E Peli¹, F Vargas-Martín²
¹Schepens Eye Research Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; ²Laboratorio de Óptica, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
Spectacle mounted telescopic systems effectively provide magnified images of objects at farther distances. The main obstacles to the acceptance of these devices are cosmetic considerations, the ring scotoma caused by the magnification, and the limited field of the smaller Galilean telescopes. We designed a spectacle-mounted wide-field terrestrial telescope built entirely inside the spectacle lens. The design, inspired by the Abbé's version of the Porro Prism, uses embedded flat mirrors inside the carrier lens for optical pathway folding, and conventional lenses, curved mirrors, or holographic elements for optical power. Keplerian configuration inside the lens provides a wide horizontal visual field even in a thin lens. The small size of the ocular and its bioptic position with additional mirror tilt enable the user to view the magnified field simultaneously and above the unmagnified view of the uninterrupted horizontal field. The SimulVision view is important for user's safety and for visual navigation. Design issues including required magnification, visual field, and eye relief will be described. This design enables the construction of cosmetic telescopes that can be produced as a commodity lens blank that can be surfaced to include the patient prescription. A Galilean telescope version is also possible with the same technology. These devices may also have utility in non low-vision applications in military and civilian use.
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