Improvements in Surgical Instruments for Improving Eye-sight.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Apr., 1899-Accepted, 13th May, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Surgical Instruments for Improving Eye-sight.
I, BENJAMIN FREDENBURGHI STEPHENS, residing at No. 1284, Flatbush Avenue,
Brooklyn, in the State of New York, United States of America, Hydraulic
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
Cups have been made use of for exercising and improving eyesight, there being
an exhausting device connected with the eye-cup so that after the cup has been
placed upon the eyelid, the air can be exhausted to a greater or less extent to
cause the eyeball to be drawn into the cup.
'
In devices of this character I have found that the pressure upon the cornea is
disadvantageous. The present improvement relates especially to a yielding
button in the bottom of the eye-cup, which button has a concave surface approxi-
mately corresponding to the convexity of the cornea so that such button is
pressed by the action of a spring over the cornea and the eye-cup itself corre-
sponds generally in shape to the eyeball, and by the suction action, the eye-ball
is exercised and vitallized in addition to the shape of the eyeball being influenced.
by the action of the cup so that the general configuration of the eyeball is restored
to a normal condition by the suction action.
In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a vertical section of one of the eye-
cups and an elevation of the other portions of the apparatus, and Fig. 2 is à cross
section through the air-ball.
The air-ball A is of rubber and sufficiently thick to assume its normal shape
after it has been compressed to force out more or less of the air, and at opposite
sides of this ball there are tubular branches A¹ which are advantageously quarter-
circle bends and they receive at their outer ends the tubular shanks 3 of the eye-
cups B, which eye-cups are approximately hemispherical upon the inner surfaces
and each eye-cup has a cylindrical recess at the bottom into which is received the
button C, the surface of which is advantageously a zone of a sphere of less
diameter than the eye-cup so that the concavity at the end of the button corre-
sponds approximately to the convexity of the cornea of the eye, and the shank 4
of the button slides freely in the eye-cup and the spring is advantageously
in the form of a volute with the smaller end sprung into a groove in the shank 4
closely adjacent to the underside of the button, and the larger end of the spring
volute expands into a groove around the recess in the eye-cup into which the
button is received, so that the spring projects the button slightly above the
surface of the bottom of the eye-cup, and when applied to the eye, this button
yields, but at the same time applies upon the cornea a sufficient pressure to aid
in restoring the cornea to a normal shape and to lessen the risk of said cornea
remaining out of shape from over exertion of the eye or from extraneous cir-
cumstances..
The construction of the air-ball and tubular branches is such that the eye-
rups will normally be at about the same distance apart as the eyes are in the

page_text: head, but in order to adapt the cups to variations in the distances between the
eyes, I apply around the tubular branches the collars D and connect them by
screws E so as to adjust and hold the cups at the proper distances apart to corre-
spond to the eyes of the person using them.
I find it advantageous to apply right and left hand screws upon the collars and
to use a tubular nut with interior right and left screw threads upon the screws
so as to adjust with facility the positions of the eye-cups, and by providing two
sets of collars, screws and nuts, as represented, the eye-cups can be adjusted
and held reliably in the proper position with the axial lines of the cups either
parallel or at a slight divergence or inclination one way or the other way according
to the requirements of the instrument in rectifying any defects in the positions
of the eyeballs, or the action of the muscles upon the same, and the instrument
can be adjusted by an oculist to act properly upon the eyes of the patient, and
then a clamp G can be tightened to hold the tubular nuts F. and prevent them
being turned accidentally.
This instrument is well adapted to rectifying defects in the eyes and to in-
vigorate the eyes by an exercising action upon the same.
It is advantageous to apply upon the surfaces of the flexible ball and at oppo-
site sides, disks 6 to be acted upon by the thumb and finger, and these disks
should have stems with button heads, passing through the rubber or similar
material composing the flexible air-ball so that the said air-ball can be more
easily compressed, and there may extend from one of the disks into the air-ball
a stop to arrest the movement at a definite point of the compression by the end
of the stop coming into contact with the opposite interior surface of the air-ball.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
First In an exercising apparatus for the eyes, an eye-cup having an interior
surface approximately globular to correspond to the eye-ball, a button in a recess
in the bottom of the cup and having a concave surface corresponding approxi-
mately to the convexity of the cornea and a spring for acting upon the button,
substantially as set forth.
Second The combination with the two eye-cups, of an air-ball with tubular
curved branches receiving the stems of the eye-cups, and screw connections for
adjusting the distances between the eye-cups and holding the same in the desired
relative axial positions, substantially as set forth.
Third: In an apparatus for improving eyesight, the combination with the
two eye-cups, a flexible air-ball and tubular curved branches extending from the
air-ball to the eye-cups, of pressure disks at opposite sides of the air-ball against
which the finger and thumb are applied in ejecting the air from the air-ball,
substantially as set forth.
Fourth: The combination with the flexible air-ball and the tubular curved
branches from the same, or eye-cups having tubular stems passing into the
tubular branches, collars around the tubular branches and eye-cup stems, right
and left hand screws extending from such collars and a tubular nut between such
screws for adjusting the position of the parts, substantially as set forth.
Fifth The combination with the flexible air-ball and the tubular curved
branches from the same, of eye-cups having tubular stems passing into the
tubular branches, collars around the tubular branches and eye-cup stems, right
and left hand screws extending from such collars and a tubular nut between such
screws for adjusting the position of the parts, and a second pair of collars, screws
and a connecting nut, for adjusting the axial position of the eye-cups and a
clamp for holding the tubular nuts, substantially as set forth.
Sixth The combination with the air-ball and its flexible tubular branches,
of two eye-cups, one attached to each of the tubular branches and adjusting and
holding devices applied between the bases of the eye-cups for adjusting and hold-

page_text: ing the same at the proper distances apart and with the axial lines of the cups
parallel or diverging, substantially as set forth.
Seventh-The eye instrument having an air-ball and a cup with the cylin-
drical recess in the centre of the concave bottom in combination with a button
5 fitted to slide in the said recess and having a concave surface to press upon the
eye and a spring for moving the button forward, substantially as specified.
Dated this 10th day of April 1899.
HARRIS & MILLS,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C, Agents.