TITLE OF THE INVENTION

DECORATIVE VISION OCCLUDING PATCH, KIT AND METHOD

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention generally relates to an article for occluding a patient's vision for the treatment of a visual impairment. More specifically, but not exclusively, the present invention is concerned with a vision occluding patch adapted to be mounted to one lens of a patient's eyeglasses and bearing decorative indicia for improving an aesthetic aspect of the patch and promoting acceptance and use by the patient.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Certain visual impairments, such as amblyopia (lazy eye) and strabismus (crossed eyes), can be treated by occluding the vision of a patient's stronger eye. Such occlusion stimulates the development of the patient's weaker eye by forcing the weaker eye to compensate for the loss of the stronger eye by taking over the area of sight no longer visible by the vision- occluded stronger eye.

[0003] Different techniques have been proposed to occlude vision of a patient's eye. Besides unaesthetic patches applied directly over the patient's eye, the use of opaque or translucent contact lenses aiming at such therapeutic purpose have been proposed, for example in US Patent No. 6,352,345 (Zolten - 2002), US Patent No. 6,062,687 (Lofgren-Nisser - 2002), US Patent Application published under No. 2005/0033210 (Shahinpoor) and European Patent Application No. 0002663 (Bragard). Although such contact lenses may provide a means for vision occlusion, their use is not well adapted to the treatment of

young patients, from six month to five years old, representing the most important segment of potential patients treated for amblyopia and strabismus.

[0004] Amongst removable eye occlusion devices, (a) Kurup (US Patent No. 6,786,601 granted in 2004) provides a mask wherein lenses or patches may be mounted in eye openings and (b) Grindle (US Patent No. 4,582,401 granted in 1986) provides an example of a visual field and lens occluder adapted to be mounted over a lens and frame of eyeglasses. Still, the two above solutions lack aesthetic concerns and show evidence of visual impairment, attracting the attention of the entourage on the wearer and thus limiting acceptance by potential users.

[0005] An eyeglass lens provided with a liquid crystal device as described in US Patent No. 5,264,877 (Hussey - 1993) enables electronic control of light transmission through the lens. Also, such specialized eyeglasses with fairly good appearance could be designed. However, such specialized eyeglasses would be expensive and could be offered only in a limited range of designs. Also, the liquid crystal device, comprising an electronic control unit connected to the eyeglasses through wires, cannot be retrofitted into existing eyeglasses. For the above reasons, such specialized eyeglasses are not likely to be worn and used by young patients.

[0006] Direct application of a thin and flexible self-adhesive membrane to the lens of a patient's existing eyeglasses in order to modify optical properties of the lens has also been proposed. US Patents Nos. 3,628,854, 4,698,022, 6,003,990 and 6,942,336 and International Patent Application published under No. WO 2007/019686 disclose such membranes adapted to be applied directly on an eyeglass lens using an adhesive or electrostatic attraction force to modify optical properties of the lens. For example, in US Patent No. 6,942,336 granted to Foulke et al in September 2005, the membrane can be used for training in

sports and may be opaque and cut to the appropriate shape and size from a sheet of electrostatic plastic material. Nevertheless, such a membrane when used in the context of an everyday usage for the treatment of a visual impairment lacks aesthetic appearance to make it attractive to the user. Aesthetic properties of the membrane are required to promote acceptance of the membrane by the patient and by its entourage.

[0007] It would therefore be a significant advance in the art of vision occluding articles to provide a patch that may be readily cut from a sheet of material to the proper contour, shape and size to conform with the contour, shape and size of the lens of a patient's eyeglasses, while presenting an aesthetic and decorative appearance to reduce the perception of the therapeutic purpose of the patch and promote its acceptance by the patient. Such a patch could possibly be made self-adhesive, removable and reusable for repeated uses as required. This will enable a plurality of patches bearing different decorative indicia to be interchanged at will.

