1. A lens device for the treatment of visual impairments and designed as a segment of a Fresnel lens and wherein a focal point is generated by the lens device comprising:
an anterior side of the lens and a posterior side of the lens,
a fixation element for fixing in the eye,
a plurality of wedge-shaped recesses on the posterior side of the lens, and a superposition of spherical and non-spherical segments of one or more Fresnel lenses on the anterior side of the lens opposite the posterior side,
wherein the plurality of wedge-shaped recesses include inclined areas, which redirect the focal point through the wedge-shaped recesses, the inclined areas are plane areas running linearly in a parallel direction to each other, the inclined areas and their plane areas running linearly in a parallel direction to each other extend along the entire posterior side of the lens device.
2. The lens device according to claim 1, wherein the wedge-shaped recesses are inclined at different angles.
3. The lens device according to claim 1, wherein the posterior side features a coating or protective layer to fill the wedge-shaped recesses preventing the reflection of light on the edges of the lens device after passage through the lens device.
4. The lens device according to claim 3, wherein the coating features a refraction index equal to that of the chamber fluid of the eye of the patient.
5. The lens device according to claim 1, wherein the lens device features an anterior chamber and a posterior chamber which are separated by a transparent wall, whereby the anterior chamber is configured to face away from the retina and features at least one convex-elastic element, so that by alignment of the curve of the at least one convex-elastic element, the focal width of the at least one convex-elastic element is variable.
6. The lens device according to claim 5, wherein the posterior chamber, which is configured to face the retina, features a transparent, elastic coating, and the posterior chamber features a supporting element for the wedge-shaped recesses, which is designed to be mounted rotatably against the posterior chamber, so that the inclination of the wedge-shaped recesses is adjustable.
7. The lens device according to claim 6, wherein the supporting element is attached to an elastic element which is pre-stressed against rotation.
8. The lens device according to claim 6, wherein each chamber is connected to a supply and removal canal, each of which is assigned at least one pump or volume modification means either directly or indirectly via one or more valves, so that one or more of the convex-elastic element of the anterior chamber and the transparent, elastic coating undergoes a change of form when the pump or volume modification means is activated, and the supporting element for the wedge-shaped recesses undergoes rotation due to the transparent, elastic coating or the convex-elastic element changing its form.
9. The lens device according to claim 8, wherein, in the posterior chamber which faces the retina, a mobile, transparent and inclined surface is assigned to each wedge-shaped recess which is arc adapted to be mounted rotatably due to rotation elements, whereby an elastic element is assigned to each of these mobile, transparent and inclined surfaces and, the mobile, transparent and inclined surfaces undergo a rotation when the pump or volume modification means assigned to the anterior chamber is activated, so that the focal point is redirected on the retina.
10. The lens device according to claim 1, wherein each chamber is adapted to be filled with a transparent medium, whose refraction index is adapted to be adjusted to be that of one or more of the chamber fluid, the transparent, elastic coating, and the transparent wall.
11. The lens device according to claim 8, wherein implanted batteries or receivers are provided as means of providing energy for the at least one pump or volume modification means for inputting energy from outside of a body of a patient.
12. The lens device according to claim 1, wherein optical means for the correction of the near field are provided, whereby the further optical means can also be provided in front of or behind the lens device.
13. The lens device according to claim 1, wherein the lens device features at least one UV-protective film for the protection of the retina from UV rays.
14. The lens device according to claim 8, whereby the pump or volume modification means feature a characteristic curve, which allows conclusions to be drawn on a counterpressure on a recorded performance of a pump or volume changes, against which the pump or volume modification means work, so that a determination of the pressure in the interior of the eye of the patient is possible via a measurement of the recorded performance.
15. The lens device according to claim 9, wherein each chamber is adapted to be filled with a transparent medium, whose refraction index is adapted to be adjusted to be that of one or more of the chamber fluid: the transparent, elastic coating: and the transparent wall.
16. The lens device according to claim 12, wherein the further optical means is a lens.
17. The lens device according to claim 11, wherein energy input from outside of the body of the patient is by one or more of electromagnetic and magnetic fields.
