阅读说明：本技术 具有闪烁照明元件的用于减少阅读障碍影响的眼科装置 (Ophthalmic device with blinking illumination element for reducing the effects of reading disturbances ) 是由 N·拉维罗尼尔 G·吉瑞德特 于 2019-09-19 设计创作，主要内容包括：提出了一种用于减少配戴者(20)的阅读障碍影响的眼科装置(10),所述眼科装置包括：-镜架,旨在由所述配戴者(20)配戴,-联接到所述镜架的闪烁照明元件(14),所述闪烁照明元件包括至少一个光源,所述至少一个光源被配置为在所述配戴者的头部前方发射光,以便照亮所述配戴者(20)观察的介质(18),所述至少一个光源被配置为当所述闪烁照明元件(14)被激活时,以预定频率相继被打开和关闭。(An ophthalmic device (10) for reducing the reading disorder effect of a wearer (20) is proposed, comprising: -a frame intended to be worn by the wearer (20), -a flickering lighting element (14) coupled to the frame, the flickering lighting element comprising at least one light source configured to emit light in front of the head of the wearer so as to illuminate a medium (18) observed by the wearer (20), the at least one light source being configured to be turned on and off successively at a predetermined frequency when the flickering lighting element (14) is activated.)

1. An ophthalmic device (10) for reducing the reading disorder effect of a wearer (20), the ophthalmic device comprising:

a frame (12) intended to be worn by the wearer (20),

-a flickering lighting element (14) coupled to the frame (12), the flickering lighting element comprising at least one light source (16) configured to emit light in front of the head of the wearer so as to illuminate a medium (18) observed by the wearer (20), the at least one light source (16) being configured to be turned on and off successively at a predetermined frequency when the flickering lighting element (14) is activated.

2. The ophthalmic device (10) of claim 1, further comprising a selective activation member configured to selectively activate the flickering illumination element (14).

3. The ophthalmic device (10) of claim 2, wherein the selective activation member comprises at least one of:

-a switch provided to the frame (12) and configured to activate the flickering lighting element (14) as required.

-a control terminal configured to remotely activate the flashing lighting element (14).

4. The ophthalmic device (10) according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising automatic activation means comprising sensing means configured to detect a reading situation of the wearer (20) and to activate the blinking illumination element (14) when the reading situation is detected.

5. The ophthalmic device (10) according to claim 4, wherein said sensing means comprise one or more of an accelerometer, an eye tracking device, a gyroscope and a telemeter to detect movement or position of the wearer (20) representative of reading settings of the wearer (20).

6. An ophthalmic device (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the predetermined frequency is at least 50Hz, preferably at least 70 Hz.

7. The ophthalmic device (10) of claim 6, wherein the frame forms a frame (12) of eyeglasses and defines two apertures (22) configured to each receive a lens (24) therein, wherein the at least one light source (16) is disposed at an upper portion of the frame (12), between the two apertures (22), and/or at a periphery of one of the two apertures (22).

8. The ophthalmic device (10) according to claim 6 or 7, wherein said at least one light source (16) is configured to selectively provide different light emission spectra.

9. The ophthalmic device (10) of claim 8, further comprising a color selection switch comprising a plurality of positions, each position corresponding to a particular color of light emitted by the at least one light source (16).

10. The ophthalmic device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said flickering illumination element (14) is configured to focus light emitted by said at least one light source (16) towards a medium (18) observed by the wearer (20) by one of:

-a converging optic arranged in front of said at least one light source (16), or

-a poly-grating grid located in front of the at least one light source (16) to provide collimated light.

11. The ophthalmic device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising:

-two lenses (24) coupled to the frame (12) and configured to be each disposed in front of an eye of the wearer (20),

-a color filter (30) applied to one of the two lenses (24) and configured to absorb a specific light wavelength range.

12. The ophthalmic device (10) according to claim 11, wherein the color filter (30) is configured to absorb light having a wavelength between 390nm and 790nm, preferably between 390nm and 490 nm.

