CN101595421A - High-performance selective optical wavelength filtering that provides improved contrast sensitivity - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to ophthalmic systems comprising selective light wavelength filters, wherein the selective filters provide improved contrast sensitivity.

Description

High-performance selective optical wavelength filtering that provides improved contrast sensitivity

Background of the invention

Electromagnetic radiation from the sun continues to bombard Earth's atmosphere. Light is made of electromagnetic radiation traveling in waves. The electromagnetic spectrum includes radio waves, millimeter waves, microwaves, infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light (UVA and UVB), x-rays, and gamma rays. The visible spectrum includes the longest visible light wavelength of about 700 nanometers and the shortest wavelength of about 400 nm (nanometers or 10 ⁻⁹ meters). Blue light wavelengths fall within a range of approximately 400 nanometers to 500 nanometers. For the ultraviolet band, UVB wavelengths are 290 nm to 320 nm, and UVA wavelengths are 320 nm to 400 nm. Gamma and x-rays make up the higher frequencies of the spectrum and are absorbed by the atmosphere. Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) has a wavelength spectrum of 100-400 nanometers. Most UVR wavelengths are absorbed by the atmosphere, except in stratospheric ozone-depleted regions. In the last 20 years, the literature has demonstrated that the depletion of the ozone layer is mainly attributable to industrial pollution. Increased UVR exposure has broad public health implications, as increased UVR eye and skin diseases are expected.

The ozone layer absorbs wavelengths up to 286 nanometers, thus protecting living organisms from exposure to radiation with the highest energy. However, we are exposed to wavelengths above 286 nanometers, most of which fall within the human visible spectrum (400-700 nanometers). The human retina responds only to the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Shorter wavelengths are the most harmful because they contain more energy instead. Blue light has been shown to be the portion of the visible spectrum that causes the most photochemical damage to retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells in animals. Exposure to these wavelengths is known as a blue light hazard because these wavelengths are perceived as blue by the human eye.

Cataracts and macular degeneration are widely believed to be due to photochemical damage to the intraocular lens and retina, respectively. Blue light exposure has also been shown to accelerate the proliferation of uveal melanocytes. The most energetic photons in the visible spectrum have wavelengths of 380 to 500 nanometers and are perceived as violet or blue. Wavelengths of phototoxicity summarized across all mechanisms as described in Mainster and Sparrow, "How Much Blue Light Should an IOL Transmit?" Br. J. Ophthalmol., 2003, Vol. Dependencies are often expressed as action spectra. In eyes without an intraocular lens (aphakic eyes), light with wavelengths shorter than 400 nanometers can cause damage. In phakic eyes, this light is absorbed by the intraocular lens and thus does not cause retinal phototoxicity; however, it can cause optical degradation of the lens or cataracts.

The pupillary response of the eye is the photopic retinal illuminance in trolands, which is the product of the incident flux and the wavelength-dependent sensitivity of the retina and the projected area of the pupil. This sensitivity is described in Wyszecki and Stiles, Color Science: Concepts and Methods, Quantitative Data and Formulae (Wiley: New York) 1982, especially pp. 102-107.

Existing research strongly supports the premise that short-wavelength visible light (blue light) with a wavelength of approximately 400nm-500nm may be a cause of AMD (Age Macular Degeneration). It is believed that the highest level of blue light absorption occurs in the region of about 430 nanometers, such as 400-460 nanometers. Research has further shown that blue light exacerbates other causative factors in AMD such as genetics, cigarette smoke and excessive alcohol intake.

The human retina consists of multiple layers. Listed in order from the layer that first contacts any light entering the eye to the deepest layer, these layers include:

1) Nerve fiber layer

2) Ganglion cells

3) Intranet layer

4) Bipolar horizontal cells

5) Extranet layer

6) Photoreceptors (rods and cones)

7) Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE)

8) Bruch's film

9) Choroid

When light is absorbed by the eye's photoreceptor cells (rods and cones), the cells turn white and become nonreceptive until they recover. This recovery process is a metabolic process and is called the "visual cycle". Absorption of blue light has been shown to reverse this process prematurely. This premature reversal increases the risk of oxidative damage and is believed to lead to accumulation of the pigment lipofuscin in the retina. This accumulation occurs in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) layer. It is believed that as a result of excess lipofuscin, aggregates of extracellular material known as drusen form.

Existing research shows that over the course of a person's life, starting in infancy, metabolic waste byproducts accumulate within the pigment epithelium of the retina due to the interaction of light with the retina. This metabolic waste product is characterized by certain fluorophores, the most notable one being the lipofuscin component A2E. Sparrow's in vitro studies showed that the lipofuscin chromophore A2E found within the RPE is maximally excited by 430 nm light. Theoretically, when the combination of this metabolic waste (especially the lipofuscin fluorophore) reaches a certain degree of accumulation, the tipping point is reached, and the physiological ability of the human body to metabolize some of this waste in the retina Declines when a person reaches a certain age threshold, and stimulation of blue light of appropriate wavelengths causes drusen to form in the RPE layer. It is believed that the drusen then further interfere with the normal physiological/metabolic ability to allow appropriate nutrients to reach the photoreceptors, thereby causing age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is the leading cause of severe irreversible loss of visual acuity in the United States and Western countries. AMD is expected to increase significantly over the next 20 years due to projected changes in the population and an overall increase in the number of older adults.

The drusen prevent or prevent the RPE layer from providing proper nutrients to the photoreceptors, which causes damage or even death of these cells. Complicating this process, lipofuscin becomes toxic when it absorbs large amounts of blue light, causing further damage and/or death of RPE cells. It is believed that the lipofuscin component A2E is at least partially responsible for the short-wavelength sensitivity of RPE cells. A2E has been shown to be maximally excited by blue light; photochemical events resulting from this excitation cause cell death. See, eg, Janet R. Sparrow et al., "Blue light-absorbing intraocular lens and retinal pigment epithelium protection in vitro," J. Cataract Refract. Surg. 2004, Vol. 30, pp. 873-78.

From a theoretical point of view, it appears that the following happens:

1) From infancy and throughout life, waste accumulation occurs at the level of the pigment epithelium.

2) The metabolic activity and capacity of the retina to process this waste generally declines with age.

3) Macular pigment usually decreases with age, thereby filtering out less blue light.

4) Blue light causes lipofuscin to become toxic. The resulting toxicity destroys the pigment epithelium.

The lighting and vision protection industries have standards regarding the exposure of human vision to UVA and UVB radiation. Surprisingly, there aren't any such standards for Blu-ray. For example, in common fluorescent tubes available today, the glass envelope primarily blocks ultraviolet light, but blue light passes through with little attenuation. In some cases, the housing is designed to have increased transmission in the blue region of the spectrum. This artificial light hazard can also cause eye damage.

Laboratory evidence by Sparrow of Columbia University suggests that RPE cell death by blue light may be reduced by up to 80% if approximately 50% of blue light in the wavelength range of 430 ± 30 nanometers is blocked. Blue light blocking exterior wear eyeglasses (eg, sunglasses, eyeglasses, goggles) and contact lenses that attempt to improve eye health are disclosed, for example, in US Patent No. 6,955,430 to Pratt. Other ophthalmic devices aimed at protecting the retina from such phototoxic light include intraocular lenses and contact lenses. These ophthalmic devices are placed in the optical path between ambient light and the retina, and often contain or are coated with dyes that selectively absorb blue and ultraviolet light.

Other lenses are known that attempt to reduce chromatic aberration by blocking blue light. Chromatic aberration is caused by dispersion of light by ocular media, including the cornea, intraocular lens, aqueous humor, and vitreous humor. This dispersion causes blue light to focus on a different image plane than longer wavelength light, resulting in defocused panchromatic images. Conventional blue light blocking lenses are described in US Patent No. 6,158,862 to Patel et al., US Patent No. 5,662,707 to Jinkerson, US Patent No. 5,400,175 to Johansen, and US Patent No. 4,878,748 to Johansen.

Conventional approaches to reducing blue light exposure of the ocular medium typically completely cut off light below a threshold wavelength, while also reducing exposure to longer wavelengths. For example, the lens described in US Patent No. 6,955,430 to Pratt transmits less than 40% of incident light having wavelengths up to 650 nanometers as shown in Figure 6 of Pratt '430. The blue light blocking lens disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,400,175 by Johansen and Diffendaffer similarly attenuates light across the visible spectrum by more than 60% as shown in Figure 3 of the '175 patent.

Balancing the range and amount of blue light that is blocked can be difficult because blocking and/or suppressing blue light can affect a person's color balance when viewing through an ophthalmic device, color vision, and the perceived color of the ophthalmic device. For example, shooting glasses appear bright yellow and block blue light. Shooting glasses often make certain colors more pronounced when looking at the blue sky, allowing the shooter to see what they are aiming at more quickly and accurately. While this works for shooting glasses, it is unacceptable for many ophthalmic uses. In particular, such ophthalmic systems may be cosmetically unappealing due to yellow or amber tints in the lenses caused by blue light blocking. More specifically, one common technique for blue light blocking involves tinting or tinting the lenses with a blue light blocking tint such as BPI Filter Vision 450 or BPI Diamond Dye 500. Tinting can be achieved, for example, by dipping the lens for a predetermined period of time in a heated tinting tank containing a blue light blocking dye solution. Typically, the dye solution has a yellow or amber color and thus imparts a yellow or amber tint to the lens. For many people, this yellow or amber-toned look is cosmetically undesirable. Furthermore, such tints may interfere with the normal color perception of the lens user, making it difficult to correctly perceive, for example, the color of traffic lights or signs.

Efforts have been made to compensate for the yellowing effect of conventional blue blocking filters. For example, blue light blocking lenses have been treated with additional dyes, such as blue, red or green dyes, to counteract the yellowing effect. This treatment intermixes the additional dye with the original blue-blocking dye. But while this technique may reduce the yellowness in blue-blocking lenses, intermixing of the dyes may reduce blue-blocking efficacy by allowing more of the blue spectrum to pass through. Furthermore, these conventional techniques undesirably reduce the total transmission of light wavelengths other than blue wavelengths. This unwanted reduction, in turn, results in reduced visual acuity for the lens user.

