Structures and methods for tear shaping for refractive correction

Abstract

A tear shaping structure or structures that shape a tear film of an eye thereby enabling a desired refractive effect. The tear shaping structure includes a supporting structure supporting a plurality of capillary action members, the capillary action members being spaced apart and arranged in such a way as to create a desired refractive lens effect by shaping the tear film of an eye.

1 .- 27 . (canceled) 
     
     
         28 . A method of improving vision of an eye, the method comprising placing multiple tear shaping capillary action structures onto a corneal surface of the eye to cause the multiple tear shaping capillary action structures to interact via capillary action with a tear film on the corneal surface to give the a tear film a shape configured to create a desired refractive lens effect and thus improve the vision of the eye,
 wherein a size and a shape of the multiple tear shaping capillary action structures are selected to create the desired refractive lens effect.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the multiple tear shaping capillary action structures comprise a plurality of fibers or filaments arranged in a grid structure. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the grid structure comprises perpendicular fibers or filaments in a first orientation and a second orientation and wherein the fibers or filaments in at least one orientation are evenly spaced apart from each other in at least one meridian. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the grid structure comprises perpendicular fibers or filaments in a first orientation and a second orientation and wherein the fibers or filaments in at least one of the first orientation and second orientation are spaced apart from each other at a greater distance centrally than peripherally in at least one meridian. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the grid structure comprises radial fibers arranged in a radial orientation and elliptical fibers arranged in an elliptical orientation. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the elliptical fibers are spaced apart from each other more closely centrally and more distantly peripherally. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the elliptical fibers are spaced apart from each other more closely peripherally and more distantly centrally. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the radial fibers are angularly spaced apart from each other more closely in some meridional orientations than in other meridional orientations. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the elliptical fibers circumscribe a circular path, an elliptical path, an oval path or a race track shaped path. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising three-dimensional structural components located at junctures of crossing fibers. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein a first subset of fibers has a first cross sectional diameter and a second subset of fibers has a second cross sectional diameter. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the multiple tear shaping capillary action structures comprise remaining parts of a perforated structure. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the multiple tear shaping capillary action structures comprises multiple independent tear shaping objects. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the multiple independent tear shaping objects are selected from the group consisting of micro-balloons, microspheres, micro-rings, and irregularly shaped objects. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the shape of the tear film provided by the multiple independent tear shaping objects is selected from the group consisting of multiple convex areas, multiple concave areas and a combination of convex areas and concave areas. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the multiple independent tear shaping objects comprise multi-lobate structures. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the multiple independent tear shaping objects comprise micro-rings having a shape selected from the group consisting of circular, elliptical, oval, and race track shaped. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 44 , wherein each of the micro-rings varies in size around a circumference thereof. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the multiple independent tear shaping objects comprise nano-robots. 
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the multiple independent tear shaping objects are dispersed in a liquid or gel suspension. 
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the multiple independent tear shaping objects are organized by capillary action in combination with repulsive forces, attractive forces or a combination of repulsive and attractive forces. 
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 48 , further comprising structuring the independent tear shaping objects such that the repulsive forces or attractive forces comprise electrostatic forces, magnetic forces or intermolecular forces. 
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the multiple tear shaping capillary action structures comprise:
 multiple fibers arranged in a pattern; and   multiple structural components positioned at junctions of the multiple fibers.   
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein the multiple fibers comprise horizontal fibers and vertical fibers, and wherein each of the structural components has a shape selected from the group consisting of, a circle, a sphere, a cube, a tetrahedron, an octahedron, a platonic solid, and other polyhedral shapes. 
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein each of the multiple fibers has a cross-sectional shape selected from the group consisting of circular, polygonal, triangular, dentate and irregular shapes.