Patents Assigned to Alcon
  • Patent number: 12167959
    Abstract: Disclosed are adjustable accommodating intraocular lenses and methods of adjusting accommodating intraocular lenses post-operatively. In one embodiment, an adjustable accommodating intraocular lens comprises an optic portion and a peripheral portion. At least one of the optic portion and the peripheral portion can be made in part of a composite material comprising an energy absorbing constituent and a plurality of expandable components. At least one of a base power and a cylindricity of the optic portion can be configured to change in response to an external energy directed at the composite material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Terah Whiting Smiley, Andrew R. Walz, Sharad Hajela, Gregory Vinton Matthews, Robert Demitri Angelopoulos, Nathan Lewis
  • Publication number: 20240407647
    Abstract: A contact-based wide-angle visualization system (“WAVS”) for use in an ophthalmic suite having a microscope includes a constant downforce (CDF) assembly and a contact lens device. The CDF assembly has a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end connects to an optical head of the microscope via an intervening connecting arm. The contact lens device connects to the distal end of the CDF assembly and includes a contact lens configured to be worn on a cornea of a patient's eye in the ophthalmic suite. The CDF assembly provides a constant downforce to the contact lens device, and self-levels and thereby maintains the contact lens device in an approximately parallel orientation relative to the floor of the ophthalmic suite.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2024
    Publication date: December 12, 2024
    Applicant: Alcon Inc.
    Inventor: Steven T. Charles
  • Publication number: 20240411511
    Abstract: An electronic control unit (ECU) for a digital optical system includes a processor, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, and a translation engine. The performance settings include a focus-of-interest setting. Execution of the instructions by the processor causes the processor to receive voice commands from a user via a microphone during an ophthalmic procedure performed using the digital optical system. The voice commands are processed through the translation engine to convert the voice commands into a machine-readable instruction set. The processor adjusts the performance settings using the instruction set to change a state of the digital optical system, including transmitting display control signals to the display screen to overlay a reference grid onto a displayed digital image of a patient's eye. The focus-of-interest setting corresponds to a user-selected grid area of the reference grid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2024
    Publication date: December 12, 2024
    Applicant: Alcon Inc.
    Inventor: Douglas Allen
  • Patent number: 12162987
    Abstract: The present invention generally relates to inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses having relatively high oxygen permeability, relatively high equilibrium water content and relatively low elastic modulus. The present invention is also related to a method for making such inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Steve Yun Zhang, Daqing Wu, Junhao Ge, Richard Charles Breitkopf, Xinming Qian, Zach Munoz, Matthew D. Nelson, Augustine Twum Kumi, Weihong Lang, Ying Zheng, Feng Jing, Frank Chang
  • Patent number: 12161550
    Abstract: A method and system provide an ophthalmic device. The ophthalmic device includes an ophthalmic lens having an anterior surface, a posterior surface, at least one diffractive structure and at least one base curvature. The at least one diffractive structure for provides a first spherical aberration for a first focus corresponding to at least a first focal length. The at least one base curvature provides a second spherical aberration for at least a second focus corresponding to at least a second focal length. The first spherical aberration and the second spherical aberration are provided such that the first focus has a first focus spherical aberration and the second focus has a second focus spherical aberration. The first focus spherical aberration is opposite in sign to the second focus spherical aberration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Myoung-Taek Choi, Xin Hong, Yueai Liu
  • Patent number: 12161549
    Abstract: Systems and methods are presented for providing a graphical user interface (GUI) for assisting eye-care professionals in intraocular lens implantation planning in a two-stage process. During the first stage, first biometric data of a patient's eye is obtained. A first set of lens products comprising a first lens product is determined based on the first biometric data. A first grid is provided via the GUI to present the first set of lens products. During the second stage, second biometric data of the eye is obtained after an existing lens of the patient's eye is removed. A second set of lens products comprising a second lens product is determined based on the second biometric data. A second grid is provided via the GUI to present the second set of lens products and a difference between the first and second lens products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventor: David Thoe
  • Patent number: 12156805
    Abstract: An apparatus for delivering an implant to an eye using hydraulic fluid flow or pressure. An implant may be stored, advanced, and delivered to an eye using hydraulic fluid stored in a sterile container through a hollow advancement plunger. The plunger may rigidly advance the implant to a sealed position in a first phase, and then the implant may be advanced into the eye via hydraulic pressure or fluid flow in a second phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2024
    Assignee: ALCON INC.