It has been found that conventional blue light blockade reduces visible light transmission, which in turn stimulates pupillary dilation. Dilation of the pupil increases the flux of light reaching the inner ocular structures, including the intraocular lens and retina. Since the radiant flux reaching these structures increases with the square of the pupil diameter, a lens that blocks half of blue light but has reduced visible light transmission that relaxes the pupil from 2 mm diameter to 3 mm diameter will actually reduce the dose of blue light photons reaching the retina 12.5% improvement. Protection of the retina from phototoxic light depends on the amount of this light striking the retina, which depends on the transmission properties of the ocular medium and on the dynamic aperture of the pupil. To date, previous studies have not addressed the pupil's effect on protection from phototoxic blue light.

Another problem with conventional blue light blocking is that it reduces night vision. Blue light is more important for low light level or scotopic vision than for bright light or photopic vision, and for scotopic and photopic vision the results are expressed quantitatively in the light sensitivity spectrum. Photochemical and oxidative reactions lead to a natural increase in the absorption of light between 400 and 450 nm by IOL tissue with age. Although the number of rod photoreceptors in the retina responsible for low-light vision also decreases with age, increased absorption by the intraocular lens is important for reduced night vision. For example, scotopic sensitivity decreased by 33% in 53-year-old IOLs and by 75% in 75-year-old IOLs. The balance between retinal protection and scotopic sensitivity is further described in Mainster and Sparrow, "How Much Light Should and IOL Transmit?" Br. J. Ophthalmol, 2003, Vol. 87, pp. 1523-29.

Traditional methods of blue light blocking may also include cut-off or high-pass filters to reduce transmission below a specified blue or ultraviolet wavelength to zero. For example, it is possible to completely or nearly completely block all light below a threshold wavelength. For example, U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2005/0243272 to Mainster and Mainster, "Intraocular Lenses Should Block UV Radiation and Violet but not Blue Light," Arch. Ophthal, Vol. 123, p. 550 (2005) describe Blocking of all light up to a threshold wavelength of 450 nm. This blocking may be undesirable because the dilation of the pupil increases the total flux as the boundaries of the longpass filter shift toward longer wavelengths. As mentioned above, this reduces scotopic sensitivity and increases color distortion.

Recently, there has been debate in the intraocular lens (IOL) field regarding appropriate UV and blue light blocking while maintaining acceptable photopic, scotopic, color vision and circadian rhythms.

In view of the foregoing, there is a need for ophthalmic systems that provide one or more of the following:

1) Blue light blocking with acceptable levels of blue light protection

2) Acceptable color cosmetics, that is, when worn by the wearer, a person viewing the ophthalmic system perceives it as substantially color-neutral

3) Color perception acceptable to users. There is a particular need for an ophthalmic system that does not impair the wearer's color vision and further that the level of reflection from the back surface of the system into the wearer's eye is not unpleasant for the wearer

4) Acceptable light transmission at wavelengths other than blue light wavelengths. There is a particular need for ophthalmic systems that selectively block blue wavelengths while transmitting more than 80% of visible light

5) Acceptable photopic, scotopic, chromatic, and/or circadian rhythms

This need exists as more and more data are pointing to blue light as a possible causative factor in macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the industrialized world, as well as other retinal diseases.

Summary of the invention

The present invention relates to an ophthalmic system comprising a selective optical wavelength filter, wherein the selective filter provides improved contrast sensitivity.

Brief description of the drawings

Figures 1A and 1B show an example of an ophthalmic system including a rear blue light blocking component and a front color balancing component.

Figure 2 shows an example of using a dye resist to form an ophthalmic system.

Figure 3 shows an exemplary system with a blue-blocking component and a color-balancing component integrated into a clear or substantially clear ophthalmic lens.

Figure 4 shows an exemplary ophthalmic system formed using in-mold coating.

Figure 5 shows the joining of two ophthalmic components.

Figure 6 shows an exemplary ophthalmic system using an anti-reflection coating.

7A-7C show various exemplary combinations of blue light blocking components, color balancing components, and ophthalmic components.

Figures 8A and 8B show examples of ophthalmic systems including multifunctional blue light blocking and color balancing components.

Figure 9 shows a benchmark of observed colors corresponding to various CIE coordinates.

Figure 10 shows the transmission of GENTEX E465 absorbing dye.

Figure 11 shows the absorbance of GENTEX E465 absorbing dye.

Figure 12 shows the transmittance of a polycarbonate substrate with a dye concentration suitable for absorption in the 430 nm range.

Figure 13 shows the transmittance as a function of wavelength for a polycarbonate substrate with an anti-reflection coating.

Figure 14 shows a color map of a polycarbonate substrate with an anti-reflection coating.

Figure 15 shows the transmittance as a function of wavelength for an uncoated polycarbonate substrate and a polycarbonate substrate with an anti-reflection coating on both sides.

Figure 16 shows the spectral transmittance of a 106 nm _TiO2 layer on a polycarbonate substrate.

Figure 17 shows the color map of a 106 nm _TiO2 layer on a polycarbonate substrate.

Figure 18 shows the spectral transmittance of a 134 nm _TiO2 layer on a polycarbonate substrate.

Figure 19 shows the color map of a 134 nm _TiO2 layer on a polycarbonate substrate.

Figure 20 shows the spectral transmittance of a modified AR coating suitable for color balancing a substrate with a blue light absorbing dye.

Figure 21 shows a color map of a modified AR coating suitable for color balancing a substrate with a blue light absorbing dye.

Figure 22 shows the spectral transmittance of substrates with blue light absorbing dyes.

Figure 23 shows a color map of a substrate with a blue light absorbing dye.

Figure 24 shows the spectral transmittance of a substrate with a blue light absorbing dye and an AR coating on the back.

Figure 25 shows a color map of a substrate with a blue light absorbing dye and an AR coating on the back.

Figure 26 shows the spectral transmittance of a substrate with a blue light absorbing dye and an AR coating on the front and back.

Figure 27 shows a color map of a substrate with a blue light absorbing dye and an AR coating on the front and back.

Figure 28 shows the spectral transmittance of a substrate with a blue light absorbing dye and a color balancing AR coating.

Figure 29 shows a color map of a substrate with a blue light absorbing dye and a color balancing AR coating.

Figure 30 shows an exemplary ophthalmic device comprising a film.

Figure 31 shows the characteristic optical transmission of exemplary films.

Figure 32 shows an exemplary ophthalmic system comprising a film.

Figure 33 shows an exemplary system comprising a thin film.

Figures 34A and B show pupil diameter and pupil area, respectively, as a function of field illuminance.

Figure 35 shows the transmission spectrum of a film doped with a perylene dye, where the product of concentration and path length yields approximately 33% transmission at approximately 437 nm.

Figure 36 shows the transmission spectrum of a film according to the invention at a perylene concentration approximately 2.27 times higher than that shown in the previous figure.

Figure 37 shows exemplary transmission spectra of a six-layer stack of _SiO2 and _ZrO2 .

Fig. 38 shows reference color coordinates in the (L ^* , a ^* , b ^* ) color space corresponding to Munsell tiles emitted by a given light source.

Figure 39A shows a histogram of color shifts for the Munsell colortiles of the associated filter. Figure 39B shows the color shift induced by an associated blue blocking filter.

Figure 40 shows a histogram of color shifts for perylene dyed substrates of the present invention.

Figure 41 shows the transmission spectrum of the system of the present invention.

Figure 42 shows a histogram summarizing the color distortion of fixtures of the invention in daylight for Munsell tiles.

Figures 43A-14B show a representative series of skin reflectance spectra for subjects of different ethnicities.

Figure 44 shows exemplary skin reflectance spectra for Caucasian subjects.

Figure 45 shows the transmission spectra of various lenses.

Figure 46 shows exemplary dyes.

Figure 47 shows an ophthalmic system with a hard coat.

Figure 48 shows the transmittance as a function of wavelength for a selective filter with a strong absorption band around 430 nm.

Detailed description of the invention

Embodiments of the present invention relate to ophthalmic systems for effective blue light blocking while providing a cosmetically attractive product, normal or acceptable color perception by the user, and a high proportion of transmitted light for good visual acuity. Provided is an ophthalmic system that provides an average visible light transmission of 80% or better, suppresses selective wavelengths of blue light ("blue light blocking"), achieves appropriate color vision performance for the wearer, and wears the lens for viewing Provides a substantially color-neutral appearance to a viewer or a wearer of the lens system. As used herein, "average transmission" of a system refers to the average transmission over a range of wavelengths, such as the visible spectrum. A system can also be characterized by the "light transmission" of the system, which refers to the average value over a range of wavelengths weighted by the sensitivity of the eye at each wavelength. The systems described herein can use a variety of optical coatings, films, materials, and absorbing dyes to produce the desired effect.

More specifically, embodiments of the present invention can provide effective blue light blocking and color balancing. As used herein, "color-balanced" or "color-balanced" means that yellow or amber, or other undesirable effects of blue light blocking are reduced, counteracted, neutralized, or otherwise compensated to produce a cosmetically Acceptable results without compromising blue light blocking efficacy. For example, wavelengths at or near 400nm-460nm may be blocked or reduced in intensity. In particular, for example, wavelengths equal to or close to 420nm-440nm may be blocked or reduced in intensity. Furthermore, the transmission of unblocked wavelengths can be maintained at a high level, eg at least 80%. Additionally, the ophthalmic system appears transparent or substantially transparent to an external observer. Color perception is normal or acceptable to system users.

"Ophthalmic system" as used herein includes lenses for use in, for example, clear or tinted eyeglasses, sunglasses, contact lenses with or without visible tinting and/or cosmetic tinting, intraocular lenses (IOLs), corneal grafts, corneal inlays, corneal Corneal on-lays and electro-active ophthalmic devices are prescription or non-prescription ophthalmic lenses and can be treated or machined or combined with other components to provide the desired functionality as further detailed herein. The present invention can be designed for direct application into corneal tissue.

As used herein, "ophthalmic material" is a material commonly used in the manufacture of ophthalmic systems, such as corrective lenses. Exemplary ophthalmic materials include glass, plastics such as CR-39, Trivex, and polycarbonate materials, although other materials may also be used and are known for various ophthalmic systems.

The ophthalmic system may include a blue light blocking component behind the color balancing component. The blue light blocking component or the color balancing component may be or form part of an ophthalmic component such as a lens. The posterior blue blocking component and the anterior color balancing component may be separate layers on or adjacent to or near one or more surfaces of the ophthalmic lens. The color balancing component can reduce or neutralize the yellow or amber tint of the rear blue light blocking component, resulting in a cosmetically acceptable appearance. For example, the ophthalmic system may appear transparent or substantially transparent to an outside observer. Color perception is normal or acceptable to system users. Furthermore, since the blue-blocking colorant and the color-balancing colorant do not mix with each other, wavelengths in the blue light spectrum can be blocked or reduced in intensity and for unblocked wavelengths, the intensity of transmission of incident light in the ophthalmic system can be for at least 80%.

