Claims
- 1. A fenestrated contact lens comprising:
a lens body adapted for placement adjacent a surface of an eye, said lens body having an inner surface and an outer surface; said lens body having a first plurality of fenestrations extending therethrough, wherein said first plurality of fenestrations are biased to direct a flow of lachrymal fluid from a first location between the surface of said eye and the inner surface of said contact lens to a second location adjacent the outer surface of the contact lens; said lens body also having a second plurality of fenestrations extending therethrough, wherein said second plurality of fenestrations are biased to direct a flow of lachrymal fluid from a third location adjacent the outer surface of the contact lens to a fourth location between the surface of the eye and the inner surface of said contact lens.
- 2. The fenestrated contact lens of claim 1, wherein said fenestrations have tapered cross sections to provide said directional flow bias.
- 3. The fenestrated contact lens of claim 1, wherein said fenestrations are positioned at a non-perpendicular angle with the surfaces of the contact lens body to provide said directional flow bias.
- 4. The fenestrated contact lens of claim 1, wherein, when said fenestrated contact lens is mounted within a wearer's eye, said first plurality of fenestrations are positioned over the limbal area of said eye.
- 5. The fenestrated contact lens of claim 1, wherein, when said fenestrated contact lens is mounted within a wearer's eye, said second plurality of fenestrations are positioned over the central area of said eye.
- 6. The fenestrated contact lens of claim 1, wherein, when said fenestrated contact lens is mounted within a wearer's eye, said first plurality of fenestrations are positioned over the limbal area of said eye and said second plurality of fenestrations are positioned over the pericentral area of said eye.
- 7. The fenestrated contact lens of claim 1, wherein said first and second plurality of fenestrations are arranged in concentric rings.
- 8. The fenestrated contact lens of claim 1, wherein said fenestrations have been created via a means selected from the group consisting of laser milling and ion beam milling.
- 9. The fenestrated contact lens of claim 1, wherein said fenestrations have a size ranging from 0.1 microns to 200 microns.
- 10. The fenestrated contact lens of claim 1, wherein said fenestrations are coated with a polyelectrolyte coating to increase their hydrophilicity and prevent blockage.
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority of Provisional Application: 60/236,252, filed Sep. 28, 2000.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60236252 |
Sep 2000 |
US |