a previous data signal; and based on the change being greater than the threshold, adjust a control voltage provided to either the first or second liquid crystal cell.

3 . The ophthalmic device of claim 2 , wherein the photodetector includes first and second photodiodes with the first photodiode associated with first wavelength range and the second photodiode associated with a second wavelength range, and wherein the control logic includes instructions that, when executed by the control electronics, cause the control electronics to:
adjust a control voltage of the first liquid crystal cell to attenuate the incident light based on the change being greater than the threshold in the first wavelength range; or adjust a control voltage of the second liquid crystal cell to filter the incident light based on the change being greater than the threshold in the second wavelength range.

4 . The ophthalmic device of claim 1 , wherein the first dichroic dye is a broadband neutral density dye.

5 . The ophthalmic device of claim 1 , wherein the second dichroic dye is a narrowband filter dye.

6 . The ophthalmic device of claim 1 , wherein the first dichroic dye is a narrowband filter dye covering a first wavelength range, and the second dichroic dye is a narrowband filter dye covering a second wavelength range.

7 . The ophthalmic device of claim 1 , wherein the first or second dichroic dye is a broadband neutral density dye, and the second or first dichroic dye is a narrowband filter dye.

8 . The ophthalmic device of claim 1 , wherein the first liquid crystal cell includes:
a first anterior electrode coupled to the control electronics; a first anterior liquid crystal alignment layer; a first posterior electrode coupled to the control electronics; a first posterior liquid crystal alignment layer; and a first liquid crystal layer including first liquid crystals and the first dichroic dye, the first liquid crystal layer disposed between the first anterior and posterior liquid crystal alignment layers.

9 . The ophthalmic device of claim 8 , wherein the control electronics, based at least in part on the data signal, provides a first voltage to the first anterior and posterior electrodes to establish a first potential difference across the first liquid crystal layer, wherein the first potential difference causes the first liquid crystals to rotate an amount based on a level of the first potential difference.

10 . The ophthalmic device of claim 1 , wherein the second liquid crystal cell includes:
a second anterior electrode coupled to the control electronics; a second anterior liquid crystal alignment; a second posterior electrode coupled to the control electronics; a second posterior liquid crystal alignment layer; and a second liquid crystal layer including second liquid crystals and the second dichroic dye, the second liquid crystal layer disposed between the second anterior and posterior liquid crystal alignment layers.

11 . The ophthalmic device of claim 10 , wherein the control electronics, based at least in part on the data signal, provides a second voltage to the second anterior and posterior electrodes to establish a second potential difference across the second liquid crystal layer, wherein the second potential difference causes the second liquid crystals to rotate an amount based on a level of the second potential difference.

12 . The ophthalmic device of claim 1 , further comprising an enclosure including an anterior side and a posterior side sealed to the anterior side.

13 . The ophthalmic device of claim 1 , further comprising a substrate coupled to provide mechanical support for the first and second liquid crystal cells, to the photodiode, and to the control electronics.

14 . The ophthalmic device of claim 1 , wherein the first and second dichroic dye are different.

15 . The ophthalmic device of claim 1 , further including a third liquid crystal cell arranged in optical series with the first and second liquid crystal cells, and coupled to the control electronics to provide dynamic accommodation.

16 . The ophthalmic device of claim 1 , wherein the property of the incident light comprises a spectral content of the incident light.

17 . A method for dynamic visual field modulation using an ophthalmic device, the method comprising:
receiving, by control logic, a data signal indicative of light intensity with respect to a wavelength of incident light on the ophthalmic device; comparing, by the control logic, the data signal to a previous data signal; determining, by the control logic, whether a difference between the data signal and the previous data signal is greater than a threshold; and based on the difference being greater than the threshold, changing, by the control logic, an operational state of either a first or second liquid crystal cell of the ophthalmic device, wherein the first liquid crystal cell includes a first dichroic dye, and the second liquid crystal cell includes a second dichroic dye different than the first dichroic dye.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein based on the difference being greater than the threshold, changing, by the control logic, an operational state of either a first or second liquid crystal cell comprises:
placing the first and second liquid crystal cells in an on state based on the differenced being greater than the threshold over first and second wavelength ranges.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein placing the first and second liquid crystal cells in the on state causes the ophthalmic device to attenuate and filter incident light.

20 . The method of claim 17 , wherein based on the difference being greater than the threshold, changing, by the control logic, an operational state of either a first or second liquid crystal cell comprises:
placing the first liquid crystal cell in an on state based on the difference being greater than the threshold over a first wavelength range; and placing the second liquid crystal cell in an off state based on the difference being less than the threshold over a second wavelength range.

21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein placing the first liquid crystal cell in the on state, and placing the second liquid crystal cell in the off state causes the ophthalmic device to attenuate incident light.

22 . The method of claim 17 , wherein based on the difference being greater than the threshold, changing, by the control logi

Assignees

• Verily Life Sciences Llc

Inventors

• Gutierrez Christian
• Reznikov Dmytro
• Haddock Joshua N
• Yang Mimi

Classifications

• G02F2001/294

  Physics · mapped topic

• G02F1/134309

  characterised by their geometrical arrangement · CPC title

• G02C7/101 Primary

  having an electro-optical light valve (electro-optical elements per se G02F) · CPC title

• G02C7/049 Primary

  Contact lenses having special fitting or structural features achieved by special materials or material structures · CPC title

• G02F1/13306

  Circuit arrangements or driving methods for the control of single liquid crystal cells (G02F1/132, G02F1/133382 take precedence) · CPC title