As mentioned above, blue light blocking techniques are known. Known techniques to block blue light wavelengths include absorption, reflection, interference, or any combination thereof. As mentioned above, according to one technique, lenses can be tinted/tinted with an appropriate ratio or concentration of a blue light blocking tint such as BPI Filter Vision 450 or BPI Diamond Dye 500. This tinting can be achieved, for example, by dipping the lens for a predetermined period of time in a heated tinting tank containing a blue light blocking dye solution. According to another technique, optical filters are used for blue light blocking. The filter may comprise, for example, organic or inorganic compounds that exhibit absorption and/or reflection and/or interference at blue wavelengths. The filter may comprise thin layers or coatings of organic and/or inorganic substances. Each layer may have the property of absorbing, reflecting or interfering with light having blue wavelengths, independently or in combination with other layers. A Rugate notch filter is an example of a blue light blocking filter. Rugate filters are single thin films of an inorganic dielectric in which the refractive index oscillates continuously between high and low values. Rugate filters made by co-deposition of two materials with different refractive indices (eg SiO ₂ and TiO ₂ ) are known to have a very defined stop band for wavelength blocking, outside which the attenuation pole Small. The structural parameters of the optical filter (oscillation period, refractive index modulation, refractive index oscillation number) determine the performance parameters of the optical filter (stop band center, stop band width, transmission within the stop band). Rugate filters are disclosed in more detail in, for example, US Patent Nos. 6,984,038 and 7,066,596 (each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety). Another blue light blocking technique is to use a multilayer dielectric stack. Multilayer dielectric stacks are fabricated by depositing alternating discrete layers of high and low refractive index materials. Similar to rugate filters, design parameters such as the thickness of each layer, the refractive index of each layer, and the number of layer repetitions determine the performance parameters of the multilayer dielectric stack.

Color balancing may include, for example, a blue colorant/dye, or a suitable combination of red and green colorants/dyes, to impart a suitable ratio or concentration to the color balancing component so that the overall ophthalmic system has a cosmetically acceptable appearance when viewed by an external observer. Acceptable appearance. For example, the entire ophthalmic system appears transparent or substantially transparent.

FIG. 1A shows an ophthalmic system comprising a rear blue light blocking component 101 and a front color balancing component 102 . Each component has a concave rear side or surface 110 , 115 and a convex front side or surface 120 , 125 . In system 100, rear blue light blocking component 101 may be or include an ophthalmic component, such as a single vision lens, wafer, or optical preform. The single vision lens, wafer or optical preform may be tinted or tinted for blue light blocking. The front color balancing component 102 may comprise a surface casting layer applied to a single vision lens, wafer or optical preform according to known techniques. For example, visible light or ultraviolet light or a combination of both can be used to attach or bond the surface casting layer to a single vision lens, wafer or optical preform.

The surface casting layer can be formed on the convex side of the single vision lens, wafer or optical preform. Since the single vision lens, wafer or optical preform has been tinted or dyed for blue light blocking, it may have a cosmetically undesirable yellow or amber color. Correspondingly, the surface casting layer may eg be colored with a suitable proportion of blue colorant/dye or a suitable combination of red and green colorant/dye.

The surface casting layer may be treated with color balancing additives after application to single vision lenses, wafers or optical preforms which have been processed to blue light blocking. For example, a blue blocking single vision lens, wafer or optical preform having a surface cast layer on its convex surface may be dipped in a heated tinting tank with the appropriate ratio and concentration of color balancing dyes in solution. The surface cast layer will absorb the color balancing dye from the solution. To prevent the blue light blocking single vision lens, wafer or optical preform from absorbing any color balancing dye, its concave surface may be masked or sealed with a stain blocking agent such as tape or wax or other coating. This is shown in FIG. 2 , which shows an ophthalmic system 100 with a stain resist 201 on the concave surface of a single vision lens, wafer or optical preform 101 . The edges of the single vision lens, wafer or optical preform can be left uncoated to make them cosmetically toned. This can be important for negative focus lenses with thick rims.

Figure IB shows another ophthalmic system 150 in which the anterior color balancing component 104 can be or include an ophthalmic component, such as a single vision or multifocal lens, a wafer, or an optical preform. The rear blue light blocking component 103 may be a surface casting layer. To make such a combination, the convex surface of a color-balanced single vision lens, wafer, or optical preform can be masked with a stain blocker as described above to prevent it when the combination is immersed in a heated tinting tank containing a solution of blue-blocking dye. Moderately absorbing blue light blocking dye. At the same time, the exposed surface cast layer absorbs the blue-blocking dye.

It should be understood that the surface casting layer may be used in conjunction with multifocal rather than single vision lenses, wafers or optical preforms. Additionally, the surface casting layer can be used to increase the power of a single vision lens, wafer or optical preform, including multifocal power, thereby converting the single vision lens, wafer or optical preform into a lined ( lined) or progressive addition lens (progressive addition lens). Of course, the surface casting layer can also be designed so as to hardly or not increase the magnification of the single vision lens, wafer or optical preform.

Figure 3 shows blue light blocking and color balancing functions integrated into an ophthalmic component. More specifically, in ophthalmic lens 300, portion 303 corresponding to the depth at which the colorant penetrates into otherwise clear or substantially clear ophthalmic component 301 in the posterior region may be blue-blocking. Additionally, portion 302 corresponding to the depth of penetration of colorant into otherwise clear or substantially clear ophthalmic member 301 in the frontal or anterior region may be color balanced. The system shown in Figure 3 can be fabricated as follows. The ophthalmic component 301 may, for example, be initially a clear or substantially clear single vision or multifocal lens, wafer or optical preform. The clear or substantially clear single vision or multifocal lens, wafer or optical preform may be blocked with blue light while making its front convex surface non-absorbing, for example by masking or coating with a stain block as described above. Colorant coloring. Thus, a blue light blocking portion 303 starting at the rear concave surface of a transparent or substantially transparent single vision or multifocal lens, wafer or optical preform 301 and extending inwardly can be fabricated by colorant infiltration. The anti-absorption coating of the front convexity can then be removed. An anti-absorption coating can then be applied to the concave surface and the front convex surface and outer edge of the single vision or multifocal lens, wafer or optical preform can be tinted (for example by dipping in a heated tinting tank) for color balance. The color balancing dye will be absorbed by the outer edge and the portion 302 extending inwardly from the front convexity which remains uncolored due to the previous coating. The order of the preceding methods can be reversed, ie the concave surface can be shaded first while the rest is shaded for color balance. The coating can then be removed and tint the concave areas of some depth or thickness that remain untinted due to shading for blue light blocking.

Referring now to FIG. 4, an ophthalmic system 400 may be formed using an in-mold coating process. More specifically, an ophthalmic component 401 such as a single vision or multifocal lens, wafer or optical preform that has been tinted/tinted with a suitable blue-blocking colorant, dye, or other additive may use a tinted in-mold coating 403 Color balance via surface pouring. In-mold coating 403 comprising a suitable content and/or mixture of color balancing dyes may be applied on a convex mold (ie, the mold used to apply coating 403 to the convex surface of ophthalmic component 401, not shown). The colorless monomer 402 can be filled between the coating 403 and the ophthalmic component 401 and cured. The process of curing the monomer 402 will cause the color balanced in-mold coating to transfer itself to the convex surface of the ophthalmic component 401 . The result is a blue light blocking ophthalmic system with a color balancing surface coating. The in-mold coating can be, for example, an anti-reflection coating or a conventional hard coating.

Referring now to FIG. 5, an ophthalmic system 500 may comprise two ophthalmic components, one blue-blocking and the other color-balanced. For example, the first ophthalmic component 501 may be a rear single vision or concave multifocal lens, wafer or optical preform tinted/tinted with a suitable blue blocking colorant to achieve the desired level of blue blocking. The second ophthalmic component 503 may be an anterior single vision or convex multifocal lens bonded or affixed to a rear single vision or concave multifocal lens, wafer or optical preform, for example using an ultraviolet or visible light curing adhesive 502 , wafers or optical preforms. The front single vision or convex multifocal lens, wafer or optical preform can be color balanced before or after it is bonded to the rear single vision or concave multifocal lens, wafer or optical preform. If later, the front single vision or convex multifocal lens, wafer or optical preform can be color balanced, eg by the techniques described above. For example, a rear single vision or concave multifocal lens, wafer, or optical preform may be masked or coated with a stain blocker to prevent it from absorbing a color balancing dye. The bonded back and front sections can then be placed together in a heated tinting tank containing a suitable color balancing dye solution to allow the front section to absorb the color balancing dye.

Any of the above embodiment systems may be combined with one or more antireflection (AR) components. For example, this is shown in FIG. 6 for the ophthalmic lenses 100 and 150 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B . In FIG. 6 , a first AR component 601 , such as a coating, is applied on the concave surface of the rear blue light blocking element 101 , and a second AR component 602 is applied on the convex surface of the color balancing component 102 . Similarly, a first AR component 601 is applied on the concave surface of the rear blue light blocking component 103 and a second AR component 602 is applied on the convex surface of the color balancing component 104 .

7A-7C illustrate other exemplary systems that include blue light blocking components and color balancing components. In FIG. 7A, an ophthalmic system 700 includes a blue light blocking component 703 and a color balancing component 704 as contiguous but discrete coatings on or adjacent to the front surface of a clear or substantially clear ophthalmic lens 702. or layer formation. The blue light blocking part 703 is behind the color balancing part 704 . On or adjacent to the rear surface of the clear or substantially clear ophthalmic lens, an AR coating or other layer 701 may be formed. Another AR coating or layer 705 may be formed on or adjacent to the front surface of the color balancing layer 704 .

In FIG. 7B , a blue light blocking component 703 and a color balancing component 704 are disposed on or adjacent to the rear surface of a transparent or substantially transparent ophthalmic lens 702 . The blue light blocking part 703 is still behind the color balancing part 704 . The AR part 701 may be formed on or adjacent to the rear surface of the blue light blocking part 703 . Another AR component 705 may be formed on or adjacent to the front surface of the clear or substantially clear ophthalmic lens 702 .