13. Ophthalmic device (10) according to claim 11 or 12, wherein said color filter (30) is applied only to a predetermined portion (32) of said lens (24) used by said wearer (20) in reading conditions.

14. The ophthalmic device (10) according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein said color filter (30) is configured to be selectively actuated.

15. A method of manufacturing an ophthalmic device (10) for reducing the effects of reading disturbances of a wearer,

-providing a frame (12) intended to be worn by the wearer (20),

-providing a flickering lighting element (14) comprising at least one light source (16) configured to emit light in front of the wearer's head so as to illuminate a medium (18) observed by the wearer (20), the at least one light source (16) being configured to be turned on and off successively at a predetermined frequency when the flickering lighting element (14) is activated,

-coupling the flickering lighting element (14) to the frame (12).

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an ophthalmic device for reducing the effects of reading disturbances. In particular, the present invention relates to an ophthalmic device with a blinking illumination element for reducing the effects of reading disturbances.

Background

Developmental reading disorders are defined as a difficulty in learning written language despite normal mental capacity, absence of psychosis or neurological disorders, socio-cultural environment with normal stimuli, and proper school education. This difficulty reflects a failure of the cognitive system responsible for reading. Despite normal motivation, reading disability affects 8% to 10% of school-age children and persists throughout an individual's lifetime. Developmental reading disorders must be distinguished from acquired reading disorders resulting from brain damage. Most people with reading disabilities often make the same mistake: they confuse morphologically similar letters (such as p and q, b and d) and make visual errors on the words. They have difficulty mastering the entire word and often overcome their recognition problems by guessing words rather than actually reading them. They also have difficulty with phonographic writing rules, particularly for complex sets of letters, which often result in them reversing letters and even syllables. Reading disorders are sometimes accompanied by other diseases, such as spoken language (language disorders), written language (writing disorders), short-term memory, motor coordination or also visual spatial processing disorders. It may also include computational disorders or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Therefore, reading disability must be considered a whole body learning disability.

Many ophthalmic devices, particularly eyeglasses, have been developed to help reading impaired wearers improve their reading skills. The most known technique consists in providing the spectacles worn by the wearer with ophthalmic lenses having colour filters. In particular, US 2010/060850 a1, US 5,440,359 or GB 2266786 a disclose color filters disposed on specific areas of an ophthalmic lens to treat reading disorders or reading complaints.

However, it has recently been observed that the cause of the reading disorder problem may be due to a lack of asymmetry between the two Maxwell centroids (one in each retina) of the subject (Le Floch A, Ropars G.,2017.Left-right asymmetry of the Maxwell spots centroids in additives with out and with dyslexia. [ Maxwell spot centroid Left-right asymmetry for adults who do not have and who have reading disorders ] Royal Proc. Rev. Acciatory Rev. B284: 20171380). The maxwell centroid is also known as the foveal center or the blue dark spot. The two maxwell centroids of healthy subjects have asymmetry. This asymmetry allows healthy subjects to have a dominant eye so that their brain processes only the images seen by the dominant eye when reading. The symmetry observed by subjects suffering from this reading disorder prevents the subject from developing the dominant eye and thus has a direct impact on the way the brain processes images perceived by both eyes simultaneously. Therefore, the brain cannot choose which image to process between the two eyes, resulting in confusion between mirror images like "b" and "d".

It has also been observed in this scientific publication that illuminating the medium with characters observed by the subject with a flashing light improves the reading skills of the subject. This flickering light is provided by a static and heavy-duty laboratory power controller configured for experimental trials. The laboratory power supply controller is expected to be stationary. In fact, such laboratory power controllers are cumbersome and difficult to move, so that it is difficult to consider routine and practical use.

Accordingly, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a portable ophthalmic apparatus capable of reducing the influence of reading disorder of a subject.

Disclosure of Invention

To solve this problem, the present invention provides an ophthalmic device for reducing the effect of reading disorders of a wearer, comprising:

a frame intended to be worn by the wearer,

-a flickering lighting element coupled to the frame, the flickering lighting element comprising at least one light source configured to emit light in front of the head of the wearer so as to illuminate a medium observed by the wearer, the at least one light source configured to be turned on and off successively at a predetermined frequency when the flickering lighting element is activated.

