Patent Issued for Computerized testing and determination of a visual field of a patient (USPTO 11666211): Visibly Inc.

2023 JUN 22 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- According to news reporting originating from Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx journalists, a patent by the inventors Lee, Steven P. (Chicago, IL, US), filed on December 30, 2019, was published online on June 6, 2023.

The assignee for this patent, patent number 11666211, is Visibly Inc. (Chicago, Illinois, United States).

Reporters obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “The present disclosure is generally related to determining a glasses and/or a contacts prescription for a patient with a refractive error in need of correction. Many people have refractive errors of the eye which cause them to be either myopic (commonly known as nearsightedness) or hypermetropic (commonly known as farsightedness). One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that myopia refers to a refractive defect of the optical properties of an eye that causes images to focus forward of the retina (i.e. a refractive error). Those optical defects are typically caused by, among other things, defects of the cornea, elongation of the eye structure, other conditions, or a combination of those conditions. Hyperopia, on the other hand, refers a refractive error of the optical properties of an eye that causes images to focus behind the retina. Those optical defects are the result when the optics of the eye are not strong enough for the front to back length of the eye. Myopia and hyperopia have one component, a sphere measurement, which indicates the strength or power necessary to correct for the optical defects.

“Astigmatism refers to a refractive error that causes light entering the eye to focus on two points rather than one. It is caused by an uneven power of the cornea. An astigmatism has two components, an axis measurement, which indicates the angle along which any image viewed by the patient is distorted, and a cylinder measurement, which indicates the strength or power of the distortion. Myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism are the principle refractive errors that cause patients to seek treatment to correct their vision problems.

“A manifest refraction analysis is a diagnostic tool used by ophthalmologists and optometrists whereby a patient’s refractive error is tested to indicate whether the patient would benefit from correction with glasses or contact lenses. As part of that technique, a patient looks through a phoropter while the ophthalmologist or optometrist evaluates each of the patient’s eyes. A retinal reflex diagnosis technique is often used to assess the magnitude of the refractive error present in the patient’s eyes. Subjective feedback from the patient is used to refine the manifest refraction, which involves the patient making choices between image quality as different lenses having different powers are slid into place in the phoropter. These refractive errors can be corrected with lenses, typically spectacle lenses, known as glasses, or contact lenses, which are applied directly to the eye. They can also be corrected with various types of surgery. At the end of the manifest refraction analysis, the ophthalmologist or optometrist may produce a prescription for glasses, contact lenses, and/or refractive surgery.

“Other methods for determining the refractive error of a patient include known diagnostic devices such wavefront sensors, refractometers, and others that are well known in the art. Some of these diagnostic devices use computers to assist in determining the refractive error of the patient. For example, one implementation of a wavefront-type refractor that is well known in the art uses a “Hartmann-Shack” sensor to measure the wavefront of a light beam generated from an illumination spot projected on the retina and passed through the eye’s optics. In such a wavefront type refractor, a probe beam from a laser or a super-luminescent diode is projected onto the retina through the eye’s optics. Light scattered by the retina passes through the eye’s optics, and emerges through the eye’s pupil. The wavefront of the emerging beam carries refractive information relating to the eye’s optics. For example, if the eye is emmetropic (i.e., the eye’s optics are without refractive error), the wavefront of the emerging beam should be flat. Relay optics relay the wavefront emerging from eye’s pupil onto the Hartmann-Shack sensor. The Hartmann-Shack sensor measures the distortion of the wavefront and provides that information to a computer to compute the refractive errors of the eye due to aberrations of the eye’s optics.

“Each of the above-described techniques for determining a patient’s refractive error requires the patient to travel to a place where such machines or doctors are present and available to perform the determination. And, having traveled to a doctor’s office, a patient then has to pay for the time and services of the doctor, which may or may not be covered by their health insurance. This can be both expensive and inconvenient for a patient.

“For a patient who desires contacts, a second charge generally applies for a “fitting.” This charge is frequently unnecessary because most contacts manufacturers only offer one or a few base curve and diameter combinations, meaning there is only one or a few possible “fits” for that contact. When a patient has worn contacts before and is comfortable in their previous brand, there is no need to perform a “fitting.” Despite this, it is commonly required by doctor’s offices that a “fitting” be performed, and the accompanying fee charged. Health insurance seldom covers this fee. In some cases, the doctor may require that the patient make another, separate office visit to have their “fitting.” Therefore, determining a contacts prescription can be even more expensive and inconvenient for a patient.