In FIG. 7C, a blue light blocking component 703 and a color balancing component 704 are disposed on or adjacent to the rear and front surfaces of a transparent ophthalmic lens 702, respectively. The blue light blocking part 703 is still behind the color balancing part 704 . The AR part 701 may be formed on or adjacent to the rear surface of the blue light blocking part 703 , and another AR part 705 may be formed on or adjacent to the front surface of the color balance part 704 .

8A and 8B show an ophthalmic system 800 in which the functions of blocking blue light wavelengths and color balancing can be combined in a single component 803 . For example, combining features can block blue wavelengths and reflect some green and red wavelengths, thereby neutralizing blue and eliminating the presence of dominant colors in the lens. Combination feature 803 may be disposed on or adjacent to the front or back surface of clear ophthalmic lens 802 . The ophthalmic lens 800 can further include an AR component 801 on or adjacent to the front or back surface of the transparent ophthalmic lens 802 .

To quantify the effectiveness of the color balancing component, it may be useful to observe the light reflected and/or transmitted by the substrate of the ophthalmic material. Observed light can be characterized by its CIE coordinates to indicate the color of the observed light; by comparing these coordinates with the CIE coordinates of the incident light, this can determine how much the color of the light has shifted due to reflection/transmission. White light is assigned to have CIE coordinates of (0.33, 0.33). Thus, the closer the CIE coordinates of the observed light are to (0.33, 0.33), the "whiter" it appears to the observer. To characterize the color shift or balance achieved by a lens, (0.33, 0.33) white light can be directed at the lens and the CIE of reflected and transmitted light observed. If the transmitted light has a CIE of about (0.33, 0.33), there is no color shift and objects viewed through the lens have a natural appearance, ie no color shift compared to objects viewed without the lens. Similarly, if the reflected light has a CIE of about (0.33, 0.33), the lens has a natural cosmetic appearance, ie, it does not appear tinted to an observer looking at the lens or the user of the ophthalmic system. Therefore, it is desirable for transmitted and reflected light to have a CIE as close as possible to (0.33, 0.33).

Figure 9 shows a CIE map indicating the observed colors corresponding to various CIE coordinates. Reference point 900 refers to coordinates (0.33, 0.33). Although the central region of the figure is labeled "white," some light with CIE coordinates within this region may appear slightly tinted to the observer. For example, light with a CIE coordinate of (0.4, 0.4) appears yellow to an observer. Therefore, to achieve a color-neutral appearance in an ophthalmic system, the (0.33, 0.33) light transmitted and/or reflected by the system (i.e. white light) after transmission/reflection has CIE coordinates as close as possible to (0.33, 0.33) are Desirable. The CIE diagram shown in Figure 9 is used herein as a reference to show the color shift observed with the various systems, although the labeled regions were omitted for clarity.

聚碳酸酯、聚甲基丙烯酸甲脂、硅酮和含氟聚合物，然而可以使用其它材料并且对各种眼用系统而言是已知的。Absorbing dyes can be included in the base material of ophthalmic lenses to produce lenses with specific light transmission and absorption properties by injection molding the dye into the base material. These dye materials may absorb at the main peak wavelength of the dye or at shorter resonant wavelengths due to the presence of the Sorey band often found in porphyrinic materials. Exemplary ophthalmic materials include various glasses and polymers such as

Polycarbonate, polymethyl methacrylate, silicone and fluoropolymers, however other materials may be used and are known for various ophthalmic systems.

By way of example only, GENTEX day material E465 transmission and absorbance are shown in Figures 10-11. Absorbance (A) is related to transmittance (T) by the formula A=log ₁₀ (1/T). In this case, the transmittance is 0 to 1 (0<T<1). The transmittance is usually expressed as a percentage, that is, 0%<T<100%. E465 dye blocks wavelengths less than 465 and is commonly used to block these wavelengths with high optical density (OD>4). Similar products are available to block other wavelengths. For example, E420 from GENTEX blocks wavelengths below 420 nm. Other exemplary dyes include porphyrins, perylenes, and similar dyes that absorb blue wavelengths.

Absorbance at shorter wavelengths can be reduced by reducing the dye concentration. This and other dye materials can achieve ~50% transmission in the 430 nm region. Figure 12 shows the transmittance of a polycarbonate substrate with a dye concentration suitable for absorption in the 430nm range with some absorption in the 420nm-440nm range. This is achieved by reducing the dye concentration and taking into account the effect of the polycarbonate substrate. The back surface is not anti-reflection coated at this time.

Dye concentration may also affect the appearance and color shift of ophthalmic systems. By reducing the concentration, systems with various degrees of color shift can be obtained. As used herein, "color shift" refers to the amount by which the CIE coordinates of the reference light change after transmission and/or reflection by the ophthalmic system. It may be useful to characterize a system by the color shift caused by the system due to differences in the various types of light (such as sunlight, incandescent light, and fluorescent light) that are generally perceived as white. It may therefore be useful to characterize a system based on the amount of displacement of the CIE coordinates of incident light as it is transmitted and/or reflected by the system. For example, a system in which light with CIE coordinates (0.33, 0.33) after transmission becomes light with CIE (0.30, 0.30) is described as causing (-.03, -.03), or more typically (±0.03, ±0.03) color shift. Thus, the color shift caused by a system indicates how "natural" light and the object being viewed appear to the wearer of the system. As described further below, systems have been implemented that cause color shifts of less than (±0.05, ±0.05) to (±0.02, ±0.02).

The reduction of short-wavelength transmission in ophthalmic systems may be useful in reducing cell death caused by the photoelectric effect in the eye, such as excitation of A2E. It has been shown that reducing incident light at 430 ± 30 nanometers by approximately 50% can reduce cell death by approximately 80%. See, e.g., Janet R. Sparrow et al., "Blue Light-absorbing intraocular lens and retinal pigment epithelium protection in vitro," J. Cataract Refract. Surg. 2004, Vol. 30, pp. 873-78, the full disclosure of which Incorporated herein by reference. It is further believed that reducing the amount of blue light, such as light in the 430-460 nanometer range, by as little as 5% can similarly reduce cell death and/or degeneration, thus preventing or reducing the adverse effects of symptoms such as atrophic age-related macular degeneration .

Although absorbing dyes can be used to block undesired wavelengths of light, as a side effect, the dye can create tints in the lenses. For example, many blue light blocking ophthalmic lenses have a yellow tint, which is often undesirable and/or aesthetically unpleasing. To counteract this coloration, a color-balancing coating can be applied to one or both surfaces of the substrate in which the absorbing dye is contained.

Antireflection (AR) coatings, which are interference filters, are well established in the commercial ophthalmic coating industry. This coating is usually several layers, usually less than 10 layers, and is often used to reduce reflection from polycarbonate surfaces to less than 1%. An example of such a coating on a polycarbonate surface is shown in Figure 13. The color map of this coating is shown in Figure 14 and it was observed that the color is quite neutral. The total reflectance was observed to be 0.21%. Reflected light was observed to have CIE coordinates of (0.234, 0.075); transmitted light had CIE coordinates of (0.334, 0.336).

AR coatings can be applied on both surfaces of lenses or other ophthalmic equipment to achieve higher transmission. This configuration is shown in Figure 15, where the darker lines 1510 are AR coated polycarbonate and the thinner lines 1520 are uncoated polycarbonate substrates. This AR coating increases the total transmitted light by 10%. Some natural loss of light occurs due to absorption in the polycarbonate substrate. The particular polycarbonate substrate used in this example has a transmission loss of approximately 3%. In the ophthalmic industry, AR coatings are often applied on both surfaces to increase the transmittance of the lens.

In the system of the present invention, AR coatings or other color balancing films can be combined with absorbing dyes to achieve both blue wavelength absorption and enhanced transmission, typically in the 430 nanometer region. As mentioned above, removing light only in the 430nm region usually results in a lens with some residual color cast. In order to spectrally tune the light to achieve color-neutral transmission, at least one AR coating can be modified to tune the overall transmitted color of the light. In the ophthalmic system of the present invention, this adjustment can be made on the front face of the lens to produce the following lens configurations:

Air (furthest from user's eyes)/front convex lens coating/absorbent ophthalmic lens base/rear concave anti-reflective coating/air (closest to user's eyes)

In this configuration, the front coating can provide spectral modulation to counteract color casts caused by light absorption in the substrate, in addition to the anti-reflective function normally performed in conventional lenses. The lens can thus provide an appropriate color balance for both transmitted and reflected light. In transmitted light, this color balance enables proper color vision; in reflected light, the color balance provides proper lens aesthetics.

In some cases, a color balancing film may be positioned between two layers of other ophthalmic materials. For example, optical filters, AR films, or other films may be disposed within the ophthalmic material. For example, the following constructs can be used:

Air (farthest from user's eyes)/Ophthalmic Material/Film/Ophthalmic Material/Air (closest to user's eyes)

The color balancing film may also be a coating, such as a hardcoat, applied to the outer and/or inner surface of the lens. Other configurations are possible. For example, referring to FIG. 3 , an ophthalmic system may include an ophthalmic material 301 doped with a blue light absorbing dye and one or more color balancing layers 302 , 303 . In another configuration, the inner layer 301 may be a color balancing layer surrounded by an ophthalmic material 302, 303 doped with a blue light absorbing dye. Additional layers and/or coatings, such as AR coatings, may be disposed on one or more surfaces of the system. It will be understood how similar materials and constructions could be used, for example, in the systems described with reference to Figures 4-8B.

Thus, the overall spectral response of lenses with absorbing dyes can be fine-tuned using optical films and/or coatings such as AR coatings. Transmission variation across the visible spectrum is well known and is a function of the thickness and number of layers in an optical coating. In the present invention, one or more layers may be used to provide the desired adjustment of spectral properties.

In one exemplary system, the color change is produced by a single layer of _TiO2 (a common AR coating material). Figure 16 shows the spectral transmittance of a 106 nm thick monolayer of _TiO2 . The colormap for this same layer is shown in Figure 17. The CIE color coordinates (x, y) 1710 of the transmitted light are (0.331, 0.345). The reflected light has a CIE coordinate of (0.353, 0.251) 1720, resulting in a purplish pink color.

As shown in the transmission spectrum and color plots of the 134 nm layer shown in Figures 18 and 19, respectively, varying the _TiO2 layer thickness changes the color of the transmitted light. In this system, the transmitted light exhibits a CIE coordinate of (0.362, 0.368) 1910 and the reflected light has a CIE coordinate of (0.209, 0.229) 1920. The transmission properties of various AR coatings and their prediction or evaluation are known in the art. For example, various computer programs can be used to calculate and predict the transmission effects of AR coatings formed from AR materials of known thickness. Exemplary, non-limiting programs include Essential Macleod Thin Films Software available from Thin Film Center, Inc., TFCalc available from Software Spectra, Inc., and FilmStar Optical Thin Film Software available from FTG Software Associates. Other methods can be used to predict the properties of AR coatings or other similar coatings or films.

