Polymeric Lens With A Central Hole Surrounded By A Darkened Wall

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025035961-A1
Application number	US-202418913999-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 11, 2024
Priority date	Jan 29, 2019
Publication date	Jan 30, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A polymeric lens is disclosed herein. In one or more embodiments, the polymeric lens includes a lens body formed from a polymeric material, the lens body comprising a central pinhole, the central pinhole being surrounded by a permanently darkened wall defining a visual axis, and the lens body being formed by 3-D printing or molding of the lens body from the polymeric material. A 3-D printed pinhole lens structure is also disclosed herein. In one or more embodiments, the 3-D printed pinhole lens structure includes an insertable pinhole body defining a through pinhole of 1-3 mm in diameter with a surrounding darkened wall having a 0.1-1 mm wall thickness, the insertable pinhole body configured to be inserted inside a lens body of an intraocular lens, a contact lens, a corneal inlay, or a lens of glasses, with a central hole of 1-3 mm in diameter, thereby creating an intraocular lens, a contact lens, a corneal inlay, or glasses with a central pinhole.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A polymeric lens, comprising:
a lens body formed from a polymeric material, the lens body comprising a central pinhole, the central pinhole being surrounded by a permanently darkened wall defining a visual axis, and the lens body being formed by 3-D printing or molding of the lens body from the polymeric material.

2 . The polymeric lens according to claim 1 , further comprising one or more haptics attached to the lens body, the lens body being configured for use as an intraocular lens, and the lens body being configured to be positioned between a posterior iris and an anterior lens capsule of an eye.

3 . The polymeric lens according to claim 1 , wherein the permanently darkened wall is made using the same polymeric material as the surrounding portion of the lens body, the permanently darkened wall being formed by adding a darkening compound to the polymeric material while 3-D printing the polymeric lens.

4 . The polymeric lens according to claim 3 , wherein the darkening compound used to form the permanently darkened wall in the lens body comprises carbon nanoparticles.

5 . The polymeric lens according to claim 3 , wherein the central pinhole of the lens body is in a form of a central virtual pinhole formed from the polymeric material without the darkening compound added thereto so as to form a central transparent virtual pinhole without the need for an external mask, and the central transparent virtual pinhole further comprising an ultraviolet absorbing dye for absorbing ultraviolet radiation, but allowing visible light to pass through the central transparent virtual pinhole.

6 . The polymeric lens according to claim 3 , wherein the lens body with the central virtual pinhole is configured for use in glasses, as a contact lens, as a scleral lens, as a corneal inlay in an eye of a patient, or as an intraocular lens that is capable of being used to significantly reduce glare for any person particularly sensitive to glare as in transitional lenses.

7 . The polymeric lens according to claim 1 , wherein a darkened central zone of the polymeric lens is formed by adding a darkening compound to the polymeric material while 3-D printing the lens body so as to form the lens body with the darkened central zone and a transparent peripheral zone surrounding the lens body, and wherein the darkened central zone of the lens body is subsequently drilled so as to form the central pinhole with the surrounding permanently darkened wall.

8 . The polymeric lens according to claim 1 , wherein the polymeric material outside the central pinhole comprises at least one light-activated, uniformly distributed chromophore that results in a darkening of the lens body outside the central pinhole when the chromophore is activated by light.

9 . The polymeric lens according to claim 1 , wherein the lens body with the central pinhole is configured for use in glasses, as a contact lens in an eye of a patient, as a scleral lens in an eye of a patient, as a corneal inlay in an eye of a patient, as an intraocular lens in an eye of a patient, as a camera lens in a camera or fluidic camera, as a telescope lens in a machine vision telescope, in a virtual reality headset, or in an augmented reality headset.

10 . The polymeric lens according to claim 1 , wherein the central pinhole of the lens body is in a form of a central through-hole that extends through the lens body from a first side of the lens body to a second side of the lens body, the second side of the lens body being opposite to the first side of the lens body.

11 . The polymeric lens according to claim 1 , wherein the polymeric material forming the lens body is selected from a group consisting of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyethylene, polypropylene, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate, and polyetheretherketone (PEEK).

12 . The polymeric lens according to claim 1 , wherein the lens body with the central pinhole is configured for use as a corneal inlay in an eye of a patient, and the corneal inlay is treated with one or more medications selected from a group consisting of Rock inhibitors, integrin inhibitors, GSK inhibitors and/or Wnt inhibitors.

13 . The polymeric lens according to claim 12 , wherein the one or more medications applied to the corneal inlay are in a form of slow release polymeric nanoparticles that are released slowly inside a corneal pocket for 1-3 months so as to encourage a growth of nerve fibers in the cornea to result in a return of corneal sensation.

14 . The polymeric lens according to claim 1 , wherein the lens body with the central pinhole is configured for use as a contact lens in an eye of a patient, the contact lens being in a form of a rigid gas-permeable lens, a soft contact lens made of a flexible, high-water-content material, or a soft contact lens made of a highly flexible, oxygen-permeable material that can be disposed of daily or weekly.

15 . The polymeric lens according to claim 14 , wherein the central pinhole of the lens body is in a form of a central virtual pinhole formed in the contact lens.

16 . The polymeric lens according to claim 15 , wherein the central virtual pinhole formed in the contact lens is made from a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel with β-cyclodextrins (β-CDs) for drug delivery to the eye of the patient.

17 . A 3-D printed pinhole lens structure, comprising:
an insertable pinhole body defining a through pinhole of 1-3 mm in diameter with a surrounding darkened wall having a 0.1-1 mm wall thickness, the insertable pinhole body configured to be inserted inside a lens body of an intraocular lens, a contact lens, a corneal inlay, or a lens of glasses, with a central hole of 1-3 mm in diameter, thereby creating an intraocular lens, a contact lens, a corneal inlay, or glasses with a central pinhole.

18 . The 3-D printed pinhole lens structure according to claim 17 , wherein, after the insertable pinhole body is formed by 3-D printing, the through pinhole in the insertable pinhole body is formed by drilling a through hole through the insertable pinhole body.

19 . The 3-D printed pinhole lens structure according to claim 17 , wherein the insertable pinhole body comprises a lower cylindrical body portion with a top peripheral flange portion connected to the lower cylindrical body portion.

Assignees

• Peyman Gholam A

Inventors

• Peyman Gholam A

Classifications

• B29D11/00432

  Auxiliary operations, e.g. machines for filling the moulds (B29D11/00125 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29D11/023

  Implants for natural eyes · CPC title

• B29D11/00038

  Production of contact lenses · CPC title

• B29D11/00009

  Production of simple or compound lenses · CPC title

• G02C2202/10

  Optical elements and systems for visual disorders other than refractive errors, low vision · CPC title