Abstract: Night vision apparatus, particularly night vision goggles, having a wide field of view. The apparatus includes an objective optical system having a selected field of view for collecting visible and/or infrared light from an object to be viewed and for providing an input image of the object; image intensifying and magnifying means for receiving the input image and for providing a visible, intensified and magnified output image of the input image, and an eyepiece optical system for receiving the visible, intensified and magnified output image and for presenting a visible intensified image of the object to an eye of a user at unity magnification. The image intensifying and magnifying means preferably comprises an image intensifier tube having a fiber optic bundle beam expander therein. The image intensifying and magnifying means permits the eyepiece optical system to have a longer focal length and, hence, to provide greater eye relief than would otherwise be possible.

Abstract: A high tension lamp and connector assembly, in particular for motor vehicle lighting, the lamp and the connector including at least two electrically conductive and complementary connection elements for feeding the lamp. A conducting member is provided in a region of the connector which is not immediately accessible, the conducting member serving in the absence of external thrust to establish mutual electrical contact between the the connection elements of the connector, thereby short-circuiting the connection elements. The lamp bears at least one actuator element which, when the lamp is correctly installed in the connector, urges the conductive member in such a manner as to cause it to break the electrical contact between the connection elements of the connector. The invention is applicable to improving safety while handling arc lamps for headlights.

Abstract: An aspheric lens for providing improved vision and a method for generating such a lens is described. The lens provides a sharp image focus while minimizing image aberrations. The method utilizes ray tracing techniques in conjunction with Modulation Transfer functions to accurately account for the total corrective lens-eye system. The lens may be in the form of a contact lens, an intraocular lens, a natural lens or a spectacle lens, and is suitable for correcting myopia, presbyopia, astigmatism and other focusing problems. The lens is characterized by a hyperbolic or parabolic surface which functions to reduce spherical aberrations and minimize the retinal image spot size.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for use in determining the location of object surface points wherein a short pulse of optical energy is projected at the object surface and a time dependent gain function is used to modify the reflected optical energy resulting from the pulse so that time delay information indicative range can be developed and processed.

Abstract: Methods and compositions for preventing or treating ophthalmic diseases or disorders wherein an ophthalmically effective amount of the C.sub.20 through C.sub.26 aminosteroids of formula XI and their pharmaceutical, acceptable salts, hydrates or solvates is administered in an inert vehicle to arrest oxidation processes damaging to the eye.

Abstract: A 2-D pointer motor provides for panning (sideways actuate motion) and tilt (yaw motion) and may be made smaller than one-cubic inch. The motor is preferably controlled by a microcomputer based controller using pulse-width modulation (PWM) to separately control each of its three coils. The coils are arranged orthogonally to provide a single unified torque vector which turns the rotor and accurately points it in the desired directions. The motor is especially adapted to carry a sensor such as a CCD array.

Abstract: A multifocal refractive lens to focus light on the retina of the eye and method of making. The lens is comprised of a plurality of segments, alternating segments having different optical powers. At least for distance vision and another for near. The lens of the invention does not require orientation to produce adequate far and near vision and normal steroscoptic effect. One or both of the segments having the optical powers may have aspherical lens surface. Preferably, the lens has at least one aspherical lens surface and the segments are divided by an arcuate path going from the center of the lens to edge. Such a lens is manufactured by taking lens molds and cutting the molds from the edge through the center to the opposite edge along a predetermined path. The molds are cut so that the segments produced are interchangable and can be fitted together to make a mold that can produce the multifocal refractive contact lens by molding.

Abstract: A motor vehicle headlamp has adjusting means for adjusting the orientation of its reflector by essentially linear displacement of an application point on the reflector. This application point is defined by one end of a threaded rod which includes at its opposite end an adjusting head, and which is threadedly mounted with a first degree of friction in a fixed part of the headlamp. The threaded rod is also threadedly engaged, but with a second degree of friction, in an adjusting cap. The second degree of friction is greater than the first degree of friction.

Abstract: Apparatus is provided for use in the sterilization of contact lenses or the like, wherein lenses are disposed within a sterilizing solution contained within a reaction vessel, which sterilizing solution is capable of being decomposed through contact with a catalytic agent. The apparatus comprises a reaction vessel capable of containing a sterilizing solution and comprising a container portion, a cover and structure for supporting an article in contact with sterilizing solution in the container. Further structure is provided for mounting a catalytic agent on the supporting structure such that the catalytic agent is removable for replacement by a user as the catalytic agent becomes exhausted in use.

