FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This application relates to custom eyewear. More particularly, this application relates to eyewear frames that are designed and configured around lenses.

BACKGROUND

Traditionally, eyewear design is frame-centric. Designers create frames, users select a frame, and then opticians adapt lenses to the selected frame. This approach offers tremendous design freedom, which is evidenced by the diverse range of styles, sizes, shapes, materials, and colors available for frames.

While comfort and appearance are well-served by current frame technologies, visual experience is not. For correction of vision, which is the primary reason for using eyewear, optical performance depends on lenses more than on frames. In order for a lens to correct the light refractive errors in eyes that lead to conditions such as near-sightedness, far-sightedness, astigmatism, and presbyopia, the lens optics must be individually prescribed for each eye and placed in the correct position and orientation in front of the eye. When lenses are not properly fitted, wearers suffer from visual discomfort, eyestrain, headaches, and poor vision. As one example, the position of the lenses should account for the pantoscopic angle, which is the angle between the optical axis of the lens and the visual axis of the eye in its primary position. The optical center of the lenses is typically lowered by 1 mm for each 2 degrees of pantoscopic angle, otherwise the wearer is likely to experience lens aberrations induced by changes in sphere and cylinder powers outside of the optical center. For multifocal or progressive lenses, the position of the lens in relation to the eye is even more critical.

In the current environment, where frames are selected first and lenses are made to fit the frame, the frame design can impose constraints which result in lenses that are not optimally positioned or oriented in front of the wearer's eyes. In some cases, a wearer can tolerate or adapt to the optics of a lens that is not correctly positioned. In other cases, the negative effects of a poorly-positioned lens cannot be overcome, and the wearer will first suffer from the effects and then try many solutions to solve the problem. The consequences for these wearers are physical discomfort, time and money spent in looking for solutions, and too often, the challenge of selecting a different frame that better accommodates the wearer's needs. There remains a need in the art for improving both the fit and the visual experience for wearers of eyewear.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a computer-implemented method for constructing custom eyewear, comprising receiving wearer information related to anatomy and lifestyle of a wearer of the custom eyewear; calculating, based at least in part on the anatomy and lifestyle of the wearer, values for lens parameters, wherein the lens parameters set a lens position that is optimized for the wearer; obtaining a scanned image showing morphology of an anatomical part of the wearer; selecting a frame from a digital catalog; and modifying the frame to accommodate the values for the lens parameters and the scanned image, thereby building the frame and constructing custom eyewear.

Values for the lens parameters may be optimized for one or more of prescription data, previous glasses, lens type, and pupillary distance (PD), and the scanned image.

In some embodiments, the prescription data comprises measurements for bifocal, trifocal, or multifocal lenses.

In certain embodiments, the lens position set by the lens parameters includes corrective features in a first region of the lens and includes non-essential features in a second region of the lens.

Lens parameters may comprise at least one of lens offset (x & z), pantascopic angle (PA), corneal vertex distance (CVD), lens face form angle (LFFA), minimal eye point height (EPH), minimal B-size, minimal distance to upper, and minimum corridor length. The values for the lens parameters may be selected from an ideal value and a range of tolerated values for the lens parameters.

In some embodiments, selecting the frame comprises choosing a frame that accommodates the values for the lens parameters. Modifying the frame may comprise modifying values for one or more frame parameters.

Frame parameters may comprise a frame model ID, OMA data, HBox, VBox, incline, frame face form angle (FFFA), parametric model, color options, frame material, groove type, and bevel type.

In certain embodiments, the methods described herein further comprise making a lens calculation based on the one or more frame parameters, wherein the lens calculation approximates the optimal lens for a frame having the frame parameters.

The methods may further comprise performing a lens reconstruction to create 3D lens shape based on the optimal lens from the lens calculation.

In some embodiments, the methods further comprise performing an auto fitting of the 3D lens shape, selected frame, and scanned image showing morphology of an anatomical part of the wearer.

An output of the auto fitting may comprise lens parameters selected from one or more of PA, CVD, LFFA, EPH, and distance to upper rim and frame parameters selected from DBL, HBox, VBox, FFFA, inclination angle, and temple length.

In certain embodiments, lens materials/codes may be added to the frame parameters for frame fitting. For example, the methods may further comprise making a change to a different lens material and performing at least one further iteration of lens calculation, frame optimization, and/or auto-fitting.

A further step may comprise making a change to frame parameters and optionally performing at least one further iteration of auto-fitting.

In some embodiments, a final lens calculation is performed based on final calculated lens parameters and frame parameters.

In certain embodiments, a final check for optimization of lens parameters may be performed.

Lens customization may be performed via a customization web service.

In some embodiments, the lens customization comprises selecting at least one of a frame design, material, treatment, and color; selecting at least one of a lens coating, tint, photo, polarization, filter; and ordering the custom eyewear.

Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a computer program configured to perform the methods described herein. A further aspect of the present disclosure relates to a computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the methods described herein. Yet another aspect of the present disclosure relates to an eyewear product customized according to the methods described herein.