[0008] Experiments have evidenced that young patients that were reluctant to wear conventional vision occluding patches showed greatly improved motivation to wear eyeglasses with an attractive decorative patch applied to a lens. This results in a very significant contribution to successful treatment of children's visual impairments. Similar results could also be obtained with older users by reducing and/or modifying the entourage's attention drawn to the patch.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] More specifically, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a decorative vision occluding patch for application to an outer side of a lens of eyeglasses for the treatment of a patient's visual impairment by

occluding vision of an eye of the patient. The patch comprises a flexible substrate and inner and outer faces supported by the flexible substrate, wherein the inner face is a self-adhering light-absorbing surface for self-adhesion to the outer side of the eyeglass lens and for preventing light to propagate through and reflect from the inner face, and wherein the outer face comprises decorative indicia visible from the outer face of the patch only.

[0010] The present invention also relates to a kit for fabricating a decorative vision occluding patch for application to an outer side of a lens of eyeglasses for the treatment of a patient's visual impairment by occluding vision of an eye of the patient, the kit comprising:

at least one sheet defining at least one area bearing decorative indicia from which a decorative vision occluding patch can be cut out;

wherein the at least one sheet comprises a flexible substrate and inner and outer faces supported by the flexible substrate, wherein the inner face is a self-adhering light-absorbing surface for self-adhesion to the outer side of the eyeglass lens and for preventing light to propagate through and reflect from the inner face, and wherein the outer face comprises the decorative indicia visible from the outer face only.

[0011] The present invention is further concerned with a method for fabricating a decorative vision occluding patch and applying the decorative vision occluding patch to an outer side of a lens of eyeglasses for the treatment of a patient's visual impairment by occluding vision of an eye of the patient, the method comprising:

using at least one sheet defining at least one area bearing decorative indicia, wherein the at least one sheet comprises a flexible substrate

and inner and outer faces supported by the flexible substrate, wherein the inner face is a self-adhering light-absorbing surface for self-adhesion to the outer side of the eyeglass lens and for preventing light to propagate through and reflect from the inner face, and wherein the outer face comprises the decorative indicia visible from the outer face only;

cutting the at least one area bearing the decorative indicia to produce the decorative vision occluding patch; and

applying the self-adhering inner face of the cut out decorative vision occluding patch to the outer side of the eyeglass lens.

[0012] The foregoing and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non- restrictive description of an illustrative embodiment thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] In the appended drawings:

[0014] Figures 1a, 1 b, 1c and 1d are front views of four designs of the decorative vision occluding patch according to the present invention;

[0015] Figure 2 shows a decorative vision occluding patch applied to one lens of eyeglasses worn by a young patient;

[0016] Figure 3a, 3b and 3c are side views respectively showing first, second and third examples of a laminate structure of the decorative occluding patch according to the invention;

[0017] Figure 4 shows a sheet bearing a decorative artistic illustration having elements in direct connection with a visual impairment condition, prior to cutting to match the contour, shape and size of an eyeglass lens;

[0018] Figure 5 is a first example of a sheet having a plurality of decorative vision occluding patch areas;

[0019] Figure 6 is a second example of a sheet having a plurality of decorative vision occluding patch areas; and

[0020] Figure 7 illustrates the structure of a kit and the operations involved for allowing a patient to choose decorative indicia and cut a decorative vision occluding patch from a sheet including a plurality of decorative vision occluding patch areas as shown in Figures 5 and 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The non-restrictive illustrative embodiment of the present invention is concerned with a decorative vision occluding patch generally identified by the reference 10 in the accompanying drawings. The decorative vision occluding patch may be cut from a sheet to sharply conform to an eyeglass lens contour. The decorative vision occluding patch may comprise a flexible substrate having a self-adhering inner face adapted for removable adhesion to the outer side of the eyeglass lens, thereby making the vision occluding patch reusable. The inner face of the vision occluding patch may form a light-absorbing surface to thereby prevent light to propagate through and to reflect onto the inner face toward the patient's eye. An outer face of the decorative vision occluding patch may comprise decorative, for example artistic, aesthetic and/or ornamental indicia. Advantageously, the decorative indicia will not be visible from the inner face of the patch and, therefore, from the inner side of the lens; the decorative

indicia will be visible from the outer face of the decorative vision occluding patch 10 and the outer side of the lens only.