Abstract: A low water contact lens material having high O.sub.2 permeability, a lower water content and reduced polymer matrix size provides adequate O.sub.2 to the cornea, but does not wick water away from the eye nor allow protein or other tear components to penetrate and deposit in the lens. Such a lens is made by polymerizing and crosslinking a prepolymer which contains a cyclic polyol with polyalkylether segments containing curable segments. The cyclic polyols consist of alkoxylated glucose or sucrose which are then reacted with an isocyanate to produce an ultraviolet curable prepolymer. The prepolymer is then placed in a mold and polymerized by exposure to ultraviolet light. The free hydroxyl groups of the material react with a highly hydrophilic reagent to form covalent bonds thus making the surface of the material more wettable.

Abstract: An antiglare tip for the sheath of an endoscope to prevent glare in an image viewer is disclosed. The antiglare tip includes an interfitting region with the endoscope to ensure that all light entering the image viewer is reflected from objects external to the endoscope. An opaque projection extends from the endoscope insertion tube between the light source and the image viewer. Opaque recesses in the tip are positioned to mate with the opaque projections extending from the endoscope end. Having mating projections and recesses aligned ensures that no light may pass directly from the light source to the image viewer via the tip. Glare resulting from internal reflections in the tip, or from an inside surface of the tip, is prevented.

Abstract: Lightly crosslinked polymers, preferably ones prepared by suspension or emulsion polymerizing at least about 90% by weight of a carboxyl-containing monoethylenically unsaturated monomer such as acrylic acid with from about 0.1% to about 5% by weight of a polyfunctional, and preferably difunctional, crosslinking agent such as divinyl glycol (3,4-dihydroxy-1,5-hexadiene), having a particle size of not more than about 50 .mu.m in equivalent spherical diameter, when formulated with an ophthalmic medicament, e.g., fluorometholone, into suspensions in aqueous medium in which the amount of polymer ranges from about 0.1% to about 6.5% by weight, based on the total weight of the aqueous suspension, the pH is from about 3.0 to about 6.

Abstract: Apparatus for detecting particulate matter in a slurry travelling in a flow channel, the apparatus including an optical taper containing a plurality of optical fibers fused together for viewing the particulate matter in only a thin layer of the slurry immediately adjacent to a first end of the optical fibers, the thin layer having a maximum depth equal to approximately the largest particle size of the particulate matter, the first ends of the optical fibers extending through a radial port in the flow channel and being immediately adjacent to the slurry travelling in the flow channel, the optical fibers having a focal length at the first ends thereof for permitting focussed viewing thereby only in the thin layer which is adjacent to the first ends, and the optical fibers being tapered from second opposite ends thereof to the first ends thereof to provide magnification of the image of the particulate matter at the second ends, a fiber optic bolt for securing the optical taper within the port such that the first

Abstract: An optical instrument for use in conducting optometric examinations which generates an alphanumeric type display simulating the optical features of displays provided by video display terminals. The instrument comprises a light source and a multi-layered screen through which light from the source may be transmitted. The screen employs light from the source in forming characters which are comprised of pixel-like light elements similar to those making up VDT generated characters. Further, the screen is operative for degrading the image quality of the characters by transforming the light elements into Gaussian type spatial profiles typical of the pixels generated by VDTs.

Abstract: A topical, aqueous ophthalmic gel suspension for dry eye is administrable to the eye in drop form, remains as a gel in the eye for a prolonged time, and releases water and one or more ophthalmic demulcents or vasoconstrictors. It comprises water and from 0.1% to 6.5% by weight of lightly cross-linked carboxyl-containing polymer having a particle size of not more than about 50 .mu.m in equivalent spherical diameter. The suspension is at a pH of from 6.6 to 8.0, has an osmolality of from 50 to 400 mOsM, and a viscosity of from about 500 to about 4,000 centipoise (0.5 to 4 Pa.s).

Abstract: A system for controlling a set of electrical devices, e.g. in a motor vehicle, having a decoding module for a group of such devices, the decoding module receiving an electrical signal containing instructions to switch on and to switch off the electrical devices in the group and delivering control signals on the basis of those instructions, and a set of switches controlled by the control signals and each connected between a common electrical power line and a respective electrical device in the group. The controlled switches are mounted in the immediate vicinity of the corresponding electrical devices of the group, and the decoding module is housed in a housing which is separate from the controlled switches.

Abstract: A motor vehicle headlight of the type comprising a single light source, a reflector including two zones suitable for generating two different respective light beams, a closure glass, and masking means situated in the vicinity of the source and capable of being displaced for selectively masking the light rays delivered by the source and propagating towards at least one of the two zones. According to the invention the two zones of the reflector are disposed side by side, each of them extending over the entire height of the reflector, each zone of the reflector is constituted by a portion of a reflecting surface sufficing on its own to generate the associated beam, and the masking means comprise at least one screen which, in its masking position, is situated to one side of the source.