Device for contact lens application assistance
A system and method for assisting the application of a contact lens to a wearer's eye includes a contact lens support having a viewing tube and a light transmitting tube. A first end of the light transmitting tube is positioned proximate a distal end of the viewing tube, while a second end is exposed to a light source. Light from the source is transmitted through the tube to create a lit fixation target at the first end, ensuring proper gaze alignment during lens application. In one embodiment, the light transmitting tube is a fiber optic shaped to convey ambient room light, with perpendicular local optical axes at its ends. In another embodiment, a passive radioluminescent source, such as tritium gas exciting a phosphorescent material, provides power-independent illumination. The recessed target generates a parallax effect, restricting visibility to a narrow angle for precise gaze alignment and lens placement.
1 . A contact lens application assistance device configured to assist a contact lens wearer in applying a contact lens onto their eye, comprising:
a light transmitting fiber optic having a first straight section aligned along a first local axis and a second straight section aligned along a second local axis and wherein said first local axis and said second local axis are perpendicular to each other;
a vented scleral cup situated at a first end of said first straight section of said light transmitting fiber optic, said vented scleral cup having a hollow viewing tube that allows light to pass through it;
an optical entrance aperture situated at a first end of said second straight section;
a functional connection between a second end of said second straight section and a second end of said first straight section such that light entering said optical entrance aperture is transmitted through said light transmitting fiber optic to said first end of said first transmitting section, thereby forming a lit fixation target at a base of said vented scleral cup, and;
a major axis of said vented scleral cup is co-aligned with said first axis of said first straight section and, when in use, both are oriented vertically.
2 . The device of claim 1 wherein said light entering said optical entrance aperture comprises ambient room light.
3 . The device of claim 1 wherein said light entering said optical entrance aperture comprises light emitted from a radioluminescence powered source.
4 . The device of claim 3 wherein said radioluminescence powered source comprises a glass vial coated with a phosphorescent substance and containing a radioactive substance.
5 . The device of claim 4 wherein said phosphorescent substance is copper doped zinc sulfide and said radioactive substance is tritium gas.
6 . A method of assisting a wearer to apply a contact lens onto a lens wearer's eye, comprising:
providing a light transmitting fiber optic having a first straight section aligned along a first local axis and a second straight section aligned along a second local axis and wherein said first local axis and said second local axis are perpendicular to each other;
providing a vented scleral cup having a hollow viewing tube that allows light to pass through it;
situating said vented scleral cup at a first end of said first straight section of said light transmitting fiber optic;
providing an optical entrance aperture at a first end of said second straight section;
providing a functional connection between a second end of said second straight section and a second end of said first straight section such that light entering said optical entrance aperture is transmitted through said light transmitting fiber optic to said first end of said first transmitting section, thereby forming a lit fixation target at a base of said vented scleral cup;
co-aligning a major axis of said vented scleral cup with said first axis of said first straight section and orienting both of said axes vertically;
placing a contact lens on said vented scleral cup;
illuminating said optical entrance aperture, thereby forming said lit fixation target at said base of said vented scleral cup; and,
viewing, by a user, said lit fixation target, thereby transferring said contact lens to a surface of said user's eye.
7 . The method of claim 6 wherein said optical entrance aperture is illuminated using ambient room light.
8 . The method of claim 6 wherein said optical entrance aperture is illuminated by light emitted from a radioluminescence powered source.
9 . The method of claim 8 wherein said radioluminescence powered source comprises a glass vial coated with a phosphorescent substance and containing a radioactive substance.
10 . The method of claim 9 wherein said phosphorescent substance is copper doped zinc sulfide and said radioactive substance is tritium gas.