[0022] As illustrated in Figures 1a-1d and 2, the decorative vision occluding patch 10 comprises a flexible substrate 11a-11d having an outer face on which decorative indicia such as 12a-12d are applied to provide an attractive vision occluding device. Each of Figures 1a-1d and 2 shows a patch 10 cut to a contour, shape and size that sharply and exactly conform to the contour, shape and size of the outer side of the lens 101 of the eyeglasses 100 (Figure 2).

[0023] Figures 1a-1d show the outer face of the decorative vision occluding patch 10 bearing different decorative indicia 12a-12d. A plurality of different decorative indicia such as 12a-12d are intended to be provided in a vision occluding patch kit, to be described hereinafter, to allow patients to choose and change the decorative indicia. In addition to the primary function the decorative vision occluding patch 10, consisting of occluding vision of a patient's eye for therapeutic purposes by providing a barrier opaque to visible light in order to preventing light to propagate and reflect toward the patient's eye, the attractive decorative indicia such as 12a-12d will also fulfill an aesthetic function while improving acceptance and increasing use of the decorative vision occluding patch 10 by the patients, especially children, in order to ensure an effective treatment. Actually, the decorative indicia such as 12a-12d help converting shame into pride and changing the entourage's attitude into positive interest with respect to the patch, thereby effectively contributing to the success of the therapeutic treatment.

[0024] Figure 3a shows a first example of laminate structure of the decorative vision occluding patch 10. In this example, the laminate structure of decorative vision occluding patch 10 comprises a substrate 110a that can be made of a self-adhering light-opaque material such as a dark, for example black

cling vinyl material available in sheet form from various suppliers. The cling vinyl material has the capacity to adhere to certain surfaces, in particular but not exclusively glass and plastic surfaces by creating an electrostatic attraction force. The laminate structure of Figure 3a further comprises a first layer of white opaque ink 13 on which the decorative indicia 12 are applied and formed. The decorative indicia 12 may then be completed by the successive applications of layers such as 14, 15 and 16 of inks of different colors, using a printing process such as serigraphy (silk screening), flexography, etc. to provide multicolor decorative indicia 12 forming an illustration on the black substrate 110a. Accordingly, the decorative vision occluding patch 10 has a dark light-opaque inner face to be viewed by the patient from the inner side of the lens 101 of the eyeglasses 100 (Figure 2) and decorative indicia 12 forming a color illustration visible from the outer side of the lens 101. The substrate 110a may also be made of sticky, more specifically self-adhesive material available in sheet form from various suppliers, such as certain thermoplastic polyurethanes or other solid materials having the natural characteristic of self-adhering to certain surfaces, in particular but not exclusively glass and plastic surfaces.

[0025] Alternatively, in the example of Figure 3b, a more conventional clear cling vinyl substrate 110b can be used provided that its outer face is coated with a dark, for example black light-opaque ink layer 17 prior to application of the layer 13 of white opaque ink 13 and the successive layers such as 14, 15 and 16 of inks of different colors using, for example, a typical four-color printing process. The light-opaque layer 17 may alternatively be made of another type of material with good light-barrier property such as a laminated or printed metallic film. The opaque white layer 13 may also be obtained from a solid white film or a light-transmitting film on which a white coating, for example ink is applied prior to carrying out color indicia printing and laminating the film onto the substrate 110b to form the laminate structure of the decorative vision occluding patch 10.