The wearable configuration of the ophthalmic device makes the device easy to handle and allows the subject to have a practical solution that is always available to reduce the effects of reading disabilities. Providing an ophthalmic device that is easy to transport and practical makes the ophthalmic device easier to use on a regular basis. Thus, the device may be used by the subject himself at home or under various conditions.

According to an embodiment of the ophthalmic device, the ophthalmic device further comprises a selective activation member configured to selectively activate the flickering illumination element.

According to an embodiment of the ophthalmic device, the selective activation member comprises at least one of:

-a switch provided to the frame and configured to activate the flickering lighting element on demand.

-a control terminal configured to remotely activate the flashing lighting element.

According to an embodiment of the ophthalmic device, the ophthalmic device further comprises automatic activation means comprising sensing means configured to detect a reading situation of the wearer and to activate the blinking illumination element when the reading situation is detected.

According to an embodiment of the ophthalmic device, the sensing means comprise one or more of an accelerometer, an eye tracking device, a gyroscope and a telemeter to detect the movement or position of the wearer representative of the wearer's reading settings.

According to an embodiment of the ophthalmic device, the predetermined frequency is at least 50Hz, preferably at least 70 Hz.

According to an embodiment of the ophthalmic device, the frame forms a frame of eyeglasses and defines two holes configured to each receive a lens therein, wherein the at least one light source is disposed at an upper portion of the frame, between the two holes and/or at a periphery of one of the two holes.

According to an embodiment of the ophthalmic device, the at least one light source is configured to selectively provide different light emission spectra.

According to an embodiment of the ophthalmic device, the ophthalmic device further comprises a color selection switch comprising a plurality of positions, each position corresponding to a specific color of light emitted by the at least one light source.

According to an embodiment of the ophthalmic device, the flickering illumination element is configured to focus light emitted by the at least one light source towards a medium observed by the wearer by one of:

-a converging optic disposed in front of the at least one light source, or

-a poly-grating grid located in front of the at least one light source to provide collimated light.

According to an embodiment of the ophthalmic device, the ophthalmic device further comprises:

-two lenses coupled to the frame and configured to be each disposed in front of an eye of the wearer,

-a color filter applied to one of the two lenses and configured to absorb a specific range of light wavelengths.

According to an embodiment of the ophthalmic device, the color filter is configured to absorb light having a wavelength between 390nm and 790nm, preferably between 390nm and 490 nm.

According to an embodiment of the ophthalmic device, the color filter is applied only to a predetermined portion of the lens used by the wearer in reading situations.

According to an embodiment of the ophthalmic device, the color filter is configured to be selectively actuated.

The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing an ophthalmic device for reducing the effects of reading disturbances of a wearer,

-providing a frame intended to be worn by the wearer,

-providing a flickering lighting element comprising at least one light source configured to emit light in front of the head of the wearer so as to illuminate a medium observed by the wearer, the at least one light source being configured to be turned on and off successively at a predetermined frequency when the flickering lighting element is activated

-coupling the flickering lighting element to the frame.

Drawings

The invention is described in more detail below by way of figures, which show preferred embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 1 schematically shows an ophthalmic device worn by a wearer in a reading situation, the ophthalmic device providing light to a medium read by the wearer.

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the ophthalmic device of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 and 4 schematically illustrate perspective elevation views of two other embodiments of the ophthalmic device of fig. 1.

Detailed Description

As shown in fig. 1, an ophthalmic device 10 for reducing the effects of reading disturbances of a wearer 20 is provided. In particular, the ophthalmic device 10 is configured to reduce the effect of a developmental reading disorder as defined above.

The ophthalmic device 10 includes a frame 12 intended to be worn by a wearer 20 and a flickering illumination element 14 coupled to the frame 12. The frame 12 is configured to be supported by the head of a wearer 20. In other words, the weight of the frame 12 is preferably fully supported by the head of the wearer. The frame 12 is preferably configured to be placed in front of the wearer's face.