18. The lens device according to claim 1, wherein a material of the fixation element features a refraction index equal to that of the chamber fluid of the eye of the patient.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A vinyl alcohol copolymer resin consisting essentially of recurring units I, II and III,
wherein:
R1 is present or absent and if present is C1-C20 alkylene, C4-C8 cycloalkylene, C4-C8 heterocycloalkylene, arylene, heteroarylene, or \u2014C(\u2550O)\u2014NH\u2014R2\u2014;
R2 is C1-C10 alkylene, C4-C8 cycloalkylene, C4-C8 heterocycloalkylene, arylene, alkylarylene, heteroarylene, or alkylheteroarylene; and
M is a cationic counterion or hydrogen;
and wherein:
recurring unit I is present in the vinyl alcohol copolymer resin in an amount of from about 0.5 to about 10 mole percent;
recurring unit II is present in the resin in an amount of from about 75 to about 98 mole percent; and
recurring unit III is present in an amount of from about 1 to about 20 mole percent;
wherein the vinyl alcohol copolymer resin is characterized by a substantial absence of compositional drift as determined by 13C NMR spectroscopy.
2. The resin of claim 1, wherein recurring unit I is present in the vinyl alcohol copolymer resin in an amount of from about 1 to about 8 mole percent.
3. The resin of claim 1, wherein recurring unit III is present in the vinyl alcohol copolymer resin in an amount of from about 1 to about 10 mole percent.
4. The resin of claim 1, wherein the resin is characterized by a degree of hydrolysis of from about 70 to about 99+ %.
5. The resin of claim 1, wherein a 4 weight % aqueous solution of the resin is characterized by a viscosity of about 2 to about 30 cps.
6. The resin of claim 1, wherein R1 is \u2014C(\u2550O)\u2014NH\u2014R2\u2014 and R2 is C1-C10 alkylene.
7. The resin of claim 1, wherein R1 is absent, such that recurring unit I is
8. The resin of claim 1, wherein M is a hydrogen or a sodium ion.
9. A vinyl alcohol copolymer resin consisting essentially of recurring units I, II and III,
wherein:
R1 is present or absent and if present is C1-C20 alkylene, C4-C8 cycloalkylene, C4-C8 heterocycloalkylene, arylene, heteroarylene, or \u2014C(\u2550O)\u2014NH\u2014R2\u2014;
R2 is C1-C10 alkylene, C4-C8 cycloalkylene, C4-C8 heterocycloalkylene, arylene, alkylarylene, heteroarylene, or alkylheteroarylene; and
M is a cationic counterion or hydrogen;
and wherein:
recurring unit I is present in the vinyl alcohol copolymer resin in an amount of from about 0.5 to about 10 mole percent;
recurring unit II is present in the resin in an amount of from about 75 to about 98 mole percent; and
recurring unit III is present in an amount of from about 1 to about 20 mole percent;
and wherein further the vinyl alcohol copolymer resin is prepared by steps including:
(a) continuously feeding vinyl acetate monomer, a sulfonic acid-containing comonomer corresponding to recurring unit I, a free radical yielding polymerization initiator, and a solvent for said monomer, comonomer, initiator, and copolymer resulting from the copolymerization of said monomer and comonomer into a first reaction zone to form a reaction mass;
(b) maintaining the reaction mass in the first reaction zone under polymerization conditions with agitation for a residence time sufficient for a major proportion of the sulfonic acid-containing comonomer fed to said first reaction zone to polymerize;
(c) continuously feeding reaction mass from said first reaction zone to a second reaction zone;
(d) continuously feeding additional sulfonic acid-containing comonomer to the second reaction zone;
(e) maintaining the reaction mass in the second reaction zone under polymerization conditions with agitation for a residence time sufficient to polymerize a major proportion of the sulfonic acid-containing comonomer added to the second reaction zone;
(f) continuously withdrawing reaction mass from the second reaction zone;
(g) separating a copolymer of vinyl acetate monomer and the sulfonic acid-containing comonomer from the latter reaction mass; and
(h) saponifying by hydrolysis andor alcoholysis a major proportion of the acetate groups in the vinyl acetate-sulfonic acid-containing copolymer to form the vinyl alcohol copolymer resin;
wherein the ratio of sulfonic acid-containing comonomer fed to the first reaction zone to the sulfonic acid-containing comonomer fed to the second reaction zone is within the range of about 55:45 to about 80:20; and wherein the resin is characterized by a substantial absence of compositional drift, as evidenced by a unimodal compositional distribution determined using gradient elution chromatographic analysis.