In the systems of the present invention, blue light absorbing dyes can be combined with coatings or other films to provide blue light blocking, color balanced systems. The coating may be an AR coating on the front side that is modified to correct the color of transmitted and/or reflected light. The transmittance and color maps of exemplary AR coatings are shown in Figures 20 and 21, respectively. Figures 22 and 23 show the transmittance and color maps, respectively, of a polycarbonate substrate with a blue-absorbing dye without an AR coating. The dyed substrate absorbs most strongly in the 430 nm region, including some absorption in the 420-440 nm region. The dyed substrate can be combined with an appropriate AR coating as shown in Figures 20-21 to increase the overall transmission of the system. The transmittance and color maps of the dyed substrates with rear AR coatings are shown in Figures 24 and 25, respectively.

AR coatings can also be applied to the ophthalmic system front face (ie, the surface furthest from the wearer's glasses of the system), resulting in the transmittance and color maps shown in Figures 26 and 27, respectively. Although the system exhibits high transmittance and the transmitted light is relatively neutral, the reflected light has a CIE of (0.249, 0.090). Therefore, for a more complete color balance of the effect of the blue light absorbing dye, the front AR coating can be modified to achieve the color balance necessary to produce a color neutral construction. The transmittance and color maps for this construction are shown in Figures 28 and 29, respectively. In this configuration, both transmitted and reflected light can be optimized to achieve color neutrality. Internally reflected light is preferably about 6%. If this level of reflectivity bothers the wearer of the system, the reflectance can be further reduced by adding to the lens base additional different absorbing dyes that absorb different wavelengths of visible light. However, the design of this configuration achieves significant performance and meets the needs of the color balanced ophthalmic system for blue light blocking described herein. Total transmission is over 90%, and both transmitted and reflected colors are fairly close to the color-neutral white point. As shown in Figure 27, the reflected light has a CIE of (0.334, 0.334) and the transmitted light has a CIE of (0.341, 0.345), indicating little or no color shift.

In some configurations, the frontal modified anti-reflective coating can be designed to block 100% of the blue light wavelengths to be suppressed. However, this may cause approximately 9% to 10% back reflections on the wearer. This level of reflectivity can bother the wearer. Thus, by incorporating absorbing dyes into the lens substrate (this reflection of the front side modified anti-reflective coating), it is possible to reduce the reflectance to a level well acceptable to the wearer while achieving the desired effect. The reflected light seen by the wearer of a system comprising one or more AR coatings may be reduced to 8% or less, more preferably 3% or less.

The combination of front and back AR coatings can be referred to as a dielectric stack, and various materials and thicknesses can be used to further alter the transmission and reflection characteristics of the ophthalmic system. For example, the front AR coating and/or the rear AR coating can be made of different thicknesses and/or materials to achieve a particular color balancing effect. In some cases, the materials used to make the dielectric stack may not be traditionally used to make anti-reflective coatings. That is, the color balancing coating may correct the color shift caused by the blue light absorbing dye in the substrate without performing the antireflection function.

As mentioned above, optical filters are another blue light blocking technology. Accordingly, said any blue blocking component may be or comprise a blue blocking filter or be combined with a blue blocking filter. Such filters may include rugate filters, interference filters, bandpass filters, bandstop filters, notch filters, or dichroic filters.

In embodiments of the present invention, one or more of the above blue light blocking technologies may be used in combination with other blue light blocking technologies. By way of example only, a lens or lens component may employ both a dye/tint and a rugate notch filter to effectively block blue light.

Any of the aforementioned structures and techniques may be used in the ophthalmic systems of the present invention to achieve blocking of blue light wavelengths at or near 400-460 nanometers. For example, in an embodiment, the wavelength of the blocked blue light may be within a predetermined range. In an embodiment, the range may be 430nm ± 30nm. In other embodiments, the range may be 430nm ± 20nm. In yet other embodiments, the range may be 430nm ± 10nm. In embodiments, the ophthalmic system may limit the transmission of blue light wavelengths within the above range to substantially 90% of the incident wavelength. In other embodiments, the ophthalmic system may limit the transmission of blue light wavelengths within the above range to substantially 80% of the incident wavelength. In other embodiments, the ophthalmic system may limit the transmission of blue light wavelengths within the above range to substantially 70% of the incident wavelength. In other embodiments, the ophthalmic system may limit the transmission of blue light wavelengths within the above range to substantially 60% of the incident wavelength. In other embodiments, the ophthalmic system may limit the transmission of blue light wavelengths within the above range to substantially 50% of the incident wavelength. In other embodiments, the ophthalmic system may limit the transmission of blue light wavelengths within the above range to substantially 40% of the incident wavelength. In yet other embodiments, the ophthalmic system may limit the transmission of blue light wavelengths within the above range to substantially 30% of the incident wavelength. In still other embodiments, the ophthalmic system may limit the transmission of blue light wavelengths within the aforementioned range to substantially 20% of the incident wavelength. In yet other embodiments, the ophthalmic system may limit the transmission of blue light wavelengths within the aforementioned range to substantially 10% of the incident wavelength. In yet other embodiments, the ophthalmic system may limit the transmission of blue light wavelengths within the above range to substantially 5% of the incident wavelength. In yet other embodiments, the ophthalmic system may limit the transmission of blue light wavelengths within the above range to substantially 1% of the incident wavelength. In yet other embodiments, the ophthalmic system may limit the transmission of blue light wavelengths within the above range to substantially 0% of the incident wavelength. In other words, the ophthalmic system may cause an attenuation of wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum within the aforementioned ranges by at least 10%; or at least 20%; or at least 30%; or at least 40%; or at least 50%; or at least 60%; or or at least 80%; or at least 90%; or at least 95%; or at least 99%; or substantially 100%.

In some cases, filtering a relatively small portion of the blue light spectrum, such as the 400nm-460nm region, may be particularly desirable. For example, it has been found that blocking too much of the blue light spectrum can interfere with scotopic vision and circadian rhythms. Conventional blue light blocking ophthalmic lenses typically block a much greater amount of the broad spectrum of blue light, which can adversely affect the wearer's "biological clock" and have other adverse effects. Accordingly, it may be desirable to block a relatively narrow range of the blue light spectrum as described herein. Exemplary systems that can filter a relatively small amount of light in a relatively small range include blocking or absorbing 5-50%, 5-20%, and 5-10% with 400nm-460nm, 410nm-450nm, and A system for light with a wavelength of 440 nanometers.

While selectively blocking blue light wavelengths as described above, the ophthalmic system can transmit at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, or at least 95% of the rest of the visible electromagnetic spectrum. In other words, the attenuation of the electromagnetic spectrum by the ophthalmic system at wavelengths outside the blue light spectrum (e.g., wavelengths other than those in the range of about 430 nanometers) can be 20% or less, 15% or less, 10% or less. Less, in other embodiments, 5% or less.

In addition, embodiments of the present invention can further block ultraviolet radiation in the UVA and UVB bands, as well as infrared radiation with wavelengths greater than 700 nanometers.

Any of the ophthalmic systems disclosed above may be incorporated into an ophthalmic article, including eyewear such as eyeglasses, sunglasses, goggles, or contact lenses. In such glasses, since the blue light blocking part of the system is behind the color balancing part, when the glasses are worn, the blue light blocking part is always closer to the eye than the color balancing part. The ophthalmic system may also be used in articles such as surgically implantable intraocular lenses.

Several embodiments use thin films to block blue light. The film in ophthalmic or other systems can selectively suppress at least 5%, at least 10%, at least 20%, at least 30%, at least 40%, and/or at least 50% of blue light in the 400nm-460nm range. As used herein, a film "selectively" inhibits a wavelength range if it inhibits at least some transmission within that range while having little or no effect on the transmission of visible wavelengths outside that range. The film and/or the system comprising the film may be color balanced so as to be perceived as colorless by a viewer and/or user. A system comprising a film of the invention may have a scotopic luminescent transmission of 85% or better of visible light and further permit substantially normal color vision in a human viewing through the film or system.

Figure 30 shows an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The film 3002 may be placed between two layers or regions 3001, 3003 of one or more substrate materials. As described further herein, the film may contain dyes that selectively inhibit certain wavelengths of light. The substrate material can be any material suitable for use in lenses, ophthalmic systems, windows, or other systems in which the film can be placed.

The optical transmission properties of an exemplary film of the present invention are shown in Figure 31, where about 50% of blue light in the range of 430hm ± 10nm is blocked with little loss to other wavelengths in the visible spectrum. The transmissions shown in Figure 31 are exemplary, and it is understood that for many applications it may be desirable to selectively suppress less than 50% of blue light, and/or the specific wavelengths suppressed may vary. It is believed that by blocking less than 50% of blue light, cell death can be reduced or prevented in many applications. For example, it may be preferred to selectively suppress about 40%, more preferably about 30%, more preferably about 20%, more preferably about 10%, more preferably about 5% of light in the 400-460 nm range. Selective suppression of smaller amounts of light can prevent damage caused by high energy light, while being small enough that the suppression does not adversely affect scotopic vision and/or circadian rhythm of users of the system.

Figure 32 shows a film 3201 incorporated into an ophthalmic lens 3200 of the present invention sandwiched between layers 3202,3203 of ophthalmic material. The thickness of the obverse ophthalmic material layer is, for example, only 200 microns to 1000 microns.

Similarly, Figure 33 shows an exemplary system 3300, such as an automobile windshield, in accordance with the present invention. A thin film 3301 may be incorporated into the system 3300 where it is sandwiched between layers 3302,3303 of base material. For example, when the system 3300 is an automobile windshield, the base material 3302, 3303 may be a conventional windshield. It is understood that in various other systems, including vision, display, ophthalmic and other systems, different substrate materials may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In one embodiment, the system of the present invention can operate in environments where the associated emitted visible light has a very specific spectrum. In such cases, it may be desirable to adjust the filtering action of the membrane to optimize the light transmitted, reflected or emitted by the object. This may be the case, for example, when the color of transmitted, reflected or emitted light is a major consideration. For example, when the films of the invention are used in camera flashes or flash filters, it is desirable that the perceived color of the image or print be as close to the true color as possible. As another example, the films of the present invention may be used in instruments for viewing disease behind the eyes of patients. In such a system it is important that the film does not interfere with the true and observed color of the retina. As another example, certain forms of artificial lighting may benefit from wavelength tailoring filters employing the films of the present invention.

