Systems and methods

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to a system for two-photon or multi-photon illumination of an artificial lens, preferably an intraocular lens, that is placed in a patient's eye, and to a method for locally adjusting the polarization and / or refractive index of an artificial lens, preferably an intraocular lens, that is placed in a patient's eye. The method particularly relates to fabricating an optical profile by adjusting the polarization through a two- or multi-photon process in a non-destructive manner.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates generally to a system for two-photon or multi-photon illuminating an artificial lens, preferably an intraocular lens, that is placed in a patient's eye, and a method for locally tuning the polarizability and / or refractive index of an artificial lens, preferably an intraocular lens, that is placed in a patient's eye. The method particularly relates to the fabrication of an optical profile by tuning the polarizability through a two- or multi-photon process in a non-destructive manner. [Background technology]

[0002] Light-induced changes in material properties are applied in several technological fields, such as microfabrication, 3D printing, nanostructuring, or two-photon lithography. This can lead to different processes, such as photopolymerization, photoinduced material degradation, or photochemical crosslinking. As a result of these processes, the properties of the irradiated material change. This can result in changes in mechanical properties, solubility, transparency, refractive index, etc. In 3D printing (usually a photolithographic approach), a femtosecond laser can be used to polymerize specific arrays. This can be done by photopolymerization. A photosensitizer can be added to make the formulation curable. This can allow printing at μm resolution, which may not be possible with common 3D printing techniques. A multi-beam array can be used to increase the speed of production. Nanostructures are also used in the biomedical field. In the field of eye treatments, structuring applications are used to modify ophthalmic polymers (such as contact lenses and intraocular lenses (IOLs)), and eye tissues (see, for example, US2018243082A1). When treating IOLs, photosensitizers in the material are usually utilized, for example by absorbing UV light. By two or more photon processes, voxels of the interior material can be targeted without affecting the surface of the IOL. When irradiated, the photosensitizer can absorb the light and provide energy to the surrounding material. In WO2017221068A1, the emitted light is provided in the form of heat to the hydrogel material. This can lead to degradation of the polymer and a change in the refractive index. Another approach is the formation of non-vision-reducing microcrystals in the material by femtosecond laser irradiation. The higher molecular order of the crystallites can result in a local increase in density within the material, and consequently a local increase in the refractive index, as shown in US2010228345A1.

[0003] US2009143858 describes a method for modifying the refractive index of an optical polymeric material, comprising irradiating selected areas of the optical polymeric material in a disruptive manner with a focused visible or near infrared laser having a pulse energy of 0.05 nJ to 1000 nJ, resulting in the formation of a refractive optical structure, characterized by a change in refractive index that exhibits little or no scattering losses and no significant differences in Raman spectra compared to the non-irradiated optical polymeric material used. US2016081852 describes a method for altering the refractive properties of an eye, the method including applying a photosensitizer to internal corneal tissue of the eye, the photosensitizer promoting cross-linking of the internal corneal tissue, irradiating the cornea to activate the cross-linker in the internal corneal tissue, and altering the cornea such that the refractive properties of the eye are changed. US2008004610 describes a particular refractive index adjustable lens and in-procedure refractive index measurement with a refractometer. The adjustment described is a destructive method.

[0004] Cataract is a clouding of the eye lens that can impede the passage of light. Most cases of cataract are associated with the aging process. However, children can be born with cataracts or develop them at an early age. Furthermore, cataracts can develop after eye injury, inflammation, or some other eye disease. According to a World Health Organization survey, more than 50 million people worldwide currently suffer from cataracts, and cataracts are responsible for about half of the cases of blindness worldwide. Although cataracts can be surgically removed, in many countries surgical services are not available and cataracts remain the leading cause of blindness. The number of people suffering from cataracts is increasing as life expectancy is projected. Thus, cataracts are a significant cause of poor vision in both developed and developing countries. Comprehensive prevention of cataract development is not yet known. Cataracts can be treated surgically and vision can be restored to normal: the clouded lens is then removed and replaced with an artificial lens. The artificial lens, as with all modern lenses, is implanted into the remaining capsular bag, or into the sulcus if no capsule is present, after removal of the natural lens through a small incision.

[0005] A typical problem with IOL implantation is that the results obtained are suboptimal in most cases, as far as optimal visual acuity is concerned. Biometric data of the eye before IOL implantation, among them the radius of curvature of the cornea and the length of the eyeball, cannot be determined with the desired accuracy. It is currently difficult to predict the positioning of the IOL during surgery, the unpredictable effects of wound healing, and the postoperative migration of the IOL, which occurs within weeks to months after cataract surgery. There are various approaches and formulas used to predict IOL power before cataract surgery, but a suitable solution has not yet been found.