[0026] Figure 3c illustrates a further example of the laminate structure of the decorative vision occluding patch 10, wherein a substrate 110c has an inner face, opposite to its indicia bearing outer face coated with a layer of adhesive compound 18. The adhesive compound of the layer 18 is selected to enable repetitive application and removal of the decorative vision occluding patch 10 onto the outer side of the lens 101 (Figure 2) to allow the patient to re-use or change at will the decorative vision occluding patch 10. For example, the decorative vision occluding patch 10 being used can be chosen from a bank of patches 10 bearing on their outer faces different decorative indicia or illustrations (see for example Figures 1a-1d). According to an alternative, a layer 18 of dark, for example black light-opaque adhesive compound 18 may be applied to a light-transmitting film substrate to substitute for black ink printing.

[0027] Another aspect of the decorative vision occluding patch 10, as best shown in Figure 4, is the use of decorative indicia 12 that represent a figurative illustration susceptible to stimulate the patient's interest in wearing patch- bearing eyeglasses and thereby cooperate in the patient's visual impairment treatment program. More specifically, the decorative indicia 12 may form an illustration correlated with the patient's visual condition in a more or less direct manner in order to demystify that condition and its acceptation by, in particular but not exclusively, a young patient. For example, Figure 4 illustrates an attractive character C wearing eyeglasses 100' having one of its lenses 101 ' bearing a decorative vision occluding patch 10' exhibiting an attractive decorative design (decorative indicia 12'). Such an illustration may be implemented as decorative indicia 12' onto the outer face of a vision occluding patch 10' that may be cut to appropriate shape and size for precise conforming and application to the outer side of a lens 101 ' of the eyeglasses of, for example but not exclusively, a young patient.

[0028] In order to supply the patients with a plurality of inexpensive interchangeable and reusable patches to choose from, a kit including a plurality

of decorative vision occluding patch 10 as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 may be provided. Such a kit may comprise at least one sheet 20 having a laminate structure as described herein above, mounted on a supporting and protective backing (not shown). As illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, the sheet 20 defines a plurality of areas 21 bearing respective, different decorative indicia 12. In the examples of Figures 5 and 6, six (6) indicia-bearing areas 21 are shown although a different number of indicia-bearing areas can be contemplated. As will be described in the following description, each indicia-bearing area 21 presents a shape and size enabling a patient to replicate, i.e. to trace the contour, shape and size of the lens 101 of the patient's eyeglasses 100 and cut, from this indicia-bearing area 21 using for example household scissors or any other suitable tool, a decorative vision occluding patch 10 that sharply conforms to the contour, shape and size of the lens 101.

[0029] The structure of the kit and the corresponding operations involved will now be further described with reference to Figure 7.

[0030] Referring to Figure 7, the kit may further comprise a sheet 70 of transparent or translucent material to help the patient in capturing and transferring the contour, shape and size of the eyeglass lens 101. The sheet 70 of transparent or translucent material may be self-adhesive or otherwise self- adhering. For example, the sheet 70 of transparent or translucent material can be a piece of clear cling vinyl self-adhering to glass or plastic surfaces through an electrostatic attraction force as described herein above. The sheet 70 of transparent or translucent material may be an integral part of the sheet 20 defining a plurality of indicia-bearing areas 21 , for example self-adhered to the front face of the sheet 20 with indicia-bearing areas 21 or to the back face of the sheet 20. The sheet 70 of transparent or translucent material may also be supplied adhered to a supporting and protecting backing as a totally separate part.

[0031] Operations involved with the kit will now be described with reference to Figure 7. Documentation (not shown) can be provided in the kit to describe a method of cutting a decorative vision occluding patch from one of the indicia-bearing areas 21 and applying the cut decorative vision occluding patch to the outer side of the eyeglass lens 101.

Operation 1 :

[0032] The self-adhering sheet 70 of transparent or translucent material is peeled off from the sheet 20 or from its backing, and applied and therefore self- adhered to the outer side of the lens 101 of the patient's eyeglasses 100.

Operation 2:

[0033] Using a pen 71 , a line 72 is carefully drawn on the sheet 70 of transparent or translucent material along the contour, i.e. along the edge of the lens 101 of the patient's eyeglasses 100. Once the line 72 has been completely drawn, the sheet 70 of clear or translucent material is removed.

