Accommodating intraocular lens

Abstract

An accommodating intraocular lens to be implanted within the natural capsular bag of a human eye from which the natural lens matrix has been removed through an anterior capsule opening in the bag circumferentially surrounded by an anterior capsular remnant. During a postoperative healing period following surgery, the anterior capsular remnant fuses to the posterior capsule of the bag by fibrosis about haptics on the implanted lens while the ciliary muscle is maintained in its relaxed state by a cycloplegic to prevent dislocation of the lens, and the lens is deflected rearwardly by the fibrosing anterior capsular remnant to a distant vision position against the elastic posterior capsule of the bag in which the posterior capsule is stretched rearwardly. After fibrosis is complete, natural brain-induced contraction and relaxation of the ciliary muscle relaxes and stretches the fibrosed anterior remnant and increases and reduces vitreous pressure in the eye to effect vision accommodation by the remnant, the posterior capsule, and vitreous pressure.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 09 / 740,679 filed Dec. 19, 2000 which was a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 08 / 987,531 filed Dec. 9, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,197,059 which is a continuation-in-part of patent application Ser. No. 08 / 640,118, filed Apr. 30, 1996, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 08 / 500,010 filed Jul. 10, 1995, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 08 / 113,215, filed Aug. 27, 1993, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 08 / 020,630 now U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,476,514, 5,672,282, and 5,496,366, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 07 / 515,636, now abandoned.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] This invention relates generally to intraocular lenses and more particularly to novel accommodating intraocular lenses for implantation within the capsular bag of a human eye from which the natural lens matrix has been removed by an, extraction procedure which l...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0028] The accommodating plate haptic spring lenses of the invention are designed for use when the anterior capsular remnant or rim of the capsular bag is ruptured. These plate haptic spring lenses are similar to the simple plate haptic lenses but have resilient springs, such as spring loops, at the ends of the plate haptics. When a plate haptic spring lens is implanted in a capsular bag, the haptic springs press outward against the wall of the capsular bag sulcus to fixate the lens in the bag during fibrosis. Fibrosis occurs about the springs in such a way as to effect fusion of the ruptured anterior remnant to the posterior capsule, firm fixation of the springs and hence the haptics in the bag, and posterior deflection of the lenses against the elastic posterior capsule during fibrosis. Brain-induced constriction and relaxation of the ciliary muscle after fibrosis with a ruptured capsular rim effects accommodation of the plate haptic spring lens in much the same way as occurs with the simple plate haptic lens and an intact non-ruptured capsular rim.

[0029] While the plate haptic spring lenses of the invention are designed for use with a ruptured anterior capsular remnant or rim, these lenses can also be utilized with an intact rim. A plate haptic spring lens also compensates for improper lens placement in the eye with one end of the lens situated in the capsular bag and the other end of the lens situated in the ciliary sulcus of the eye. In this re

Problems solved by technology

This shrinkage combined with shrink-wrapping of the haptics causes endwise compression of the lens in a manner w

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