The flashing lighting element 14 comprises a light source 16 configured to emit light in front of the head of the wearer. In particular, the light source 16 is configured to illuminate the medium 18 viewed by the wearer 20. In the preferred embodiment shown in fig. 1, the light source 16 is configured to emit light in the form of a cone 23 that converges from a base 24 located in the region of the medium 18 to the head of the wearer. In other words, the light source 16 is configured to fully illuminate an "a 4" page (21 × 29,7cm) located at a distance of at least 40cm in front of the eye of the wearer. Medium 18 is, for example, a book viewed by wearer 20. As an alternative to only one light source 16, the flashing lighting element 14 may comprise a plurality of light sources 16. In other words, the flashing lighting element 14 may comprise at least one light source 16. Light source 16 is preferably a Light Emitting Diode (LED).

The light source 16 is configured to be turned on and off sequentially at a predetermined frequency when the flashing lighting element is activated. In other words, the light source 16 is configured to provide scintillating light to the medium 18 at a predetermined frequency. The predetermined frequency is preferably at least 50Hz, most preferably at least 70 Hz. This flickering light emitted by the medium 18 as it is viewed by the wearer allows the wearer's reading skills to be improved by reducing the effects of reading disturbances. The ophthalmic apparatus 20 includes a controller (not shown) configured to sequentially turn the light source 16 on and off at a predetermined frequency. The controller can be formed by an electronic circuit coupled to the frame 12.

The light source 16 is preferably coupled to the frame 12 such that the direction of emitted light is dependent upon the orientation of the wearer's head. Thus, when the frame 12 is moved from the first orientation to the second orientation at the angle a, the direction of the emitted light is also moved from the first orientation to the second orientation at the same angle a. Thus, the flashing lighting element 10 can efficiently direct light emitted by the light source 16 without any manipulation by the wearer.

The light source 16 may be selected to have a predetermined light emission spectrum. Thus, a particular color may be selected for light emitted onto medium 18. Better color contrast of the characters written on medium 18 may be provided to improve the reading ability of the wearer. In particular, it allows the wearer to adapt the color contrast depending on the ambient brightness. Further, the light source 16 may be configured to selectively provide different light emission spectra. In other words, the color of light provided to the medium 18 may be varied to improve color contrast in real time. To this end, the ophthalmic device 10 may further comprise a color selection switch comprising a plurality of positions, each position corresponding to a particular color of light emitted by the light source 16. This color selection switch may be a slide button embedded in the frame 12, a single button that switches from one predefined color to another color each time it is pressed, or a remote control button.

To prevent scattering of the light emitted by the light source 16, the flicker lighting element 14 may comprise a converging optic arranged in front of said light source 16 for converging the light towards the medium 18. As an alternative to a converging optic, the flashing illumination element 14 may further comprise a light-converging grid in front of the light source for providing collimated light. This collimated light also allows to prevent scattering of the light emitted by the light source 16. Both solutions (converging lens and converging grid) allow focusing the light on the reading medium at a predetermined distance (preferably 20cm to 1 m). The average reading distance between the medium and the eyes is typically about 40cm for adults and about 30cm for children. This allows to prevent annoyance to external viewers while increasing the efficiency of the light source 16.

A preferred embodiment of the frame 12 is shown in fig. 2, wherein the frame 12 is in the form of a spectacle frame. In the preferred embodiment, the frame 12 includes a body 26 in which the two apertures 22 are formed. Each aperture 22 is configured to receive a lens 24 therein. In particular, the lens 24 is preferably an ophthalmic lens. By "ophthalmic lens" is meant a corrective or non-corrective lens adapted to be received within the aperture 22 of the frame 12. Each aperture 22 is positioned to face an eye of wearer 20 such that each lens 24 is disposed in front of the eye of wearer 20.

The frame 12 also includes two temples 28 that extend from the body 26 and are configured to each contact the side of the wearer's face. Each temple 28 preferably includes a recess configured to be received by an ear of wearer 20 to support frame 12.

