US 12,447,355 B2
Device for stimulating the Meibomian glands
Rodolfo Pomar, Pianoro (IT); and Morena Gomedi, Pianoro (IT)
Assigned to ESPANSIONE MARKETING S.P.A., Centergross Funo (IT)
Appl. No. 17/286,314
Filed by Rodolfo Pomar, Pianoro (IT)
PCT Filed Oct. 21, 2019, PCT No. PCT/IT2019/050223
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 16, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/079718, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 23, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 102018000009640 (IT), filed on Oct. 19, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0379401 A1, Dec. 9, 2021
Int. Cl. A61N 5/06 (2006.01)
CPC A61N 5/0625 (2013.01) [A61N 5/0616 (2013.01); A61N 5/0622 (2013.01); A61N 2005/0648 (2013.01); A61N 2005/0652 (2013.01); A61N 2005/0658 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A device for stimulating the Meibomian glands of a user, the device comprising:
a cap;
a plurality of light-emitting diodes arranged on an internal surface of said cap, said plurality of light-emitting diodes comprising at least one matrix of light-emitting diodes arranged in areas of said inner surface of the cap suitable for facing, in use, eyelids and periocular areas of the user, said light-emitting diodes being arranged substantially at a same distance from the user's eyelids, to generate endogenous heat, wherein said cap comprises a mask, the mask having further solid areas at different areas of the face housing further matrices of light-emitting diodes suitable for being used to perform therapeutic treatments on the skin, the mask being configured, in a use state, to cover a forehead of the user and cheeks of the user; and
an external control and/or supply unit electrically connected to said light-emitting diodes and provided with a control interface, wherein:
said light-emitting diodes of said at least one matrix are configured to emit a beam of electromagnetic radiation in a range of wavelengths between 600 nm and 650 nm, said light-emitting diodes being configured to emit a beam of electromagnetic radiation at an emission power of between 60 mW/cm2 and 120 mW/cm2;
parameters for operating said light-emitting diodes are set based on a Heiko Pult scale;
said external control and/or supply unit comprises an electronic processor; a non-transitory memory readable by an electronic processor, comprising instructions which, when performed by said electronic processor, cause said electronic processor, on the basis of data relating to a severity level of the dysfunction of the Meibomian glands of the user, to calculate an optimal amount of energy that must be absorbed by the user's Meibomian glands to stimulate them, to automatically select a plurality of light-emitting diodes and to automatically set their power and duration of emission;
said severity level of the dysfunction of the Meibomian glands is established according to a reference evaluation scale that is stored in said non-transitory memory of the device; and
said light-emitting diodes are arranged, in use, at a distance from the area to be treated ranging from more than 5 mm to 200 mm.