IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,672,944
Granted Patent B2
US 11,672,944 · App. 16/800,951 · Granted Jun 13, 2023

Methods, systems, and apparatus for modulating or reducing photophobic responses

Inventors: Steven M. Blair (Salt Lake City, UT); Bradley Jay Katz (Salt Lake City, UT)
Assignee: UNIVERSITY OF UTAH RESEARCH FOUNDATION
A61M21/02A61N5/0618G02B5/22G02B5/285G02C7/104A61M2021/0044A61N2005/0663A61N2005/0667G02B5/289G02B2207/101
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,672,944
App. No.
16/800,951
Granted
Jun 13, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

An optical filter may reduce the frequency and/or severity of photophobic responses or for modulating circadian cycles by controlling light exposure to cells in the human eye in certain wavelengths, such as 480 nm and 590 nm, and a visual spectral response of the human eye. The optical filter may disrupt the isomerization of melanopsin in the human eye reducing the availability of the active isoform, whereas the attenuation of light weighted across the action potential spectrum of the active isoform attenuates the phototransduction cascade leading to photophobic responses. Embodiments of an optical filter are described. In one embodiment an optical filter may be configured to transmit less than a first amount of light in certain wavelengths, and to transmit more than a second amount of light weighted across the visual spectral response. Methods of use and methods of manufacturing optical filters are also described.

Claims (134)

1. An apparatus for reducing the frequency and/or severity of photophobic responses or for modulating circadian cycles by controlling exposure of cells in a retina, relative to a visible spectrum range of 400 nm to 700 nm, the apparatus comprising:

an optical filter configured to deliver:

at most a first dosage of light, averaged across wavelengths between about 565 nm and about 615 nm, said first dosage is D rec,590 ;

at most a second dosage of light, averaged across wavelengths between about 454 nm and about 506 nm, wherein said second dosage is D melan ; and

at least a third dosage of light, across wavelengths within a visible spectrum between about 506 nm and 565 nm, wherein said third dosage is D grn ;

wherein a ratio including said second dosage of light and said third dosage of light is defined as a figure of merit (FOM 1 ), the figure of merit being determined by:

FOM

1

=

1

-

D

melan

D

melan

(

T

=

1

)

1

-

D

grn

D

grn

(

T

=

1

)

where D melan (T=1) is said second dosage of light in the absence of an optical filter, and D grn (T=1) is said third dosage of light in the absence of an optical filter, wherein the figure of merit is at least 1.3,

wherein a ratio including said first dosage of light and said third dosage of light is defined as a figure of merit (FOM 2 ), the figure of merit being determined by:

FOM

2

=

1

-

D

rec

,

5

⁢

9

⁢

0

D

rec

,

5

⁢

9

⁢

0

(

T

=

1

)

1

-

D

grn

D

grn

(

T

=

1

)

where D rec,590 (T=1) is said first dosage of light in the absence of an optical filter, and D grn (T=1) is said third dosage of light in the absence of an optical filter, wherein the figure of merit is at least 1.3, and

wherein the filter has chromaticity coordinates of x=0.33±0.03 and y=0.33±0.03.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the figure of merits FOM 1 and FOM 2 are each at least 1.4.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the figure of merits FOM 1 and FOM 2 are each at least 1.5.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the optical filter includes at least one of a dielectric multi-layer coating, embedded nanoparticle coating, a color filter, tint, pigment, dye, resonant guided-mode filter, a rugate filter, or any combination thereof.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the value of T melan is 0.33, the value of Trec,590 is 0.33, and the value of T grn is 0.5.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the value of T melan is 0.25, the value of T rec,590 is 0.25, and the value of T grn is 0.5.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the filter has chromaticity coordinates of x=0.355 and y=0.348.

8. An apparatus for reducing the frequency and/or severity of photophobic responses or for modulating circadian cycles by controlling exposure of cells in a retina, relative to a visible spectrum range of 400 nm to 700 nm, the apparatus comprising:

an optical filter configured with:

a light transmission fraction, averaged across wavelengths between about 454 nm and about 506 nm, with a value less than an amount T melan ;

a light transmission fraction, averaged across wavelengths between about 565 nm and about 615 nm, with a value less than an amount T rec,590 ; and

a light transmission fraction, averaged across wavelengths within a visible spectrum between 506 nm and 565 nm, with a value greater than an amount T grn ;

wherein a first ratio including said light transmission fractions is defined as a first figure of merit (FOM 1 ), the first figure of merit being determined by:

FOM

1

=

1

-

T

melan

1

-

T

grn

wherein the first figure of merit of said optical filter is at least 1.3,

wherein a second ratio including said light transmission fractions is defined as a second figure of merit (FOM 2 ), the second figure of merit being determined by:

FOM

2

=

1

-

T

rec

,

5

⁢

9

⁢

0

1

-

T

grn

wherein the second figure of merit of said optical filter is at least 1.3, and

wherein the filter has chromaticity coordinates of x=0.33±0.03 and y=0.33±0.03.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the figure of merits FOM 1 and FOM 2 are each at least 1.4.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the figure of merits FOM 1 and FOM 2 are each at least 1.5.

11. An apparatus for reducing the frequency and/or severity of photophobic responses or for modulating circadian cycles by controlling exposure of cells in a retina, relative to a visible spectrum range of 400 nm to 700 nm, the apparatus comprising:

an optical filter configured with:

a light transmission fraction, averaged across wavelengths between about 454 nm and about 506 nm, with a value less than an amount T melan ;

a light transmission fraction, averaged across wavelengths between about 565 nm and about 615 nm, with a value less than an amount T rec,590 ;

a light transmission fraction, averaged across wavelengths within a visible spectrum between 506 nm and 565 nm, with a value greater than an amount T grn ;

wherein the value of T melan is less than the value of T grn and the value of T rec,590 is less than the value of T grn , and

wherein the filter has chromaticity coordinates of x=0.33±0.03 and y=0.33±0.03.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the value of T melan , is 0.215, the value of T rec,590 is 0.288, and the value of T grn is 0.544.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the figure of merit FOM 1 is equal to 1.72 and the figure of merit FOM 2 is equal to 1.5.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the filter has chromaticity coordinates of x=0.355 and y=0.348.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the value of T melan is 0.33, the value of T rec,590 is 0.33, and the value of T grn is 0.5.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the value of T melan is 0.25, the value of T rec,590 is 0.25, and the value of T grn is 0.5.

17. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the filter has chromaticity coordinates of x=0.355 and y=0.348.

18. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the value of T melan is 0.215, the value of T rec,590 is 0.288, and the value of T grn is 0.544.

19. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the value of T melan is 0.215, the value of T rec,590 is 0.209, and the value of T grn is 0.544.

20. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the figure of merit FOM 1 is equal to 1.72 and the figure of merit FOM 2 is equal to 1.5.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 21, 2023
From: BLAIR, STEVEN M.; KATZ, BRADLEY JAY
To: UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
Reel/Frame 063402/0117 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 21, 2023
From: UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
To: UNIVERSITY OF UTAH RESEARCH FOUNDATION
Reel/Frame 063402/0280 →
Continuity (7)
Continuation 16445085 · Jun 18, 2019
Continuation 15673264 · Aug 9, 2017
Continuation In Part 14338182 · Jul 22, 2014
Continuation In Part 14160374 · Jan 21, 2014
Continuation In Part 13979876
Provisional Application 61433344 · Jan 17, 2011
Related Publication 20200192011A1 · Jun 18, 2020