Method and apparatus for limiting growth of eye length
Inventors
Assignees
Interested in licensing this patent?
MTEC can help explore whether this patent might be available for licensing for your application.
Publication Number
US-12411360-B2
Publication Date
2025-09-09
Expiration Date
Abstract
Certain embodiments of the present invention are directed to therapeutic intervention in patients with eye-length-related disorders to prevent, ameliorate, or reverse the effects of the eye-length-related disorders. Embodiments of the present invention include methods for early recognition of patients with eye-length-related disorders, therapeutic methods for inhibiting further degradation of vision in patients with eye-length-related disorders, reversing, when possible, eye-length-related disorders, and preventing eye-length-related disorders. Additional embodiments of the present invention are directed to particular devices used in therapeutic intervention in patients with eye-length-related disorders.
Core Innovation
The invention provides a therapeutic treatment method for regulating eye length in eye-length-related disorders. It receives information about a patient, identifies whether the patient has an eye-length-related disorder, and determines a first discrepancy between the patient’s initial eye length and an appropriate eye length. The treatment inhibits lengthening of the patient’s eye by reducing contrast of images at the patient’s retina by an amount that corresponds to the first discrepancy.
The disclosure links retinal image properties to feedback signals that control eye-length change. It describes retinal neural circuitry that detects spatial frequency/edginess in retinal images and generates positive eye-lengthening vs negative feedback signals. It further describes normal vs myopic state-transition dynamics, in which artificial blurring and artificial reduction of average retinal image spatial frequency shift the state toward inhibition of eye-lengthening.
The invention also provides therapeutic device modalities to reduce retinal image contrast. In particular, it employs a therapeutic device comprising a first ophthalmic lens with a first area that includes bumps, depressions, first translucent inclusions, and/or first transparent inclusions, where the transparent inclusions have a refractive index different from that of the first lens material. Additional disclosed modalities include light-scattering or diffraction elements, diffusers, progressive and inverse progressive lenses, higher-order/peripheral aberration lenses, and wavelength-dependent filters.
Claims Coverage
The independent claim clm-00001 contains three inventive features covering patient-state determination and discrepancy-based decision making, contrast-reduction treatment to inhibit eye-lengthening, and a specific therapeutic device lens structure for implementing retinal contrast reduction. Additional dependent claims narrow how discrepancy is determined and how the contrast reduction is configured, and they specify particular device implementations including the ophthalmic lens element structures and a pair of eyeglasses.
Discrepancy-based identification of eye-length-related disorder
Receiving information about a patient, identifying, based on the information, whether the patient has an eye-length-related disorder, and determining, for the patient, a first discrepancy between an initial eye length of the patient and an appropriate eye length for the patient.
Retinal contrast reduction corresponding to the discrepancy
Treating the patient by reducing contrast of images at the patient's retina by an amount that corresponds to the first discrepancy and that is sufficient to inhibit lengthening of a patient's eye.
Ophthalmic lens with bumps, depressions, and inclusions with refractive-index difference
Employing a therapeutic device comprising a first ophthalmic lens having a first area that includes a plurality of first elements selected from bumps, depressions, first translucent inclusions, and first transparent inclusions in a first lens material, where the first transparent inclusions have a refractive index different from that of the first lens material.
Overall, the claim coverage is directed to using patient information to compute a discrepancy in eye length, then inhibiting eye-lengthening by reducing retinal image contrast in an amount corresponding to the discrepancy, with implementation via an ophthalmic lens that can include structured surface features and inclusions with a refractive-index difference.
Stated Advantages
Inhibiting lengthening of a patient's eye.
Documented Applications
Therapeutic treatment method for eye-length-related disorders, including myopia.
Interested in licensing this patent?