Sonic and Ultrasonic Methods and Apparatus for Treatment of Glaucoma

Abstract

Disclosed are methods and apparatus, including eyewear and a contact lens, for delivering sound energy to an eye, comprising two or more sonic or ultrasonic transducers that emit sound energy, wherein each transducer is (i) operably linked to a power source and (b) capable of emitting sound energy at more than one frequency and for a variable time period; and a positioning mechanism to position the transducers at an exterior surface of an eye so as to deliver sound energy to an internal part of the eye, for example the Schlemm's canal or trabecular meshwork.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for treating glaucoma, comprising:
 providing a portable contact lens having a plurality of sound generating transducers, the portable contact lens configured to contact a mammalian eye; and   energizing the plurality of sound generating transducers to apply therapeutic bursts of ultrasonic energy to a portion of the mammalian eye, the portion selected from the group consisting of Schlemm's canal, trabecular network and a combination of Schlemm's canal and the trabecular network, each transducer of said plurality of sound generating transducers producing the therapeutic burst of ultrasonic energy with a power of between 1 microwatt and 5 watts and a duration of between 0.1 second and 5 seconds to destroy debris clogging the trabecular network and promote an outflow of intraocular fluid thereby lowering intraocular pressure.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the portable contact lens is selected to include:
 a transducer and circuit layer having the plurality of transducers electrically interconnected to a system power circuit via a circuit bus wherein the plurality of transducers, system power circuit and circuit bus are all supported by the transducer and circuit layer; 
 a battery layer abutting the transducer and circuit layer supporting a rechargeable battery, the rechargeable battery electrically interconnected to both the plurality of transducers and the system power circuit; and 
 a thin-film photocell layer supporting photocells that are electrically interconnected to the rechargeable battery, 
 wherein a portion of each of the respective transducer and circuit layer, the battery layer and the thin-film photocell layer that overlies a pupil are optically transparent. 
 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein each transducer of the plurality of transducers is independently selected from the group consisting of PZT (lead-zirconium titanate) thin film high frequency transducer PMUT (piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers), capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUT) and other micromachined or thin film technology. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein each transducer of the plurality of transducers generates bursts having a frequency of between 20 kHz and 200 kHz. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the treatment includes the portable contact lens contacting the mammalian eye during waking hours and each said transducer generating 10 bursts of ultrasonic power per day. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4  wherein a duration of the burst of ultrasonic power is four seconds and each transducer is powered for 40 seconds per day.