American Optical Corporation

Emil W Deeg

David A Krohn

Robert E Graf

Edward A Travnicek

Robert Joseph Landry

Neill M Brandt

David A La Marre

Donald O Hoffman

Edward Z Zdrok

Richard D Courtemanche

Apparatus for supporting a lens during heat treatment that has a heat-sinking material in contact with one side of a heat-conductive cover and the other side of the heat-conductive cover in contact with a portion of a lens being treated to produce photochromic behavior is disclosed. The portion of the lens in contact with the heat-conductive cover exhibits less photochromic activity than the portion of the lens which is not in contact with the heat-conductive cover.

Apparatus for supporting lenses during heat treatment

A method of treating ophthalmic quality lenses or lens blanks that produces a reversible progressive local variation in phototropic behavior with a continuous variation in transmissivity. The lens or lens blank is composed of a potentially phototropic glass containing all the necessary ingredients including uniformly dispersed silver halide particles therein to develop a phototropic behavior during the heat treatment of the present method. The steps of the present method include mounting the lens or lens blank in carrier means, heating the lens or lens blank thus mounted in a heat treatment furnace at a temperature sufficient to develop the phototropic behavior of the potentially phototropic glass. Characteristically the required heat treatment temperature to develop this phototropic behavior is one which exceeds the strain point of the glass but not the softening point thereof. The heat treatment includes the further step of maintaining selected portions of the lens or lens blank at a temperature to substantially inhibit the development of the phototropic behavior and thus produce a progressive gradient of transmissivity. The particular improvement of the present invention includes heat sinking the selected portion of the lens to be maintained at a temperature which substantially inhibits the development of phototropic behavior by utilizing the latent heat of transformation of a material which has at least one phase transformation temperature below the temperature required for development of phototropic behavior. This heat sinking is accomplished by positioning the heat sinking material proximate to the portion of the lens or lens blank in which the temperature is to be maintained to substantially inhibit the development of phototropic behavior. This is preferably accomplished by establishing a path of heat conduction between the heat sinking material and the selected portion of the lens or lens blank.

Process for producing opthalmic lenses with gradated photochromic

Warpage-free spectacles comprised of plastic lenses and plastic frames wherein the frames are constructed of materials having the same or lower tensile elastic modulus and/or the same coefficient of thermal expansion as the lens material.

All plastic spectacles

The invention achieves local variation, or a continuous gradation, in photochromic or phototropic properties across the face of glass lenses and lens blanks, especially those of ophthalmic quality. The lenses and lens blanks contain all those ingredients required to produce photochromic or phototropic behavior. They are exposed to a locally variable temperature field or environment, in such manner as to, in at least one portion of the lens or lens blank cause the temperature therein to exceed the strain point but not the softening point of the glass. In other portions of the lens or lens blank the temperature is below the strain point, thus causing development of phototropic or photochromic behavior only in those portions of the lens or lens blank exposed to the temperatures above the strain point.

Photochromic gradient lenses

A chemically durable, biologically inert optical implant lens formed of a low density natural or synthetic crystal, such as Corundum, Sapphrie, Ruby, Sircon, Strontium Titanate, Diamond, Anatase or Ruby.

Artificial intraocular lens

Glass lenses, or lens blanks, containing all the ingredients necessary to produce phototropic, or photochromic, behavior, are treated in a conventional production furnace to produce a locally variable heat treatment, wherein at least one portion thereof is raised to a temperature exceeding the glass strain point but not the softening point, and other portions are heated to variable temperature decreasing from the strain point. The treatment causes development of phototropic, or photochromic, behavior only in those portions of the lenses, or lens blanks, exposed to the temperature above the strain point. The lenses resulting are characterized by trichromatic coefficients, x=0.306 and y=0.307, in the unactivated state and x=0.324 and y=0.321, in an activated state and including a small but effective quantity of cobalt oxide.