In one embodiment, the films of the present invention may be used in photochromic, electrochromic, or variable tint ophthalmic lenses, windows, or automotive windshields. In shade-inactive environments, such systems may provide protection against UV wavelengths, direct sunlight intensity, and blue light wavelengths. In this environment, the blue wavelength protection properties of the film are effective whether or not the tint is active.

In one embodiment, the film may achieve selective suppression of blue light while being color balanced and have a visible scotopic transmission of 85% or greater. Such films may be useful for lower light transmission applications, such as driving glasses or sports glasses, and may provide enhanced visual performance due to increased contrast sensitivity.

For some applications, it may be desirable that the systems of the present invention selectively suppress blue light as described herein and have a light transmission of less than about 85%, typically about 80-85%, in the visible spectrum. This may be desirable when, for example, the substrate material used in this system suppresses more light at all visible wavelengths due to its higher refractive index. As a specific example, a high index (eg, 1.7) lens may reflect more light at these wavelengths, resulting in less than 85% light transmission.

In order to avoid, mitigate or eliminate problems present in conventional blue light blocking systems, it may be desirable to reduce rather than eliminate the transmission of phototoxic blue light. The pupillary response of the eye is the photopic retinal illuminance in Trolands, which is the product of the incident flux, the wavelength-dependent sensitivity of the retina and the pupillary projected area. Optical filters placed in front of the retina (whether in the eye, as in an intraocular lens; attached to the eye, as in a contact lens or corneal substitute; or in the optical path of the eye, as in spectacle lenses) may Reduces the total luminous flux reaching the retina and stimulates pupillary dilation, thereby compensating for the reduction in field illumination. When exposed to a steady illuminance across the field of view, the pupil diameter typically fluctuates around a value that increases as illuminance decreases.

Moon and Spencer, J. Opt. Soc. Am. Vol. 33, p. 260 (1944) describe the pupil area as a function of field illuminance using the following pupil diameter formula:

d=4.9-3tanh(Log(L)+1)(0.1)

where d is in millimeters and L is the illuminance in cd/ ^m2 . Figure 34A shows pupil diameter (mm) as a function of field illuminance (cd/ ^m2 ). Figure 34B shows pupil area (mm2) as a function of field illuminance (cd/ ^m2 ).

Illuminance is determined by the international ICE standard as a spectrally weighted integral of visual acuity over wavelength:

L＝K _m ∫L _e，λ V _λ dλ photopic vision

L'=K' _m ∫L _{e, λ} V' _λ dλ dark vision (0.2)

Among them, for dark (night) vision, K _m ′ is equal to 1700.06lm/W, for light (day) vision, K _m =683.2lm/W, and the spectral luminous efficiency functions V _λ and V _λ ′ specify standard light and dark observer. Figure 9 in Michael Kalloniatis and Charles Luu, "Psychophysics of Vision," (available at http://webvision.med.utah.edu/Phychl.html, last accessed August 8, 2007, which is hereby incorporated by reference The luminous efficiency functions V _λ and V _λ ′ are described in this article).

The insertion of an absorbing ophthalmic element in the form of an intraocular lens, contact lens, or spectacle lens reduces the illuminance according to the following formula:

L＝K _m ∫T _λ L _{e, λ} V _λ dλ photopic vision

L'=K' _m ∫T _λ L _{e, λ} V' _λ dλ dark vision (0.3)

where _Tλ is the wavelength-dependent transmission of the optical element. The integral values in Equation 1.3 normalized to the unfiltered illuminance values calculated by Equation 1.2 are shown in Table I for each prior art blue light blocking lens.

Table I

Referring to Table I, the ophthalmic filter according to Pratt reduces scotopic sensitivity by 83.6% of its unfiltered value—an attenuation that both reduces scotopic vision and stimulates pupillary dilation according to Equation 1.1. The device described by Mainster reduces scotopic flux by 22.5%, which is not as drastic as Pratt's device, but still considerable.

In contrast, the films of the present invention utilize absorptive or reflective ophthalmic elements to partially attenuate ultraviolet and blue light while reducing scotopic illuminance by no more than 15% of its unfiltered value. Surprisingly, the system of the present invention was found to selectively suppress the desired blue light region while having little or no effect on photopic and scotopic vision.

In one embodiment, perylene (C20H12, CAS #198-55-0) is incorporated into the ophthalmic device at a concentration and thickness sufficient to absorb about 2/3 of the light at its absorption maximum at 437 nanometers. The transmission spectrum of this device is shown in Figure 35. As shown in Table I, the illuminance change caused by this filter is only about 3.2% under scotopic conditions and about 0.4% under photopic conditions. Increasing the concentration or thickness of perylene in the device reduces the transmission at each wavelength according to Beer's law. Figure 36 shows the transmission spectrum of a device with a perylene concentration 2.27 times higher than that of Figure 6 . Although this fixture selectively blocked more phototoxic blue light than the fixture in Figure 6, it reduced dark illuminance by less than 6% and bright illuminance by less than 0.7%. Note that reflections have been removed from the spectra in Figures 35 and 36 to show only the effect of absorption by this dye.

Dyes other than perylene may have strong absorption in the blue or approximately blue wavelength range and have little or no absorbance in other regions of the visible spectrum. Examples of such dyes shown in Figure 46 include porphyrin, coumarin and acridine based molecules which can be used alone or in combination to produce reduced but not eliminated transmission at 400nm-460nm. The methods and systems described herein can thus use similar dyes based on other molecular structures at concentrations that mimic the transmission spectra of perylene, porphyrin, coumarin, and acridine.

The introduction of dyes into the optical path according to embodiments of the present invention can be accomplished by a variety of methods familiar to those skilled in the art of optical processing. Dyes can be incorporated directly into substrates, added to polymeric coatings, absorbed into lenses, incorporated into laminated structures comprising dye-impregnated layers or as composites with dye-impregnated microparticles.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a dielectric coating can be applied which is partially reflective in the ultraviolet and blue spectral region and antireflective at longer wavelengths. Methods for designing suitable dielectric optical filters are outlined in textbooks such as Angus McLeod, Thin Film Optical Filters (McGraw-Hill: NY) 1989 . An exemplary transmission spectrum of a six-layer stack of _SiO2 and _ZrO2 according to the present invention is shown in Fig. 37. Referring again to Table I, it can be seen that this optical filter blocks phototoxic blue light and ultraviolet light while reducing dark illuminance by less than 5% and bright illuminance by less than 3%.

Although many conventional blue-light blocking technologies attempt to suppress as much blue light as possible, existing research suggests that suppressing relatively small amounts of blue light may be desirable in many applications. For example, to prevent undesirable effects on scotopic vision, it may be desirable that the ophthalmic systems of the present invention suppress only about 30% of blue (i.e., 380-500 nm) wavelength light, or more preferably only about 20% of blue light, more preferably About 10%, more preferably about 5%. It is believed that by inhibiting as little as 5 percent of blue light, cell death can be reduced, with little or no effect on scotopic vision and/or circadian behavior in people using the system.

As used herein, films of the invention that selectively inhibit blue light are described as inhibiting the amount of light measured relative to the substrate system comprising the film. For example, ophthalmic systems may use polycarbonate or other similar lens substrates. Materials commonly used for such substrates may suppress light at visible wavelengths in varying amounts. If the blue light blocking film of the present invention is added to the system, it can selectively suppress 5%, 10%, 20% of all blue light wavelengths, measured relative to the amount of transmission of light of the same wavelength in the absence of the film. %, 30%, 40% and/or 50%.

The methods and devices disclosed herein minimize and preferably eliminate color perception shifts caused by blue light blocking. Colors perceived by the human visual system result from the neural processing of light signals falling on retinal pigments with distinct spectral response characteristics. To describe color perception arithmetically, a color space is constructed by integrating the product of the three wavelength-dependent color matching functions with the spectral irradiance. The result is three numerical values that characterize the perceived color. The uniform (L ^* , a ^* , b ^* ) color space established by the Commission Internationale de L'eclairage (CIE) can be used to characterize perceived color, but similar calculations based on other color standards are familiar to those skilled in color science and can also be used . The (L ^* , a ^* , b ^* ) color space specifies lightness on the L ^* axis and color in the plane delimited by the a ^* and b ^* axes. A homogeneous color space defined by such CIE standards may be preferred for computational and comparative purposes because the Cartesian distance of this space is proportional to the magnitude of the perceived color difference between two objects. The use of uniform color spaces is recognized in the art, as described in Wyszecki and Stiles, Color Science: Concepts and Methods, Quantitative Data and Formulae (Wiley: New York) 1982 .

Optical designs according to the methods and systems described herein can use a spectral palette that describes the visual environment. A non-limiting example of this is the Munsell matte palette, which consists of 1,269 color tiles that have been determined by psychophysical experiments to be just perceptibly different from each other. The spectral irradiance of these patches is measured under standard lighting conditions. The array of color coordinates in the (L ^* , a ^* , b ^* ) color space corresponding to each of these patches illuminated by the D65 daylight source is a reference for color distortion and is shown in FIG. 38 . The spectral irradiance of the patch is then adjusted by a blue-blocking filter and a new set of color coordinates is calculated. The perceived color offset of each color block corresponds to the geometric displacement of (L ^* , a ^* , b ^* ) coordinates. This calculation has been used for Pratt's blue blocking filter, where the average color distortion is 41 just noticeable difference (JND) units in (L ^* , a ^* , b ^* ) space. The minimum distortion caused by the Pratt filter is 19 JND, the maximum distortion is 66, and the standard deviation is 7 JND. The color shift histograms for all 1,269 color patches are shown in Figure 39A (top).

Referring now to FIG. 39B, the color shift caused by the Mainster blue blocking filter had a minimum value of 6, an average value of 19, a maximum value of 34, and a standard deviation of 6 JND.

As shown in Table II, embodiments of the invention using two concentrations of perylene dye or the reflective filter described above can have a color shift that is significantly smaller than conventional fixtures, whether measured as average, minimum, or maximum distortion. Figure 40 shows a histogram of the color shift of a perylene dyed substrate according to the invention, the transmission spectrum of which is shown in Figure 35. Significantly, the movement across all patches was observed to be significantly smaller and narrower than the conventional apparatus described by Mainster, Pratt et al. For example, simulation results show (L ^* , a ^* , b ^* ) shifts as low as 12 and 20 JND for films of the invention, with an average shift as low as 7-12 JND over all patches.