“In addition, the cost of the above described machinery (phropter, wavefront refractor, etc.) is prohibitive to ownership by an individual not engaged in a medical practice, so patients do not have the option of determining their own glasses or contacts prescription outside of a medical practice setting.

“Furthermore, in-office subjective astigmatism tests generally only determine a patient’s axis prescription within 10° of accuracy.

“Thus, there exists a need for a more convenient, less costly, more accurate way for patients to determine and receive glasses and contacts prescriptions.”

In addition to obtaining background information on this patent, NewsRx editors also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “The present disclosure relates generally to a system and method for determining the refractive error of a patient, more particularly determining the patient’s refractive error by using a computerized screen or other suitable visual tool, and providing the patient with a corrective lenses prescription for the patient’s preferred type of corrective lenses. The system and method do not require the trip or expense of a doctor visit, and are optimized for convenience and cost effectiveness.

“In a general embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method for determining a corrective lenses prescription of a patient. The method includes, separately, for each eye of the patient, determining the astigmatism prescription of the patient via a computerized screen.

“In an embodiment, determining the astigmatism prescription of the patient via the computerized screen includes presenting a first diagram to the patient via the computerized screen and enabling the patient to select at least one input. The input corresponds to an axis measurement. The method further includes presenting a second diagram to a patient via the computerized screen and enabling the patient to select at least one input. The input corresponds to a cylinder measurement.

“In a further embodiment, the first diagram and the second diagram are a same diagram. In an alternative further embodiment, the first diagram and the second diagram are different diagrams.

“In another further embodiment, the first diagram is a rotatable line. In a still further embodiment, the rotatable line is made up of at least two alternating colors. In yet a further embodiment, the at least two alternating colors are selected from the group consisting of the red family and the green family, respectively.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A system for determining a corrective lens prescription for a person by performing a vision test using a hand-portable first electronic device and a second electronic device that is associated with a computerized screen, the system comprising: a memory device storing vision information for the person, the vision information including at least one of a previous corrective lens prescription of the person or an age of the person; a server communicatively coupled to the memory device; the hand-portable first electronic device; and the second electronic device that is associated with the computerized screen, wherein the first and the second electronic devices are separate from each other and each separately communicatively coupled to the server, and wherein the server is configured to: cause at least one of the hand-portable first electronic device or the second electronic device to specify a distance for the person to be positioned away from the computerized screen, enable the person to use the hand-portable first electronic device to interact with the second electronic device to perform the vision test by: causing the hand-portable first electronic device to prompt the person to access, using the second electronic device, a webpage that is related to the server to view a unique identifier provided by the webpage, and causing the hand-portable first electronic device to prompt the person for entry, into the hand-portable first electronic device, of the unique identifier that is displayed by the second electronic device, receive data corresponding to inputs submitted by the person using the hand-portable first electronic device in response to the vision test displayed, at least in part, on the computerized screen of the second electronic device, determine an axis prescription, a cylinder prescription, and a sphere prescription for each eye of the person based at least in part on each of (i) the data, and (ii) the previous corrective lens prescription of the person, and provide a corrective lens prescription for the person based, at least in part, on the determined axis, cylinder, and sphere prescriptions for each eye of the person, wherein determining the axis prescription for each eye of the person comprises: separately for each eye of the person, displaying one or more axis figures on the computerized screen of the second electronic device, and enabling the person to provide at least one axis figure input using the hand-portable first electronic device, and using at least one of the at least one axis figure input provided in response to each of the one or more axis figures, wherein determining the sphere prescription for each eye of the person comprises: separately for each eye of the person displaying one or more sphere figures to the person on the computerized screen of the second electronic device and enabling the person to provide at least one sphere figure input using the hand-portable first electronic device, and using information pertaining to at least one of the one or more displayed sphere figures, at least one of the at least one sphere figure input, and the distance of the person from the computerized screen, and wherein determining the cylinder prescription for each eye of the person comprises at least: using at least one of the at least one axis figure input or at least one of the at least one sphere figure input, and the previous corrective lens prescription of the person.

