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EP-3974893-B1 - METHOD FOR REDUCING NEAR-INFRARED LIGHT EXPOSURE BY A LAMINATE FILM STRUCTURE ON AN EYEWEAR

EP3974893B1EP 3974893 B1EP3974893 B1EP 3974893B1EP-3974893-B1

Inventors

  • SHAN, HAIFENG
  • CHIU, HAO-WEN

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20200928

Claims (12)

  1. An eyewear structure for protecting an eye from near-infrared light, comprising: an ophthalmic lens (408); a near-infrared absorption layer (406) disposed on the ophthalmic lens (408), the near-infrared absorption layer (406) absorbing the near-infrared light and having at least one near-infrared light absorption peak; and a near-infrared reflection layer (404) disposed on the near-infrared absorption layer (406), the near-infrared reflection layer (404) reflecting the near-infrared light and having at least one near-infrared light reflection peak, wherein the ophthalmic lens (408) is disposed between the eye (402) and the near-infrared absorption layer (406), and wherein the near-infrared absorption layer (406) is disposed between the ophthalmic lens (408) and the near-infrared reflection layer (404), and wherein at least one near-infrared light absorption peak of the near-infrared absorption layer substantially matches at least one near-infrared light reflection peak of the near-infrared reflection layer.
  2. The eyewear structure according to claim 1, wherein a total near-infrared light transmission through the eyewear structure is less than a total visible light transmission through the eyewear structure.
  3. The eyewear structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the near-infrared absorption layer (406) is a thermoplastic film including thermoplastic resin and one or more near-infrared light filters.
  4. The eyewear structure according to claim 3, wherein each of the one or more near-infrared light filters has a different concentration and a different absorption range between 780 nm and 2000 nm.
  5. The eyewear structure according to claim 3 or 4, wherein one or more near-infrared light filters of the first near-infrared light absorption layer (406) has/have at least one near-infrared light absorption peak within at least one of the following ranges: 780-880 nm, 960-1080 nm, 1180-1320 nm, and 1480-1760 nm, and a percentage of reflection of the near-infrared light from the first near-infrared light absorption layer is less than 9%.
  6. The eyewear structure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the near-infrared reflection layer (404) includes: a thermoplastic film with a silver nano-particle coating, or a multilayer infrared reflecting film, or a thermoplastic film with a nano-ceramic coating, or a thermoplastic film with an anti-reflection coating, or a thermoplastic film with a mirror coating.
  7. The eyewear structure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein near-infrared light transmission of the near-infrared reflection layer (404) is less than 30% and near-infrared light reflection of the near-infrared reflection layer is larger than 31%.
  8. The eyewear structure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a near-infrared light reflection peak of the near-infrared reflection layer (404) is between 780 nm and 2000 nm.
  9. The eyewear structure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the near-infrared reflection layer (404) is an outer layer of the laminate film structure.
  10. The eyewear structure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the near-infrared absorption layer (406) is integrated with the ophthalmic lens (408).
  11. The eyewear structure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the near-infrared absorption layer (406) absorbs a transmitted near-infrared light, the transmitted near-infrared light first passing through the near-infrared reflection layer (404).
  12. The eyewear structure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the near-infrared absorption layer (406) absorbs a reflected near-infrared light, the reflected near-infrared light first passing through the near-infrared absorption layer (406) and then reflecting from the backside of the near-infrared reflection layer (404).

Description

BACKGROUND FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates to a method for reducing near-infrared light exposure to an eye by a laminate film structure on an eyewear. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART Many studies have been done to evaluate the effects of near-infrared light (NIR) on human eyes. Some studies show that NIR light can transmit through ocular media (e.g., cornea, lens, aqueous, and iris, etc.) to the retina where NIR light is absorbed by retinal pigment epithelium. If the retina is exposed to high intensity of NIR light, structural retinal damage happens by at least one of three fundamental processes: photomechanical (or photoacoustic) process, photothermal (heating effects) process, and photochemical process depending on the influence rate, total dose, and spectral characteristics of the NIR light. Acute NIR light exposure is well known to lead to cataracts and recent investigations show a strong presumption that cataracts can also be triggered by chronic NIR exposure. The foregoing "Background" description is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly or impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure. Relevant prior art is found in US 2018/113326. Aspects of the invention may address some of the above-described shortcomings in the art, particularly using solutions set forth in the claims. SUMMARY The present disclosure relates to reducing near-infrared (NIR) light exposure to an eye by the inclusion of a laminate film structure on eyewear. The invention is defined by the features of claim 1. Preferred options are defined in the dependent claims. The present disclosure relates to a laminate film structure for a wearer intended for reflecting and absorbing near-infrared (NIR) light such as defined in the set of claims comprising : a near-infrared reflection layer reflecting the near-infrared light that is incident on the near-infrared reflection layer, anda near-infrared absorption layer disposed between an eye of the wearer and the near-infrared reflection layer, the near-infrared reflection layer being disposed on the near-infrared absorption layer and the near-infrared absorption layer absorbing the near-infrared light, wherein the near-infrared absorption layer may be a thermoplastic film including thermoplastic resin and one or more near-infrared light filters, each of the one or more near-infrared light filters may have a different concentration and a different absorption range between 780 nm and 2000 nm, a first near-infrared light absorption layer of the one or more near-infrared light filters may have at least one near-infrared light absorption peak within at least one of the following ranges: 780-880 nm, 960-1080 nm, 1180-1320 nm, 1480-1760 nm and a percentage of reflection of the near-infrared light from the first near-infrared light absorption layer may be less than 9%, the near-infrared reflection layer may include: a thermoplastic film with a silver nano-particle coating, or a multilayer infrared reflecting film, or a thermoplastic film with a nano-ceramic coating, or a thermoplastic film with an anti-reflection coating, or a thermoplastic film with a mirror coating, near-infrared light transmission of the near-infrared reflection layer may be less than 30% and near-infrared light reflection of the near-infrared reflection layer may be larger than 31%, a near-infrared light reflection peak of the near-infrared reflection layer may be between 780 nm and 2000 nm, at least one near-infrared light absorption peak of the near-infrared absorption layer substantially matches at least one near-infrared light reflection peak of the near-infrared reflection layer, the near-infrared reflection layer may be an outer layer of the laminate film structure, an ophthalmic lens may be disposed between the near-infrared absorption layer and the eye of the wearer, the near-infrared absorption layer may be integrated with the ophthalmic lens, the near-infrared absorption layer may absorb a transmitted near-infrared light, the transmitted near-infrared light first passing through the near-infrared reflection layer, and the near-infrared absorption layer absorbs a reflected near-infrared light, the reflected near-infrared light first passing through the near-infrared absorption layer and then reflecting from the backside of the near-infrared reflection layer. The present invention relates to an eyewear structure such as defined in the set of claims for protecting an eye from near-infrared light, comprising a near-infrared absorption layer disposed on the ophthalmic lens, the near-infrared absorption layer absorbing the near-infrared light, and a near-infrared reflection layer disposed on the near-infrared absorption layer, the near-infrared reflection