[0006] Clinical trials dealing with the outcome of cataract surgery have shown that over 80% of patients are within 1 diopter (D) of the desired refraction. Nevertheless, many have refractive errors that require some degree of correction to provide optimized visual acuity. It has been shown that refractive errors after cataract surgery are virtually unavoidable, even though the magnitude of the refractive error has been reduced. Problems can also occur when certain ocular conditions exist, for example, when the axial length of the eye is significantly longer or shorter than average. Pediatric cases are generally more prone to complications related to refractive power predictions. Intraocular lens power errors due to manufacturing tolerances can also contribute to the overall error, especially for high-power IOLs. It should be noted here that the applicable ISO 11979 standard allows tolerances of ±0.33 D at the corneal surface for IOLs over 25.00 D and as much as ±0.66 D for IOLs over 30.00 D.

[0007] Refractive error is defined as an error in the eye's ability to focus light and is a frequent reason for reduced visual acuity. An eye that has no refractive error when viewing distant objects is emmetropic. An eye that has a refractive error when viewing distant objects is said to be ametropic. Refractive errors may be classified as spherical and cylindrical. Spherical errors occur when the optical power of the eye is too great or too small to focus the light on the retina. Cylindrical errors occur when the curvature of the two meridians is different. People with refractive errors have blurred vision.

[0008] Myopia, also called near-sightedness or short-sightedness, refers to a refractive defect of the eye in which parallel light produces an image in front of the retina when the eye is in a relaxed state. A person with myopia can see nearby objects clearly, but distant objects appear blurry. In myopia, the eyeball is too long or the cornea is too steep, meaning the optical power is too high for the length of the eyeball. As a result, the image is focused inside the vitreous body inside the eye, rather than on the retina. Hyperopia, also known as farsightedness or long-sightedness, relates to a defect in vision resulting from imperfections in the eye. Too low optical power for a given length of the eyeball can cause an inability to focus on nearby objects. In extreme cases, a person cannot even focus on objects at any distance. When an object moves towards the eye, the eye has to increase its optical power to keep the image focused on the retina. When the power of the cornea and lens is insufficient, as in hyperopia, the image appears blurry. Astigmatism is an optical defect that can cause blurred vision because the optics of the eye cannot focus a point object into a sharply focused image on the retina. Irregular or toric curvature of the cornea or lens can cause astigmatism. There is a difference in the degree of curvature refraction of two different meridians. In other words, the eye has different focal points in different planes. For example, an image can be clearly focused on the retina in the horizontal plane, but not in front of the retina in the vertical plane. Contours in certain directions can appear blurred, while contours at right angles can appear clear. People with astigmatism can have difficulty seeing fine details. In some cases, vertical lines (e.g., walls) can appear tilted to the patient. Astigmatism optics can often be corrected by eyeglasses, hard contact lenses, or contact lenses with corrective optics.

[0009] There are approximately six different forms of cataracts, and over 20 causes have been identified that may lead to cataracts. Once a cataract is diagnosed, there is currently no medical treatment available. The only current treatment is replacement of the natural lens followed by implantation of an artificial IOL. The standard treatment today is a foldable IOL. Here, the IOL can be immersed in the fluid of the eye chamber. The optically active part of the IOL typically has a diameter between 5 mm and a maximum of 7 mm. Depending on the particular model, elastic loops or brackets are attached to the end of the optic part of the IOL. These loops, called haptics, allow the lens to be centered in the capsular bag and hold the IOL in place. The overall diameter of the IOL is about 12 mm, and its thickness depends on the refractive power and usually varies between 0.7 mm and a maximum of 2 mm. The weight of the IOL is of the order of 50 mg.

[0010] Polymers that may be used to manufacture foldable IOLs may be categorized into two subgroups. IOLs may be made of (1) acrylic or methacrylic, or (2) silicone-based polymers. Additionally, hydrophobic and hydrophilic materials may be used in IOLs. Hydrophilic materials may soften with the aid of approximately 10-30% water absorption, while hydrophobic materials may be designed to soften without water absorption. Many variations of IOLs, and many IOLs with different optical profiles (multifocal, toric, extended depth of focus, etc.), have been researched and are commercially available. However, currently, it is difficult to determine biometric data with the accuracy required for an IOL to deliver the promised results.