Table II

refer to picture Avg.δ(L ^* , a ^* , b ^* ) Min.δ(L ^* , a ^* , b ^* ) Max.δ(L ^* , a ^* , b ^* ) Standard deviation δ(L ^* , a ^* , b ^* ) Pratt 41 19 66 12 Mainster 19 6 34 6 The system of the present invention 35 7 2 12 2 The system of the present invention 36 12 4 20 3 The system of the present invention 37 7 2 12 2

In one embodiment, a combination of reflective and absorbing elements can filter harmful blue light photons while maintaining relatively high light transmission. This allows the system of the present invention to avoid or reduce pupil dilation, protect or prevent impairment of night vision, and reduce color distortion. An example of this approach combines the dielectric stack shown in FIG. 37 with the perylene dye of FIG. 35 to produce the transmission spectrum shown in FIG. 41 . The fixture was observed to have a bright light transmission of 97.5%, a dark light transmission of 93.2%, and an average color shift of 11 JND. A histogram summarizing the color distortion (for the Munsell patch) of this fixture in daylight is shown in FIG. 42 .

In another embodiment, the optical filter is external to the eye, such as spectacle lenses, goggles, viewfinders, or the like. When using conventional filters, the color of the wearer's face as seen by an outside observer may be tinted by the lens, ie the face color or skin tone is often altered by blue light blocking lenses when viewed by another person. This yellow discoloration accompanied by blue light absorption is generally cosmetically undesirable. The procedure for minimizing this color shift is the same as described above for the Munsell patch, substituting the reflectance of the wearer's skin for those of the Munsell patch. Skin color is a function of pigmentation, blood flow and lighting conditions. Representative series of skin reflectance spectra for subjects of different ethnicities are shown in Figures 43A-B. Exemplary skin reflectance spectra for Caucasians are shown in FIG. 44 . The (L ^* , a ^* , b ^* ) color coordinates of the skin in daylight (D65) lighting are (67.1, 18.9, 13.7). Insertion of the Pratt blue blocking filter changed these color coordinates to (38.9, 17.2, 44.0), a shift of 69 JND units. The Mainster blue blocking filter shifts the color coordinates by 17 JND units to (62.9, 13.1, 29.3). By comparison, the perylene filter described herein causes a color shift of only 6 JND or 1/3 of the Mainster filter. A summary of the cosmetic color shift of exemplary Caucasian skin under daylight illumination using various blue light blocking filters is shown in Table III. The data shown in Table I were normalized to remove any influence due to the substrate material.

table 3

refer to picture L ^* a ^* b ^* δ(L ^* , a ^* , b ^* ) skin 14-15 67 19 14 0 Pratt 39 17 44 69 Mainster 63 13 29 17 The system of the present invention 35 67 17 19 6 The system of the present invention 36 67 15 twenty three 10 The system of the present invention 37 67 17 19 6

In one embodiment, the light source can be filtered to reduce, but not eliminate, the flux of blue light reaching the retina. This can be achieved with an absorptive or reflective element between the field of view and the light source using the principles described herein. For example, a building window can be covered with a perylene-containing film to match the transmission spectrum of the window to that shown in FIG. 35 . Such filters generally do not cause pupil dilation compared to uncoated windows, nor do they cause a perceivable color shift when outside sunlight passes through them. The blue light filter of the present invention can be used on artificial light sources (such as fluorescent lamps, incandescent lamps, arc lamps, flash lamps, and diode lamps), displays, and the like.

A variety of materials can be used to make the films of the invention. Two such exemplary materials are polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyvinyl butyral (PVB). In the case of PVA film, it can be prepared by partial or complete hydrolysis of polyvinyl acetate to remove acetate groups. PVA films may be desirable due to beneficial film-forming, emulsifying, and adhesive properties. In addition, PVA films have high tensile strength, flexibility, high temperature stability and provide excellent oxygen barrier.

PVB films can be prepared by the reaction of polyvinyl alcohol in butyraldehyde. PVB may be suitable for applications requiring high strength, optical clarity, flexibility and toughness. PVB also has excellent film formation and adhesion.

PVA, PVB and other suitable films can be extruded, cast from solution, spin-coated and cured, or dip-coated and cured. Other manufacturing methods known in the art may also be used. There are several ways of incorporating the dyes required to produce the desired spectral properties of the film. Exemplary dye incorporation methods include vapor deposition, chemical crosslinking within the film, dissolution within small polymeric microspheres and then incorporation into the film. Suitable dyes are commercially available from companies including Keystone, BPI & Phantom.

Most tinting of eyeglass lenses is done after the lenses have shipped from the manufacturer. Therefore, it may be desirable to incorporate blue light absorbing dyes during the manufacturing process of the lenses themselves. In order to do this, filtering and color balancing dyes can be incorporated into the hard coat and/or an associated base coat which promotes adhesion of the hard coat to the lens material. For example, a base coat and an adjacent hard coat are typically added at the end of the manufacturing process to the top of an ophthalmic lens or other ophthalmic system to provide additional durability and scratch resistance to the final product. The hard coat is usually the outermost layer of the system and can be on the front, back or both front and back of the system.

FIG. 47 shows an exemplary system with a hard coat 4703 and its adjoining adhesion promoting primer coat 4702. Exemplary hardcoats and adhesion promoting primers are available from manufacturers such as Tokuyama, UltraOptics, SDC, PPG and LTI.

In the systems of the present invention, both blue blocking dyes and color balancing dyes can be included in the base coat 1802 . Both blue blocking and color balancing dyes may also be included in the hard coat 1803. Dyes need not be included in the same coat. For example, a blue blocking dye may be included in the hard coat layer 1803 and a color balancing dye included in the base coat layer 1802 . A color balancing dye may be included in the hard coat layer 1803 and a blue blocking dye in the base coat layer 1802 .

Basecoats and hardcoats according to the present invention may be deposited using methods known in the art, including spin coating, dip coating, spray coating, evaporation, sputtering and chemical vapor deposition. The blue blocking and/or color balancing dyes to be included in each layer may be deposited simultaneously with the layer, as in the case of dissolving the dyes in the liquid paint and applying the resulting mixture to the system. The dye may also be deposited in a separate process or sub-process, as in the case of spraying the dye onto the surface prior to curing or drying or application of the coating.

A hardcoat and/or primer can function and achieve the benefits described herein for the film. Specifically, the coating can selectively suppress blue light while maintaining desirable levels of photopic vision, scotopic vision, circadian rhythm, and phototoxicity. The hardcoats and/or basecoats described herein may also be used in any and various combinations in ophthalmic systems comprising the films described herein. As a specific example, an ophthalmic system may include a film that selectively inhibits blue light and a hard coat that provides color correction.

The selective filters of the present invention can also provide enhanced contrast sensitivity. Such a system is used to selectively filter harmful invisible and visible light with minimal impact on photopic vision, scotopic vision, color vision and/or circadian rhythm, while maintaining acceptable or even improved contrast sensitivity. The invention can be designed so that in some embodiments the final residual color of the device to which the selective filter is applied is substantially colorless, while in other embodiments where a substantially transparent residual color is not required, the residual color can be Yellowish. Preferably, the yellow color of the selective filter is not offensive to the wearer. Yellowness can be quantitatively measured using a yellowness index, such as ASTM E313-05. Preferably, the selective filter has a yellowness index no greater than 50, 40, 35, 30, 25, 23, 20, 15, 10, 9, 7 or 5.

The present invention may include selective light wavelength filtering embodiments such as: windows, car windshields, light bulbs, flash bulbs, fluorescent lights, LED lights, televisions, computer monitors, and the like. Any light striking the retina can be selectively filtered by the present invention. By way of example only, films comprising selective filtration of dyes or pigments, dye or pigment components added after substrate fabrication, dye components integrated with the manufacture or formulation of the substrate material, synthetic or non-synthetic pigments (e.g., melanin, foliage flavin or zeaxanthin), selective filter dyes or pigments provided as visible colorants (with one or more colors) such as in contact lenses, in ophthalmic scratch-resistant coatings (hard coats) Selective Filtering Dyes or Pigments Provided, Selective Filtering Dyes or Pigments Provided in Ophthalmic Antireflection Coatings, Selective Light Wavelength Filtering Dyes or Pigments Provided in Hydrophobic Coatings, Interference Filters, Selective Optical Wavelength filters, selective light wavelength filtering dyes or pigments provided in photochromic lenses, or selective light wavelength filtering dyes or pigments provided in the matrix of a light bulb or tube can implement the invention. It should be noted that the present invention contemplates optical wavelength filters that filter out a specific range of wavelengths or multiple specific ranges of wavelengths, but by no means filter out wavelengths that are evenly distributed throughout the visible spectrum.

A person skilled in the art will readily know how to provide a substrate material with a selective optical wavelength filter. By way of example only, the selective filter can be imbibed, injected, impregnated, added to the base material, added to the resin prior to polymerization, layered within the optical lens with a film containing a selective filter dye or pigment.

The present invention may employ suitable concentrations of dyes and/or pigments, by way of example only, perylene, porphyrin or their derivatives. Refer to FIG. 48 to see different concentrations of perylene and the functional ability to block light wavelengths around 430 nanometers. The level of transmission can be controlled by dye concentration. Other dye chemistries can tune the absorption peak position.

Perylene at the appropriate concentration level provides a balance of photopic, scotopic, circadian, and phototoxicity ratios while maintaining an essentially colorless appearance:

Table V

refer to Photopic Ratio-V _λ (%) Scotopic vision ratio-V′ _λ (%) Phototoxicity Ratio (B _λ )(%) Circadian rhythm ratio (M′ _λ ) (%) unfiltered 100 100 100 100 Polycarbonate - Undyed 88 87 86 74 Pratt 28 16 4 7 Mainster 86 78 39 46 Mainster (-20nm mobile) 86 83 63 56 Mainster (+20nm mobile) 84 68 15 32 HPOO Dye (2x) 88 81 50 62 HPOO Dye (x) 88 84 64 63 HPOO Dye (x/2) 87 84 72 66 HPOO Dye (x/4) 89 87 79 71

An increase in contrast sensitivity was observed when using appropriate concentrations of perylene. See Example 2, Table VI. It should be noted that by way of example only, perylene based dyes or pigments are used to carry out the invention. When such a dye is used, depending on the embodiment or use, the dye may be formulated so that it is molecularly or chemically bound to the substrate or coating applied to the substrate such that the dye does not leach. By way of example only, it is used in contact lenses, IOLs, corneal inlays, corneal onlays, and the like.