10. A vinyl alcohol copolymer resin consisting essentially of recurring units I, II and III,
wherein:
R1 is present or absent and if present is C1-C20 alkylene, C4-C8 cycloalkylene, C4-C8 heterocycloalkylene, arylene, heteroarylene, or \u2014C(\u2550O)\u2014NH\u2014R2\u2014;
R2 is C1-C10 alkylene, C4-C8 cycloalkylene, C4-C8 heterocycloalkylene, arylene, alkylarylene, heteroarylene, or alkylheteroarylene; and
M is a cationic counterion or hydrogen;
wherein further:
recurring unit I is present in the vinyl alcohol copolymer resin in an amount of from about 0.5 to about 10 mole percent;
recurring unit II is present in the resin in an amount of from about 75 to about 98 mole percent; and
recurring unit III is present in an amount of from about 1 to about 20 mole percent;
and wherein the resin is characterized by a resistance to irreversible dehydration upon exposure to harsh chemicals, as determined by a harsh chemical dissolution test and evidenced by a dissolution time of less than about 100 seconds after 2 weeks of exposure.
11. The resin of claim 10, wherein the recurring unit I is present in the vinyl alcohol copolymer resin in an amount of from about 1 mole percent to about 5 mole percent.
12. The resin of claim 10, wherein the recurring unit II is present in the vinyl alcohol copolymer resin in an amount of from about 85 mole percent to about 95 mole percent.
13. The resin of claim 10, wherein the recurring unit III is present in the vinyl alcohol copolymer resin in an amount of from about 5 mole percent to about 10 mole percent.
14. A vinyl alcohol copolymer resin consisting essentially of recurring units I, II and III,
wherein:
R1 is present or absent and if present is C1-C20 alkylene, C4-C8 cycloalkylene, C4-C8 heterocycloalkylene, arylene, heteroarylene, or \u2014C(\u2550O)\u2014NH\u2014R2\u2014;
R2 is C1-C10 alkylene, C4-C8 cycloalkylene, C4-C8 heterocycloalkylene, arylene, alkylarylene, heteroarylene, or alkylheteroarylene; and
M is a cationic counterion or hydrogen;
wherein further:
recurring unit I is present in the vinyl alcohol copolymer resin in an amount of from about 0.5 to about 10 mole percent;
recurring unit II is present in the resin in an amount of from about 75 to about 98 mole percent; and
recurring unit III is present in an amount of from about 1 to about 20 mole percent;
and wherein the resin is characterized by retention of hydroxide functionality upon aging, as determined by infrared (IR) spectra and as evidenced by a peak demonstrating absorption at about 3354 cm\u22121 on the IR spectra after two weeks of aging.
15. The resin of claim 14, wherein recurring unit I is present in the vinyl alcohol copolymer resin in an amount of from about 1 mole percent to about 4 mole percent.
16. The resin of claim 14, wherein recurring unit II is present in the vinyl alcohol copolymer resin in an amount of from about 94 mole percent to about 98 mole percent.
17. The resin of claim 14, wherein recurring unit III is present in the vinyl alcohol copolymer resin in an amount of from about 1 mole percent to about 5 mole percent.
18. A resin composition for forming a film, coating or package, the composition comprising a saponified copolymer of vinyl acetate and an acrylamido-sulfonic acid monomer, wherein the copolymer is characterized by a substantial absence of compositional drift.
19. The resin composition of claim 18, wherein a substrate is coated with the composition to provide a soft, flexible oil and grease barrier coating.
20. The resin composition of claim 18, wherein a water-soluble package or a film is formed from the composition, and wherein the water-soluble package or film is resistant to oxidizing chemicals.
21. The resin composition of claim 18, wherein a film is formed from the composition to produce a battery separator which resists degradation by oxidation.