[0011] Examples of silicon-containing polymers that can be used as optical materials are described in WO2018149857. Examples of acrylate- or methacrylate-containing polymers that can be used as optical materials are described in WO2017032442, WO2017032443, WO2017032444, WO2018149850, WO2018149852, WO2018149853, WO2018149855, and WO2018149856.

[0012] For example, the [2+2] cycloaddition reaction between coumarins can be carried out by light. One coumarin can be photochemically excited and react with ground state molecules within its range. According to the Jablonski diagram, the absorption of a photon leads to an excited singlet state of an organic molecule, which can be converted to a triplet state via intersystem crossing. In contrast to the singlet state, which can be depopulated by fluorescence, the triplet state can only be depopulated by non-radiative decay. Thus, the lifetime of the triplet state in organic molecules such as coumarin is much longer than that of the singlet state. Therefore, for the intermolecular [2+2] cycloaddition reaction of coumarins, the triplet state and its population are the most favored ones, since its long lifetime allows a large number of collisions with other molecules and a high specific mobility, enhancing the possibility of cyclodimerization reactions [T.Wolffetal,Phys.Chem.Chem.Phys.,2004,6,368-376].

[0013] Apart from errors due to the measurement of biometric data, it is almost impossible to accurately predict the refraction after the operation / surgery. This is mainly due to unpredictable effects that may occur during the healing process within weeks or months after cataract surgery. These effects include, for example, the effect of pseudophakic anterior chamber depth, which is the notional distance between the apex of the cornea and the effective main surface of the IOL. In addition, changes in corneal shape may occur during the healing process. The exact value of these changes may depend on various factors, including the uniqueness of the eye, the IOL type, as well as the surgeon and the instruments used. Uncertainty in the specifications of the IOL may also make it difficult to predict the correct refraction. After wound healing, treatment, i.e., adjustment of the optical profile of the IOL, may be applied individually or prescription glasses may be required for patients treated with an IOL to obtain ideal vision. Alternatively, the patient may require a contact lens that matches the ideal vision correction visual acuity of the natural lens. Due to the currently insurmountable shortcomings in preoperative IOL refractive power prediction, the objective of the system and method according to the present disclosure is to provide a solution for non-invasively adjusting the optical profile of an already implanted IOL by changing the polarizability of the organic molecules from which the IOL is made. Furthermore, the objective of the system and method according to the present disclosure is to provide a solution for creating and / or modifying an artificial lens (which may or may not be placed in the patient's eye), in particular by using a two-photon (or generally multi-photon) process. Multiphoton excitation is a nonlinear phenomenon that requires high intensity to allow simultaneous absorption of photons. In the case of two-photon excitation, excitation occurs with a probability proportional to the square of the intensity of the excitation light. On the other hand, the excitation light collected by the microscope objective has an intensity that is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the focal plane.

[0014] N. Yonezawa et al., Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn., 1984, 57, 1608-1611 explain that heat has been shown to induce a thermal cycloreversion reaction which adversely affects the yield of the cyclic dimer formed from the photoreaction. Summary of the Invention

[0015] The inventors have discovered that the above objectives may be achieved either individually or in any combination by the systems and processes of the present application. The present invention relates to a system for irradiating an artificial lens, the system comprising: one or more illumination sources for two-photon or multi-photon irradiation, which irradiate the artificial lens with an illumination beam focused by an optical section and having a first wavelength and / or a second wavelength different from the first wavelength; a scanner coupled to one or more illumination sources and configured to scan the illumination beam across the artificial lens; and an input unit coupled to one or more irradiation sources and a scanner, the input unit configured to input data for treating the artificial lens by scanning the irradiation beam over the artificial lens based on input data; The first wavelength is between 600 nm and 800 nm to locally reduce the polarizing property of the artificial lens based on the treatment of the artificial lens, and the second wavelength is between 400 nm and 590 nm to locally increase the polarizing property of the artificial lens based on the treatment of the artificial lens.

[0016] The present invention further relates to a system for irradiating an artificial lens, preferably placed in a patient's eye, the system comprising: one or more illumination sources for two-photon or multi-photon irradiation, which irradiate the artificial lens with an illumination beam having a wavelength between 600 nm and 800 nm, which is focused by an optical part; a scanner coupled to one or more illumination sources and configured to scan the illumination beam across the artificial lens; and an input unit coupled to one or more irradiation sources and a scanner, the input unit configured to input data for treating the artificial lens by scanning the irradiation beam over the artificial lens based on input data; The wavelengths are for locally reducing the polarizing properties of the artificial lens based on the treatment of the artificial lens.