As science finds other visible wavelengths to be harmful, selective filters can be combined to block other wavelengths of interest.

In one embodiment of the invention, the contact lens comprises a perylene dye formulated so that it does not leach from the contact lens material. The dye is further formulated to provide a yellow hue. This yellow tint gives contact lenses a tint that is easy for the wearer to handle. Perylene dyes or pigments further provide selective filtration as shown in FIG. 48 . This filtering provides retinal protection and increased contrast sensitivity without compromising a person's photopic, scotopic, color vision, or circadian rhythms in any meaningful way.

In the case of a contact lens embodiment of the invention, a dye or pigment may be incorporated into the contact lens, such as by absorption, so that it is located 10 mm diameter or less in the center of the contact lens, preferably 6 mm in the center of the contact lens. - Within a circle of 8mm diameter which coincides with the wearer's pupil. In such embodiments, the concentration of the dye or pigment that provides selective wavelength filtering of light is increased to a level that provides the wearer with increased contrast sensitivity (compared to when not wearing a contact lens), and does not in any meaningful way. Ways to affect human photopic vision, dark vision, color vision or circadian rhythm (one, more or all).

Preferably, the increase in contrast sensitivity is evidenced by an increase in the user's Functional Acuity Contrast Test (FACT) score of at least about 0.1, 0.25, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1, 1.25, 1.4, or 1.5. With respect to the wearer's photopic vision, scotopic vision, color vision and/or circadian rhythm, the ophthalmic system preferably maintains one or all of these properties at 15%, 10%, 5% of the characteristic levels without the ophthalmic system or within 1%.

In another embodiment of the invention employing a contact lens, a dye or pigment is provided which causes a yellow tint within the central 5-7 mm diameter of the contact lens and wherein a second tint is added peripherally to the central tint. In such an embodiment, the concentration of dye that provides selective light wavelength filtering is increased to provide the wearer with excellent contrast sensitivity without compromising the wearer's photopic, scotopic, chromatic or diurnal vision in any meaningful way. Rhythm (one, multiple or all) level.

In another embodiment of the invention employing a contact lens, the dye or pigment is provided so as to be located within approximately the entire diameter of the contact lens from one edge to the other. In such an embodiment, the concentration of dye that provides selective light wavelength filtering is increased to provide the wearer with excellent contrast sensitivity without compromising the wearer's photopic, scotopic, chromatic or diurnal vision in any meaningful way. Rhythm (one, multiple or all) level.

When using various embodiments of the present invention in or on human or animal tissue, the dye is formulated to be chemically bound to the embedding substrate material, thereby ensuring that it does not leach into the surrounding corneal tissue. Methods of providing chemical hooks that enable this combination are well known in the chemical and polymer industries.

In another embodiment of the invention, the intraocular lens includes a selective optical wavelength filter which has a yellowish tinge and further provides the wearer with improved contrast sensitivity without compromising the wearer's photopic vision in any meaningful way , scotopic vision, color vision, or circadian rhythm (one, multiple, or all). When the selective filter is used on or in an intraocular lens, the dye or pigment content can be increased beyond that of ophthalmic lenses, since the cosmetic properties of the intraocular lens cannot be seen by a person observing the wearer. This enables the ability to increase dye or pigment concentration and provide higher levels of improved contrast sensitivity without compromising the wearer's photopic, scotopic, color vision or circadian rhythm (one, more) in any meaningful way. item or all).

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, an ophthalmic lens includes a selective optical wavelength filter comprising a perylene-containing dye, wherein the dye is formulated to provide an ophthalmic lens having a substantially colorless appearance. Furthermore, it provides the wearer with improved contrast sensitivity without compromising (one, more or all) of the wearer's photopic vision, scotopic vision, color vision or circadian rhythm in any meaningful way. In this particular embodiment of the invention, the dye or pigment is incorporated into a film located in or on the surface of the ophthalmic lens.

Example

Example 1 : Polycarbonate lenses with an integral film containing various concentrations of blue-blocking dyes were fabricated and the transmission spectrum of each lens was measured as shown in FIG. 45 . Perylene concentrations of 35, 15, 7.6 and 3.8 ppm (weight basis) at a 2.2 mm lens thickness were used. The various metrics calculated for each lens are shown in Table IV, with reference to corresponding reference numerals in FIG. 45 . Since the selective absorbance of light depends primarily on the dye concentration multiplied by the coating thickness according to Beer's law, it is believed that comparable results can be achieved using hardcoats and/or primers with or in place of the film.

Table IV

lens Reference signs Photopic ratio (V _λ ) Scotopic vision ratio (V′ _λ ) Circadian ratio (M′ _λ ) Phototoxicity Ratio (B _λ ) Unfiltered light (no lens) 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Polycarbonate lenses (no dye) 4510 87.5% 87.1% 74.2% 85.5% 3.8ppm (2.2mm) 4520 88.6% 86.9% 71.0% 78.8% 7.6ppm (2.2mm) 4530 87.0% 84.1% 65.9% 71.1% 15ppm (2.2mm) 4540 88.3% 83.8% 63.3% 63.5% 35ppm (2.2mm) 4550 87.7% 80.9% 61.5% 50.2%

Except for the 35 ppm tinted lenses, all lenses described in Table IV and Figure 45 included UV dyes commonly used in ophthalmic lens systems to suppress UV wavelengths below 380 nanometers. The photopic ratio describes normal vision and is calculated as the integral of the filter transmission spectrum and Vλ (photopic sensitivity) divided by the integral of unfiltered light with this same sensitivity curve. The scotopic ratio describes vision under dim lighting conditions and is calculated as the integral of the filter transmission spectrum and V'λ (scotopic sensitivity) divided by the integral of unfiltered light with this same sensitivity curve. The circadian ratio describes the effect of light on the circadian rhythm and is calculated as the integral of the filter transmission spectrum and M'λ (melatonin suppression sensitivity) divided by the integral of unfiltered light with this same sensitivity curve. The phototoxicity ratio describes eye damage caused by high-energy light exposure and is calculated as the integral of filter transmission and Bλ (phakic UV-blue light phototoxicity) divided by the integral of unfiltered light with this same sensitivity curve. The response function used to calculate these values corresponds to Mainster and Sparrow, "How Much Blue Light Should an IOL Transmit?" Br.J.Ophthalmo1., 2003, Vol. UV Radiation and Violet but not Blue Light, "Arch.Ophthalmol, Vol. 123, p. 550 (2005) and Mainster, "Violet and Blue Light Blocking Intraocular Lenses: Photoprotection vs. Photoreception", Br.J.Ophthalmol, 2006, p. Vol. 90, those disclosed in pp. 784-92. For some applications, different phototoxicity curves are appropriate, but the calculation method is the same. For example, for intraocular lens (IOL) applications, an aphakic phototoxicity curve should be used. In addition, novel phototoxicity curves may be applicable as the understanding of phototoxicity photomechanisms improves.

As shown by the above exemplary data, the system of the present invention can selectively suppress blue light, especially light in the 400nm-460nm region, while still providing photopic light transmission of at least about 85% and less than about 80%, more preferably less than A phototoxicity ratio of about 70%, more preferably less than about 60%, more preferably less than about 50%. As noted above, photopic light transmission of up to 95% or greater can also be achieved using the techniques described herein.

The principles described herein can be applied to a variety of light sources, filters, and skin tones, with the goal of filtering a certain portion of phototoxic blue light while reducing pupil dilation, scotopic sensitivity, color distortion through ophthalmic equipment, and loss of The observer's perspective of the human face of the device sees the cosmetic color of the external eye device.

Several embodiments of the invention are specifically illustrated and/or described herein. However, it is to be realized that modifications and variations of the present invention are encompassed within the teachings above and the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and intended scope of the present invention. For example, although the methods and systems described herein have been described using examples of specific dyes, dielectric optical filters, skin tones, and light sources, it is to be understood that alternative dyes, filters, skin colors, and light sources may be used.

Example 2: 9 patients were tested for contrast sensitivity using 1X and 2X dye concentrations with clear filters as controls. Seven of nine patients showed overall improved contrast sensitivity according to the Functional Visual Contrast Sensitivity Test (FACT). See Table VI:

Claims (17)

1. the eye system that comprises the eye lens that is selected from lens, contact lens, intraocular lens, corneal inlay, cornea coverture, corneal graft and cornea tissue, wherein said eye lens comprises the selective light wavelength light filter, and wherein said selective filter improves contrast sensitivity.

2. the eye of claim 1 use system, and wherein one or more in photopic vision, noctovision, color vision and the circadian rhythm are compared change and are no more than 15% with the system that does not contain this selective filter.

3. the eye of claim 1 is used system, and wherein this selective filter comprises at least a in dyestuff and the pigment.

4. the eye of claim 3 is used system, and wherein this selective filter comprises one or more: perylenes, porphyrin, cumarin, acridine and the derivant thereof in following.

5. the eye of claim 4 is used system, wherein this selective filter Bao Han perylene or derivatives thereof.

6. the eye of claim 4 is used system, and wherein this selective filter comprises porphyrin.

7. the eye of claim 3 use system, and wherein this selective filter comprises and synthesizes or non-synthetic dyestuff.

8. the eye of claim 7 is used system, and wherein this selective filter comprises at least a in following: melanin, xenthophylls and luteole.

9. the eye of claim 1 is used system, and wherein this selective filter is a film.

10. the eye of claim 1 is used system, and wherein this selective filter is the scratch resistance coating.

11. the eye of claim 1 is used system, wherein this selective filter is the visible colorant in the contact lens.

12. the eye of claim 11 is used system, wherein this visible colorant has more than a kind of color.

13. the eye of claim 1 is used system, wherein this selective filter is an antireflection coatings.

14. the eye of claim 1 is used system, wherein this selective filter is a hydrophobic coating.

15. the eye of claim 1 is used system, wherein this selective filter comprises photochromic material.

16. comprise the eyeglass of the selective light wavelength light filter that is positioned at the center, wherein said eyeglass can improve contrast sensitivity.

17. the eyeglass of claim 16, wherein this eyeglass is selected from contact lens, intraocular lens, corneal inlay, cornea coverture and corneal graft.

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