Optics: eye examining – vision testing and correcting – Spectacles and eyeglasses – Ophthalmic lenses or blanks
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-08
2001-05-01
Sugarman, Scott J. (Department: 2873)
Optics: eye examining, vision testing and correcting
Spectacles and eyeglasses
Ophthalmic lenses or blanks
C606S005000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06224211
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to vision correction devices and surgical methods and particularly to devices and methods utilized in achieving better than normal vision.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For a limited set of individuals, whose occupations entail a high degree of visual acuity, such as fighter pilots, surgeons, certain athletes toolmakers, jewelry workers, etc., achieving emmetropia through spectacles, contact lenses and refractive surgery is vital. Assuming that the myopia, hyperopia and regular astigmatism, if one or more exist, can be eliminated by such conventional means, and the eye achieves emmetropia, BCVA (best corrected visual acuity) can however be degraded by pathological factors such as macular degeneration, a cataract, corneal disease or injury, keratoconus, or irregular astigmatism. Even without these factors, the best value of BCVA in a healthy eye may still only be 20/20. Nevertheless, some individuals achieve 20/15 and some special and unusual individuals may achieve a BCVA value as good as 20/08.
Limitation of visual acuity frequently results from the deviation of the human eye from an ideal optical shape resulting in “spherical aberrations”. Those individuals having a vision system with especially low levels of spherical aberration, are the ones with the most acute vision. There is however currently no available technology capable of effectively enhancing the normal degree of best corrected or emmetropic visual acuity, achievable with spectacles, contact lenses and refractive vision surgery, such as by reducing spherical aberrations, to provide a “super” vision for the individuals, such as those described above, who are highly dependent on visual acuity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a method and device, i.e., lens, for achieving enhanced visual acuity.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such enhanced visual acuity by means of correction for the natural spherical aberration of an eye.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a means for subjectively accurately determining the extent of the spherical aberration and a prescription or specification whereby an appropriate correction can be effected.
It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide a test kit geared to provide a subjective evaluation of increase in visual acuity.
Generally the present invention comprises a method and device for achieving enhanced visual acuity for a human eye by the correction of the naturally inherent spherical aberrations therein, which limit visual acuity, beyond what can be achieved by normal refractive corrections.
It has been discovered that spherical aberrations in the imaging system cause a diffusion of focussing along a vision axis which results in a degradation of vision acuity or sharpness of image. In accordance with the present invention, the correction of spherical aberrations in the imaging system of an eye of a patient may be temporarily effected by means of accurate and essentially non-movable placement on the apex of the cornea (i.e., centered on the vision axis) of a selected circularly symmetric test “lens” of uniform thickness, on and near its axial region. The non-refractive axial portion of the test “lens” is aligned with the patient's corneal vision axis. The test “lens” is non refractive (the term “lens” normally refers to a transparent optical element with refractive power but is used loosely herein with reference to transparent, non-refractive devices of varying aspheric shapes) but of pre-determined aspheric shape with respect to the corneal apex. Alternatively, a permanent reduction of spherical aberration may be effected by surgical re-shaping of the cornea to emulate the non refractive, aspheric shape.
Determination of an ideal aspheric “lens” shape is subjectively determined by utilization of a kit of such test “lenses” with varying circularly symmetric, aspheric shapes which are sequentially placed on a patient's cornea until an optimized “lens” shape is subjectively determined. An actual contact lens (hard or soft) is provided to the patient for normal use after the examination, or the patient's eye is surgically reshaped by known means (e.g., with scalpel, excimer laser, water-jet, etc.) to emulate the determined correction in the anterior shape of the corneal tissue. Because of deviations between the corneal vision axis and the axis of the lens, eye glass (spectacle) type corrections are not however feasible unless some means are used to fix the cornea relative to the spectacle lens.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more evident from the following discussion and drawings in which:
REFERENCES:
patent: 3831604 (1974-08-01), Neefe
patent: 4195919 (1980-04-01), Shelton
patent: 4564484 (1986-01-01), Neefe
patent: 5050981 (1991-09-01), Roffman
patent: 5728156 (1998-03-01), Gupta
patent: 5969790 (1999-10-01), Onufryk
patent: 6082856 (2000-07-01), Dunn et al.
Medjet Inc.
Schwartz Jordan M.
Sugarman Scott J.
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