[0017] The present invention further relates to a system for irradiating an artificial lens, preferably placed in a patient's eye, the system comprising: one or more illumination sources for two-photon or multi-photon irradiation, which irradiate the artificial lens with an illumination beam having a wavelength between 400 nm and 590 nm, which is focused by an optical part; a scanner coupled to one or more illumination sources and configured to scan the illumination beam across the artificial lens; and an input unit coupled to one or more irradiation sources and a scanner, the input unit configured to input data for treating the artificial lens by scanning the irradiation beam over the artificial lens based on input data; The wavelengths are for locally increasing the polarizing properties of the artificial lens based on the treatment of the artificial lens.

[0018] 1 and 2 show schematic diagrams of the above-mentioned system. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system for irradiation of an artificial lens, e.g. a contact lens or an intraocular lens not placed in a patient's eye. An irradiation beam (2) emitted by an irradiation source (1) is deflected by a scanner (4) and focused by an optics (16) to perform the desired adjustment of the polarization properties of the artificial lens (3). A positioning system (20) determines the working position of the focal spot in the artificial lens (3). The position information, together with the power and the existing optical profile of the artificial lens (3), are part of the input data (8) regarding the artificial lens (3). The lens data (10) and the treatment planning data (12) are further described below. A temperature management unit (14) predicts and / or measures the temperature of the material of the artificial lens (3) before and / or during irradiation.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a system for illuminating an intraocular lens placed in a patient's eye. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a system for irradiation of an intraocular lens placed in a patient's eye. The irradiation beam (2) emitted by the irradiation source (1) is deflected by a scanner (4) and focused by an optical part (16) to perform the desired adjustment of the polarization of an artificial lens (3) in the patient's eye, said optical part (16) being linked to an eye interface system (18) that keeps the patient's eye in a fixed position. A positioning system (20) determines the working position of the focal spot in the artificial lens (3). The position information, together with the power and the existing optical profile of the artificial lens (3), are part of the input data (8) regarding the artificial lens (3). The lens data (10) and the treatment planning data (12) are further explained below. A temperature management unit (14) predicts and / or measures the temperature of the material of the artificial lens (3) before and / or during irradiation.

[0020] The present invention further relates to a process for adjusting the polarizing properties of an artificial lens comprising a body made of a polymeric optical material, based on a two- or multiphoton absorption process, the process comprising the steps of: providing said lens; and Adjusting the polarizing properties of the lens through irradiation of the lens by using the system according to the invention as described above or, preferably, below, thereby changing the polymeric optical material with a significant difference in the UV / Vis spectrum with respect to the non-irradiated polymeric optical material of the artificial lens.

[0021] The present invention further relates to a method for locally adjusting the polarizing properties of an intraocular lens comprising a polymerized optical material for placement within a patient's eye, the method comprising: exposing the intraocular lens to an illumination beam having a wavelength between 600 nm and 800 nm to locally reduce the polarizing properties of the intraocular lens; or Exposing the intraocular lens to an illumination beam having a wavelength between 400 nm and 590 nm in order to locally increase the polarizing properties of the intraocular lens.

[0022] The present invention still further relates to a method for correcting the vision of a patient by modifying the refractive index of an intraocular lens in an eye of said patient, comprising: Identifying and measuring the patient's degree of vision correction; determining the location and type of refractive structures to write into said intraocular lens to correct the patient's vision; and Thereafter, exposing the intraocular lens to two-photon or multi-photon radiation having a wavelength between 600 nm and 800 nm to locally reduce the polarizing properties of the intraocular lens or exposing the intraocular lens; or Thereafter, exposing the intraocular lens to two-photon or multi-photon radiation having a wavelength between 400 nm and 590 nm to locally increase the polarizing properties of the intraocular lens.

[0023] The invention further relates to a system as described above or preferably below, and to a kit of parts comprising at least one artificial lens suitable for said system.

[0024] Detailed Description of the Invention It should be noted that throughout this disclosure, any reference to a body / element / part of a system being coupled to another body / element / part (and potentially further bodies / elements / parts) may involve one body / element / part being directly and / or indirectly coupled to the other body / element / part.