    Inventors: Todd Taber, Kathryn Jensen, Michael Piazza, Jestwin Edwin Lee, IV, Saumya Dilip Yadav, Pradeep Shivalingappa Magadum, Austin Xavier Rodeheaver
  • Patent number: 12150709
    Abstract: The devices and methods described herein provide improved methods for accurately identifying and locating the visual axis of the eye and its intersection with the iris plane. In one embodiment, a visual axis identification system includes a fixation light source, a camera, and a processing system. During operation thereof, the patient focuses their gaze onto two or more fixation light spots provided by the fixation light source upon an optical axis thereof, which creates two or more corresponding images on or near to the patient's retina. The patient's head is then rotated relative while the patient continuously maintains their gaze on the fixation light spots. The patient's visual axis may be located by determining the location of the optical axis of the fixation light source relative to the patient's eye when the centers of the multiple images coincide in the patient's view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventor: Zsolt Bor
  • Patent number: 12150707
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods to provide improved ocular aberrometry recovery. An ocular aberrometry system includes a wavefront sensor configured to provide wavefront sensor data associated with an optical target monitored by the ocular aberrometry system and a logic device configured to communicate with the wavefront sensor. The logic device is configured to receive ocular aberrometry output data including at least the wavefront sensor data provided by the wavefront sensor, identify imaging artifact induced singularities in the received ocular aberrometry output data, determine corrected aberrometry output data based, at least in part, on the identified singularities and the received ocular aberrometry output data, and generate user feedback corresponding to the received ocular aberrometry output data based, at least in part, on the corrected aberrometry output data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Max Hall, Thomas Padrick, Edwin Jay Sarver
  • Patent number: 12144723
    Abstract: Modular IOL systems including a base and a lens, wherein the lens includes tabs for connection to the base. The modular IOL allows for the lens to be adjusted or exchanged while leaving the base in place, either intra-operatively or post-operatively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignees: Alcon Inc., The Regents of the University of Colorado, a body corporate
    Inventors: Malik Y. Kahook, Glenn Sussman, Rudolph F. Zacher, Paul J. McLean, Harvey Uy, Robert Cionni, Kerry Solomon
  • Patent number: 12144920
    Abstract: A surgical cassette for an ophthalmic surgical system includes an irrigation conduit that is in fluid communication with a handpiece and carries fluid toward a surgical site. An aspiration conduit is in fluid communication with the handpiece and carries fluid away from the surgical site. An aspiration pump creates a vacuum pressure in the aspiration conduit to draw fluid through the aspiration conduit towards a drain reservoir. A reservoir couples with a pressure-vacuum source to manage the reservoir pressure. A valve is in fluid communication with the aspiration conduit and the reservoir and provides one or more channels between the aspiration conduit and the reservoir. One or more pressure sensors detect a pressure associated with the surgical site. A computer controls the valve in response to the pressure detected by the one or more pressure sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Vincent A. Baxter, David Dyk, Satish Yalamanchili, Raphael Gordon
  • Patent number: 12135452
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a fiber and a laser probe assembly with a probe tip that houses the fiber. In certain aspects, the fiber includes a core, an outer cladding surrounding the core, and an end face at a proximal and/or distal end of the fiber. The core is configured to transmit a laser light beam while the core and the outer cladding are both configured to transmit an illumination light. In certain aspects, a surface area of the end face corresponding to a cross-section of at least the outer cladding is treated with a roughening or polishing process to modulate an illumination light output angle of the fiber. Using a fiber that is configured to transmit a laser light beam as well as a wide-angle illumination light allows for a more compact fiber and probe tip, allowing for medical procedures that require a narrower probe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Chenguang Diao, Ronald T. Smith, Alireza Mirsepassi
  • Patent number: 12127933
    Abstract: Systems and methods for non-invasively assessing ciliary muscle accommodative potential in phakic eyes may include receiving a plurality of signals generated by a plurality of bipolar electrodes during a ciliary muscle assessment procedure, each of the plurality of signals indicating an electrical field associated with a patient's ciliary muscle, and analyzing the signals to evaluate the patient's ciliary muscle accommodative potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: John Alfred Campin, Kevin Liedel, George Hunter Pettit