Operation 3:

[0034] The decorative indicia of one of the plurality of indicia-bearing areas 21 of the sheet 20 is selected, and the sheet 70 of clear or translucent material is applied and therefore self-adhered to a selected area 21 with the contour line 72 surrounding the region 73 best preferred by the patient.

Operation 4:

[0035] Using scissors 74, cutting both the sheet 70 of transparent or translucent material and the sheet 20 defining the plurality of indicia-bearing

areas 21 along the contour line 72. For better results, the superposed sheets 20 and 70 are cut along the outside edge of the contour line 72 for example at a distance of about 1/16 inch / 1.5 mm outside the contour line 72 (see 75).

Operation 5:

[0036] The cut portion 76 of the sheet 70 of clear or translucent material is peeled off from the cut portion 77 of the indicia-bearing area 21 of the sheet 20, and the cut portion 77 of the indicia-bearing area 21 is peeled off from the backing (not shown) of the sheet 20 to form a decorative vision occluding patch 10.

Operation 6:

[0037] This last operation consist of applying the self-adhering inner face of the decorative vision occluding patch 10, i.e. the cut portion 77 of the indicia- bearing area 21 of the sheet 20 to the outer side of the lens 101 of the patient's eyeglasses 100. Operation 6 completes the procedure.

[0038] Application of the sheet 70 of transparent or translucent material to the outer side of the lens to draw a contour line and subsequent application of the sheet 70 to a region of the selected indicia-bearing area 21 to show the lens contour with the contour line enable cutting of a decorative vision occluding patch 10 with a contour, shape and size sharply conforming to the contour, shape and size of the lens 101 of the patient's eyeglasses 100.

[0039] The inner face of the decorative vision occluding patch 10 can then be removably self-adhered to the outer side of the lens 101 of the patient's eyeglasses 100. After a desired period of use, the decorative vision occluding patch 10 may be removed and put aside for eventual reuse, while a new patch

may be created using the above operations 1-6 to replace the first one for another desired period of time, and so forth. The already cut sheet 70 of transparent or translucent material that has been used for fabricating the first decorative vision occluding patch 10 can be kept and reused for subsequent cutting of additional patches 10; in this case, only operations 3-6 are required to obtain the additional patches. Unused patches may be stored on a piece of protective backing. The backing material can be a thin glassy material such as cardboard or plastic that may be easily cut by a user with household hand tools, while providing enough rigidity to prevent excessive deformation so as to enable good contact and adhesion with the inner faces of the patches. The unused decorative vision occluding patch or patches 10 may also be stored on a mirror, a window or on a convenient bookmark that may be included in the kit.

[0040] Sheets 20 may be sold in groups or separately according to miscellaneous themes or patients' age. The kit may further comprise documentation such as a story book for providing the patient with information about visual impairment conditions under the form of a tale presenting characters and situations that may be included as elements of the decorative indicia 12 illustrated on the accompanying sheet(s) 20 of patch material. In this manner, a young patient may collaborate to the selection and fabrication of a particularly attractive patch 10 and may learn about his condition in such a way to make it less dramatic and more acceptable to him or her.

[0041] It can be easily appreciated that the above-described non- restrictive illustrative embodiment of the decorative vision occluding patch 10 and kit obviate the above-discussed limitations and drawbacks of the existing devices and systems. More specifically, a simple and inexpensive reusable decorative vision occluding patch 10 is provided for sharp and neat conforming with the contour, shape and size of the eyeglass lens, removable attachment onto the outer side of the eyeglass lens, an attractive look provided by artistic printed or hand drafted decorative indicia to stimulate user participation in a

visual impairment therapeutic treatment and improvement of the perception of the patient's entourage about the vision occluding patch.

[0042] Although the present invention has been described hereinabove by way of a non-restrictive, illustrative embodiment thereof, this embodiment can be modified at will within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and nature of the subject invention.