The ophthalmic device 10 further includes a battery embedded in one of the temples 28 to power the light source 16. More generally, one or more batteries can be embedded in each temple 28 of the frame 12. The battery also powers the controller and all electronic components embedded in or coupled to the frame 12 (e.g., as sensing members and switches).

When the flicker lighting element 14 comprises a light source 16, it is preferably disposed in a central region of the frame 12. In particular, the light source 16 is preferably disposed in an upper portion of the frame 12 between the two apertures 22. In other words, the light source 16 is preferably disposed at an arch extending between the two apertures 22. When the flicker lighting element 14 includes at least two light sources 16, at least one light source 16 is disposed at a peripheral portion of the frame 12. Preferably, the light source 16 is arranged at the periphery of one of the two apertures 22. The peripheral portion preferably corresponds to the temporal side of the frame 12 at the end 29 of the temple 28. Thus, in configurations with two or more light sources 16, the ophthalmic device 10 preferably includes at least one light source 16 on each side of the wearer's face.

When the frame 12 is in the form of eyeglasses, the ophthalmic device 10 forms a portable and lightweight solution for reducing the effects of reading disturbances of the wearer 20. Furthermore, the ophthalmic device 10 allows for reduced reading impairment effects without changing the characteristics of the lens 24. Thus, reducing the effects of reading disturbances and correcting are achieved by separate and independent devices all provided on a single pair of eyeglasses. This allows all normal manufacturing steps (e.g., grinding and coating) to be performed on the lens 24, thereby providing a complete ophthalmic solution.

As an alternative to the preferred embodiment of fig. 2, the frame 12 can be any shape that allows the light source 16 to emit light to the medium 18 for viewing by the wearer 20.

The ophthalmic device 10 may further include a selective activation member (not shown) or activation switch configured to selectively activate the flickering illumination element 14. The selective activation member can include a switch provided to the frame 12. In this case, the flashing lighting element 14 may be activated by the wearer on demand. A switch is coupled to the frame 12 to enable the wearer to depress the switch to activate the flashing illumination elements 14. Thus, the switch provides closed activation of the light source 16.

The selective activation means may also comprise a control terminal configured to remotely activate the flashing lighting element 14. This control terminal may be a smartphone or a computer configured to remotely activate the light source 16 using a suitable mobile application or software.

The ophthalmic device 10 may further comprise automatic activation means comprising sensing means configured to detect a reading situation of the wearer. The automatic activation means are also configured to activate the blinking illumination element 14 when a reading situation is detected. For example, the sensing means may detect a posture or movement of the wearer representative of a reading situation. To enable such detection, the sensing means comprise one or more of an accelerometer, an eye tracking device, a gyroscope and a telemeter to detect movement or position of the wearer representative of the reading setting of the wearer 20. The eye tracking device may track the gaze direction of the wearer to determine reading situations by measuring the eye vergence and saccade patterns of lenses known to be relevant to reading or using specific areas (e.g. near vision point).

As shown in fig. 3, the ophthalmic device can further include two lenses 24 coupled to the frame 12 and a color filter 30 applied to one of the two lenses 24. The color filter 30 is configured to absorb a particular range of light wavelengths to help the brain of the wearer eliminate the lack of asymmetry between the two maxwell centroids by introducing a bias in the contrast perceived by the two eyes. The specific wavelength range is preferably between 390nm and 790nm, or more generally between 400nm and 800 nm.

This bias can be achieved by the absence of blue cone photoreceptors in the maxwell centroid. In this case, the color filter 30 is preferably designed to cut off light perceived by green and red cone cells remaining in the maxwell centroid. These green and red cone cells of normal eyes (i.e., healthy subjects without reading impairment) have absorption peaks of 533nm and 564nm, respectively. The absorption peak of the blue cone cells is 437 nm. Thus, the particular wavelength range is most preferably between 390nm and 490nm, or more typically between 400nm and 500nm, to accommodate the blue cone absorption spectrum. This most preferred range allows the color filter 30 to be set to have a half width of at most 50nm to prevent overlapping with green cones. Thus, such a blue cone absorption spectral filter disposed on one lens 24 allows the red and green light of the red and green cone photoreceptors, respectively, to be reduced, thereby creating an asymmetry in contrast between the two maxwell centroids of the wearer's eye.