“2. The system of claim 1, wherein the server causes the person via the first or the second electronic device to perform a calibration step to provide any of the server, the hand-portable first electronic device, or the second electronic device with information regarding a property or parameter of the hand-portable first electronic device, the second electronic device, or the computerized screen, the calibration step including use of a credit card or another reference object of known dimensions.

“3. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is configured to: receive account credentials associated with an account of the person; and associate at least one of the hand-portable first electronic device or the second electronic device with the account based, at least in part, on receipt of the account credentials from the device.

“4. A system for determining a corrective lens prescription for a person by performing a vision test using a hand-portable first electronic device and a second electronic device that is associated with a computerized screen, the system comprising: a memory device storing vision information for the person, the vision information including at least one of a previous corrective lens prescription of the person or an age of the person; a server communicatively coupled to the memory device; the hand-portable first electronic device; and the second electronic device that is associated with the computerized screen, wherein the server is configured to: cause at least one of the hand-portable first electronic device or the second electronic device to specify a distance for the person to be positioned away from the computerized screen, enable the person to use the hand-portable first electronic device in conjunction with the second electronic device to perform the vision test by sending a link to the hand-portable first electronic device to launch an interface on the hand-portable first electronic device for interacting with the vision test provided by the server, the first and the second electronic devices being separate from each other and each separately communicatively coupled to the server, receive data corresponding to inputs submitted by the person into the interface using the hand-portable first electronic device in response to the vision test displayed, at least in part, on the computerized screen of the second electronic device, determine an axis prescription, a cylinder prescription, and a sphere prescription for each eye of the person based at least in part on each of (i) the data, and (ii) the previous corrective lens prescription of the person, and provide a corrective lens prescription for the person based, at least in part, on the determined axis, cylinder, and sphere prescriptions for each eye of the person, wherein determining the axis prescription for each eye of the person comprises: separately for each eye of the person, displaying one or more axis figures on the computerized screen of the second electronic device, and enabling the person to provide at least one axis figure input using the hand-portable first electronic device, and using at least one of the at least one axis figure input provided in response to each of the one or more axis figures, wherein determining the sphere prescription for each eye of the person comprises: separately for each eye of the person displaying one or more sphere figures to the person on the computerized screen of the second electronic device and enabling the person to provide at least one sphere figure input using the hand-portable first electronic device, and using information pertaining to at least one of the one or more displayed sphere figures, at least one of the at least one sphere figure input, and the distance of the person from the computerized screen, and wherein determining the cylinder prescription for each eye of the person comprises at least: using at least one of the at least one axis figure input or at least one of the at least one sphere figure input, and the previous corrective lens prescription of the person.

“5. The system of claim 4, wherein the server is configured to: receive account credentials associated with an account of the person; and associate at least one of the hand-portable first electronic device or the second electronic device with the account based, at least in part, on receipt of the account credentials from the device.

“6. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more axis figures comprises a fan chart including substantially radial line segments spaced at regular angular intervals that, when expressed in degrees, is a factor of 180.

“7. The system of claim 4, wherein determining the axis prescription further comprises displaying the one or more axis figures as a succession of axis figures, wherein one or more axis figures displayed in the succession of axis figures is displayed at a different angular orientation than its predecessor.

“8. The system of claim 4, wherein determining the sphere prescription for each eye of the person further comprises displaying the one or more sphere figures as a succession of multiple sphere figures of varying sizes such that the sizes of the sphere figures comprising the succession of sphere figures changes over a course of the succession, and wherein the at least one sphere figure input provided in response to the one or more sphere figures relates to identifying a portion of at least one of the one or more sphere figures that is different from other portions of that sphere figure.

“9. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one of the one or more axis figures or the one or more sphere figures includes a shape having one or more spaces such that, depending upon an angular orientation of the shape, portions of the shape may appear to touch across the one or more spaces when viewed by the person using an astigmatic eye, and wherein determining the cylinder prescription includes enabling the person to provide at least one input that relates to the one or more spaces using the hand-portable first electronic device.”

There are additional claims. Please visit full patent to read further.

For more information, see this patent: Lee, Steven P. Computerized testing and determination of a visual field of a patient. U.S. Patent Number 11666211, filed December 30, 2019, and published online on June 6, 2023. Patent URL (for desktop use only): https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/external.html?q=(11666211)&db=USPAT&type=ids

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