  • Patent number: 12127802
    Abstract: The systems and methods described herein provide improved techniques for OCT guided robotic ophthalmic procedures. A method includes receiving, during OCT scanning of an eye, position data of a plurality of galvanometer scanners from a plurality of absolute and incremental encoders coupled to the corresponding galvanometer scanners. The method further includes receiving scan data related to one or more tissues of the eye. The method further includes determining, a set of first positions of the one or more tissues of the eye in a first 3D coordinate system. The method further includes determining, based on the set of first positions and a mapping between the first and a second 3D coordinate systems, a position in the second 3D coordinate system for a surgical instrument coupled to a robotic device. The method includes causing the robotic device to move the surgical instrument to the position in the second 3D coordinate system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventor: Steven T. Charles
  • Patent number: 12127972
    Abstract: Certain aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to ophthalmic surgery, and more particularly, to methods and apparatuses for controlling intraocular pressure (IOP) and administering ocular tamponades during or after ophthalmic surgery. An exemplary apparatus generally includes a proximal segment having a first inner diameter (ID), a first proximal end, and a first distal end. The apparatus further includes a distal segment having a second ID smaller than the first ID, a second proximal end, and a second distal end configured to be disposed inside a hub or a cannula transition of a valved cannula comprising the hub, a shaft, and the cannula transition between the hub and the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Ashish Sinha, Robert Jeffrey Heng
  • Publication number: 20240350256
    Abstract: Materials and methods of manufacturing intraocular lenses, including polymeric materials for the intraocular lenses, fluids for intraocular lenses, and adhesives for intraocular lenses. The intraocular lenses can include an optic portion and a peripheral region in fluid communication.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2024
    Publication date: October 24, 2024
    Applicant: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Sharad HAJELA, Gomaa ABDELSADEK, Sean HALENBECK
  • Publication number: 20240348759
    Abstract: A method for enhancing digital images during an eye surgery includes producing warm white light via a lighting source by blocking blue and green wavelengths of light using an excitation filter. The method includes illuminating a pupil and iris of the eye with the warm white light during the eye surgery and collecting digital images of target anatomy using a digital camera. Within the images, a processor digitally isolates a pupil pixel region from an iris pixel region and adjusts a characteristic of constituent pixels of one of the regions. The method may be performed by executing instructions from a computer-readable storage medium to enhance a red reflex at predetermined stages of an eye surgery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2024
    Publication date: October 17, 2024
    Applicant: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Gillian Myers, Alan Fridman, Maximiliano Ramirez Luna
  • Patent number: 12116442
    Abstract: The invention provides a contact lens manufacturing method comprising a process for removing unprocessed molded silicone hydrogel contact lenses from mold halves in a relatively efficient and consistent manner. The method of the invention involves using a silicone fluid (or so-called silicone oil) as non-reactive diluent in SiHy lens formulation for making SiHy contact lenses. Resultant SiHy contact lenses cast-molded from such a SiHy lens formulation can have a significantly reduced adhesion force with the molding surfaces of a lens mold and consequently a higher efficiency and consistency in removing unprocessed molded SiHy contact lenses from mold halves can be achieved. This method of the invention can be easily implemented in a production environment for enhancing the production yield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Jing Cheng, Yang Zheng, Steve Yun Zhang, Lindsay Olson
  • Patent number: 12109107
    Abstract: An ophthalmic lens includes an optic comprising an anterior surface, a posterior surface, and an optical axis. At least one of the anterior surface and the posterior surface has a surface profile including a base curvature, a refractive region having the base curvature, and a diffractive region comprising a diffractive profile including a plurality of diffractive steps. At least a portion of the diffractive profile constitutes a combination of a base diffractive profile defining multiple foci for the ophthalmic lens and an achromatizing structure that reduces longitudinal chromatic aberrations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Xin Hong, Xin Wei
  • Patent number: D1054023
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Joel Cicchella, Grace Chuang Liao, James Y. Chon, Ashish Sinha