The color filter 30 may be applied to an inner surface of the lens 24 intended to face the eye of the wearer 20, an outer surface of the lens opposite the inner surface, or both. The color filter 30 may be a thin film laminated to the lens 24.

To prevent distortion of color perception without reading, the color filters 30 may be configured to be selectively actuated. In other words, the color filter 30 may be activated only in a reading situation.

In the embodiment of fig. 3, the color filter 30 completely covers the surface of the lens 24. Alternatively, the color filter 30 may only partially cover the surface of the lens 24 to reduce overall color perception discomfort and cosmetic perception from the perspective of the viewer. When the color filter 30 partially covers the surface of the lens 24, the color filter 30 preferably covers at most 70%, most preferably at most 60% of the entire surface of the lens 24.

As shown in fig. 4, the color filter 30 may be disposed on the lens 24 only in a predetermined portion 32 of the lens 24. The predetermined portion is preferably the area that the eye explores while reading. In other words, predetermined portion 32 is selected to be the portion scanned by the visual axis of the wearer's eye when wearer 20 is in a reading condition. In particular, predetermined portion 32 is primarily positioned between the nose of wearer 20 and the optical center O of the eye. The predetermined portion 32 may correspond to a center point and near point of the lens 24. The predetermined portion 32 may also be measured more accurately to provide a customized solution by using known eye tracking devices to measure the zone of the lens 24 used by the wearer when gazing at reading. The advantage of this solution is that color filtering can be applied as desired and limited to the active area while maintaining both cosmetic and overall color perception.

According to the embodiment of fig. 4, the predetermined portion 32 comprises an upper portion 34 extending along at most 90%, preferably at most 80%, of the width of the lens 24 along the first lens axis X. The predetermined portion 32 further comprises a lower portion 36 extending along at most 40%, preferably at most 30%, of the width of the lens 24 along the first lens axis X. The predetermined portion 32 preferably extends along at most 90% of the height of the lens 24 along a second axis Y perpendicular to the first lens axis X.

The color filter 30 may also be applied to a customized portion of the lens depending on the individual's eye and head coordination during the reading task.

In the embodiment of fig. 4, the flicker lighting element 14 includes two light sources 16 disposed at a peripheral portion of the frame 12 (i.e., the ends 29 of the temples 28).

Furthermore, as an alternative to the color filter 30, a reduction in contrast perceived by one eye of the wearer may be obtained by introducing an Rx offset in one of the lenses 24. This will help the brain of the wearer to eliminate the lack of asymmetry between the two maxwell centroids. This shift in optical power may be 0.25 to 0.50 diopters. Preferably, the shift in optical power corresponds to a cylindrical lens shift of 0.25 to 0.50 diopters to reintroduce the asymmetry between the two maxwell centroids.

This offset can be achieved by adding an active system to the lens 24 that can produce additional optical power or additional cylinder in the predetermined portion 32. This additional optical system may be active and connected to a battery embedded in the frame 12. The system may also be connected to a switch so that it only works on demand (when reading) or may be coupled with a sensor (such as an accelerometer or eye tracking device) to detect the reading situation and only then power the system. The active optical system may be an active pad with liquid crystals. When activated, this active optical system may add about 0.50D of optical power or cylinder. This asymmetry, obtained by the shift in optical power, allows contrast to be provided without any filters on the lens 24, so that the ophthalmic device 10 has a more attractive appearance to the wearer 20.

The present invention also relates to a method of manufacturing an ophthalmic device 10 for reducing the effects of reading disturbances of a wearer. The method includes providing a frame 12 intended to be worn by a wearer 20 and a flashing illumination element 14. The flickering lighting element 14 comprises at least one light source 16 configured to emit light in front of the head of the wearer so as to illuminate a medium 18 observed by the wearer 20. The at least one light source 16 is configured to be sequentially turned on and off at a predetermined frequency when the flashing lighting element 14 is activated. The method further includes coupling the flickering illumination element 14 to the frame 12 to obtain the ophthalmic device 10.