Preparation of photochromic gradient lenses of cosmetically improved

Glass lenses, or lens blanks, containing all the ingredients necessary to produce phototropic, or photochromic behavior, are treated in a conventional production furnace to produce a locally variable heat treatment, wherein at least one portion thereof is raised to a temperature exceeding the glass strain point but not the softening point, and other portions are heated to variable temperatures decreasing from the strain point. The treatment causes development of phototropic, or photochromic, behavior only in those portions of the lenses, or lens blanks, exposed to the temperature above the strain point. The lenses resulting are characterized by trichromatic coefficients, x=0.310 and y=0.321, in the unactivated state and x=0.314 and y=0.319, in an activated state.

Preparation of photochromic gradient lenses of improved color

A process for producing a photochromic silicate glass film is disclosed which is characterized by the steps of forming a solution containing silver ions and a film-forming silicate monomer in a solvent common to both, removing the solvent from the solution to produce a discreet film or a film coating on an article, and exposing the formed film to a source of halide ions to form fine silver halide particles within the film.

Process for producing photochromic silicate glass film containing silver

Ophthalmic lenses with locally variable indices of refraction produced from microporous glass bodies diffused with inorganic salts and rendered transparent by heat treatment. Local variations in refractive index result from differences in concentrations of the salts produced by controlled diffusion and/or selective leaching after impregnation of the porous bodies.

Ophthalmic lens with locally variable index of refraction and method of

An ophthalmic glass lens having a compressively-stressed surface zone after ion exchanging which is at least 120 microns in depth, formed from an alkali metal oxide silicate glass comprising by weight about 4 to about 15 percent sodium oxide and about 3 to about 15 percent potassium oxide. There is a compressively-stressed surface layer having a strength of at least 25,000 psi. The total amount of sodium, potassium and other alkali metal oxides is up to about 20 percent. The total amount of zinc oxide, lanthanum oxide, magnesium oxide, and calcium oxide is about 8 to 15 percent, and there is about 3 to about 15 percent phosphorus pentoxide. An ion exchange process takes place at a temperature either above or below the strain point of conventional ophthalmic crown glass to produce satisfactory physical properties in the ophthalmic glass lens.

High strength ophthalmic lens

Nondestructive marking of plastic artificial intraocular lenses for coding purposes. Exposure with ultraviolet radiation of portions of a lens surface forming boundaries of desired coding characters or similar exposure only of areas forming the characters themselves produces a differential in refractive index of the material of the lens wherewith detection and reading of the coding may be accomplished before and/or after intraocular implantation.

Method for marking intraocular lenses

Heat treatment method for making photochromic gradient lenses

Ophthalmic lenses formed of ophthalmic glass and having accurately finished front and back curved surfaces and edged to the shapes desired are heated in molten salt bath and ion-exchange hardened on all surfaces thereof so as to satisfy high safety standards while being substantially free from optical image distortions for objects viewed therethrough. The invention includes method and apparatus for rapid and controlled pre-heating, soaking and cooling steps of lenses relatively cheaply and in sizable numbers at the same time.

Method of making hardened ophthalmic lenses by ion exchange

A laminated optical or ophthalmic element is produced comprised of an amorphous and/or crystalline material possessing phototropic or photochromic properties as a result of applying a thin layer over at least one surface thereof, which layer includes a combination of cations and anions including silver or copper bromide and/or chloride.

Method of providing a phototropic layer on a carrier

There is provided by the process of the invention a silicate glass which provides protection against mechanical hazards and short and long wavelength ultraviolet radiation while at the same time high transmission of light in the visible range of the spectrum is maintained. By the process of the invention, the incorporation of cerium oxide into the glass followed by ion exchange strengthening using a mixture of potassium salt and silver nitrate provide a synergistic reduction in transmission of light in the ultraviolet range of the spectrum not heretofore obtainable by the use of either cerium oxide or silver staining of the glass alone.

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Woodstock, CT, United States of America

Emil W Deeg