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  Method and apparatus for correcting vision using an electro-active phoropterUSPTO Application #: 20070242224Title: Method and apparatus for correcting vision using an electro-active phoropter Abstract: An electro-active phoropter and a method of using the electro-active phoropter to measure a patient's vision prescription is disclosed. The electro-active phoropter includes a series of individually addressable electro-active lenses. The lenses have either a positive or negative optical power when an electrical potential is applied across the lens and a neutral optical power when no electrical potential is applied across the lens. Each lens provides an optical power that is part of a net optical power of the series of lenses when a patient views through the phoropter. The optical power of the phoropter can be incrementally adjusted by changing the distribution of the electrical potential across the different lenses of the series to provide increasing or decreasing optical power until a patient achieves a desired level of clarity and a vision prescription has been determined. (end of abstract) Agent: Pearl Cohen Zedek Latzer, LLP - New York, NY, US Inventors: Ronald D. Blum, William Kokonaski, Dwight P. Duston USPTO Applicaton #: 20070242224 - Class: 351233000 (USPTO) The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070242224. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/446,173, filed Feb. 6, 2003. The application is also a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/626,973, filed Jul. 25, 2003, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/602,013, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,619,799, filed Jun. 23, 2000 which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Nos. 60/142,053, filed 2 Jul. 1999; 60/143,626, filed 14 Jul. 1999; 60/147,813, filed 10 Aug. 1999; 60/150,545, filed 25 Aug. 1999; 60/150,564, filed 25 Aug. 1999; and 60/161,363, filed 26 Oct. 1999. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to the field of vision collection, and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for collecting vision using an electro-active phoropter SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0003] A system and method for determining a vision prescription using an electro-active phoropter is disclosed. The inventive electro-active phoropter for determining a vision prescription comprises individually addressable electro-active lenses in series and a power source connected to each of the electro-active lenses to apply an electric potential across each electro-active lens and create a positive, negative, or neutral optical power in each electro-active lens. [0004] A method for determining a vision prescription using an electro-active phoropter is also disclosed. The method uses an electro-active phoropter comprising individually addressable electro-active lenses in series and a power source connected to each of the electro-active lenses to individually create one of a positive, negative, or neutral optical power in each electro-active lens The method comprises providing electrical power to at least one electro-active lens to produce a net optical power in the series of electro-active lenses other than 0 diopters, individually varying the electrical power to each of the electro-active lenses to create an incremental change of net optical power to a patient's eyes until a desired level of vision correction is achieved, and recording the vision prescription that corresponds to the net optical power of the series of lenses at the desired level of vision collection. It should be appreciated, that in some cases, the appropriate optical power could be zero diopters. [0005] Aspects of the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof as shown in the appended drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0006] FIG. 1 illustrates electro-active eyeglasses in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention. [0007] FIG. 2 illustrates an electro-active phoropter in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the invention. [0008] FIG. 3 illustrates a series of lenses of an electro-active phoropter in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention. [0009] FIG. 4 illustrates a series of lenses of an electro-active phoropter in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the invention, [0010] FIGS. 5a and 5b illustrate a fixed pattern pixelated electro-active lens for use in exemplary embodiments of the invention. [0011] FIG. 6 illustrates a series of lenses of an electro-active phoropter in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention including a finely-pixelated and fixed pattern pixelated electro-active lenses [0012] FIG. 7 is a series of finely-pixelated lenses of a phoropter in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention. [0013] FIG. 8 is a fixed pattern pixelated electro-active lens for the correction of astigmatic error in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention. [0014] FIGS. 9a and 9b illustrate a finely-pixelated electro-active lens for the connection of astigmatic error in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention. [0015] FIG. 10a illustrates the spatial voltage profile for a diverging pixelated electro-active lens [0016] FIG. 10b illustrates the spatial voltage profile for a converging pixelated electro-active lens. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS [0017] Conventional devices for determining vision prescriptions typically involve a mechanical phoropter that uses lenses of different spherical and cylindrical powers that are mechanically or electron mechanically moved in front of a patient's eye by an optometrist or other eye care professional. The various lenses of the phoropter may be flipped or rotated in front of the patient's eye while the patient looks through the lenses at an eye chart. A vision prescription may then be determined for the patient based on the optical power of the lenses that give the patient satisfactory and appropriate vision correction for each eye. [0018] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are directed to an electro-active phoropter and its use for determining a patient's vision prescription. By "phoropter" is meant any ophthalmic instrument for measuring and correcting an individual's vision, including devices known as refractors, for example. The phoropter comprises electro-active lenses in series. Each electro-active lens is individually addressable so that each electro-active lens may have an optical power independent of the other lenses in the series. The optical power of each lens may be a positive, negative or no (neutral) optical power. The optical power is individually varied in each electro-active lens by an electrical potential created across that particular electro-active lens. The phoropter also comprises a power source that is connected to electro-active lenses to create the electrical potential across the various electro-active lenses. [0019] The electro-active lenses contain an electro-active material that can be used to vary the optical power of the lens. Electro-active material includes materials with a modifiable index of refraction, such as nematic liquid crystals for example, that orient in a particular manner when an electrical potential is applied to them. When an electrical potential is applied across the area of a lens that contains the electro-active material, the change in orientation creates a change in the material's index of refraction and correspondingly, creates a change in the optical power of the lens. Continue reading... Full patent description for Method and apparatus for correcting vision using an electro-active phoropter Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Method and apparatus for correcting vision using an electro-active phoropter patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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