[0025] The lenses or artificial lenses in the above disclosure are defined as contact lenses or intraocular lenses. The intraocular lens according to the present invention is an implantable lens used to replace the eye's natural lens when it becomes damaged. The type of lens is not limited and may include a contact lens or an intraocular lens. Most preferably, such an artificial lens is an intraocular lens (IOL), which may be, for example, a posterior chamber intraocular lens or an anterior chamber intraocular lens. There is no limitation on the type of intraocular lens. For example, it may be a pseudophakic intraocular lens or a phakic intraocular lens. The former type replaces the natural clear lens of the eye, usually replacing the lens of a cataract that has been removed. The latter type is used to supplement the existing lens, functions as a permanent corrective lens, and is implanted in the anterior or posterior chamber to correct the refractive error of the eye. The artificial lens treated according to the present invention may include, for example, one or more optics and one or more haptics, where the one or more optics function as lenses and the one or more haptics are attached to the one or more optics and hold the one or more optics in place in the eye. The artificial lens treated according to the present invention may be a one-piece design or a multi-piece design, depending on whether the one or more optics and the one or more haptics are formed from a single piece of material (one-piece design) or are made separately and then joined (multi-piece design).

[0026] The artificial lens, preferably an IOL, may comprise a polymerized optical material, whereby the optical properties of said lens may be non-invasively altered by the system, using which the polarizability and therefore the refractive index may be altered, in particular based on a multiphoton process. Preferably, the artificial lens (contact lens or IOL), as further described below, comprises a polymerized optical material, whereby the optical properties of the IOL can be non-invasively altered by the system. Particularly preferably, the artificial lens (contact lens or IOL) is made of a polymeric optical material, as more preferably described below. Typically, the optic portion of the lens is 5 mm to 7 mm in diameter, and the thickness is typically between 0.2 mm and 2.0 mm.

[0027] In the present application, input data is any kind of data used to create a treatment plan, defined as the conversion of ophthalmic requirements into control commands for the writing process, as explained in more detail in the following description. During the writing process, an optical pattern is written by irradiation into the artificial lens. The term "control command" refers to a command that directly controls the writing process, as defined above or preferably as described below. A control command may, for example, control the movement of a scanner. The term "scanner" as used within this description is not part of the input unit according to the invention. A "scanner" as described herein is an element of the system according to the invention that controls the movement of the illumination beam. Ophthalmic requirements refer to the desired optical profile that must be created in the artificial lens through the system and process according to the present invention.

[0028] The optical profile is the required change defined by the surgeon depending on the patient's examination before or after implantation of the artificial lens, such as, but not limited to, a spherical total diopter change, a toric profile, an EDOF profile, or a bi-, tri-, or multifocal profile. Alternatively, the optical profile is the optical property adjustment of the contact lens. The optical pattern is the required change in polarization that results in a change in the refractive index in every voxel of the artificial lens.

[0029] Input data as previously defined is intended to include common input data, individual input data, or in-process input data. Common input data is intended to include common data that is used by default for organizational reasons. Examples of such common input data are described below. Individualized input data is all data related solely to ophthalmological needs. Examples of such individualized input data are described below. In-flight input data is data that is created and used during the writing process.

[0030] The term "positioning system" as used within this description determines the location of the laser focal point within the eye. The term "assessment system" as part of the positioning system used within this description determines the position of the artificial lens relative to the system and the patient's eye. The term "illumination beam" exit defines the location where the illumination beam leaves the optical part of the system according to the invention. The term "optics" as used herein as part of the system according to the invention includes all the optical equipment required to control the spatial distribution of the illumination source (focus) on the artificial lens. Important parameters of the focus include the lateral focus size (or beam waist) and the focal length (or Rayleigh length). The optics includes all elements along the optical beam path that determine the focus, such as beam expanders, aperture stops, shutters, and focusing optics, such as microscope objectives or single lens aspheric lenses, among others. Illumination within the focal volume results in a refractive optical structure characterized by a change in the polarization / index of the bulk of the artificial lens and / or the polarization / index of the refractive index of non-irradiated parts of said artificial lens. In other words, the changes in polarizability / refractive index can be used to create desired refractive structures patterned within the artificial lens as described, or preferably described, below.

[0031] It is preferable to provide a refractive structure that exhibits a change in refractive index and little or no scattering loss, such that no delamination, removal or destruction of intraocular lens material is observed within the illuminated region. Said illuminated region can take the form of a two or three dimensional region or volume filled refractive structure that can provide spherical, aspheric, toroidal or cylindrical correction. In fact, any optical structure can be formed to provide refractive power correction in both physical directions. Furthermore, the optical structures can be stacked vertically or written in separate planes within the artificial lens, which is further described below, to function as a single lens element. Multiphoton excitation occurs by using preferably ultrashort laser pulses only near the focal point. The average power is limited by the sample damage threshold, such threshold being part of the common input data defined below.

[0032] As described above, or preferably below, the system advantageously allows post-operative and non-invasive adjustment of the optical properties / profile of the implanted IOL to eliminate visual disorders such as refractive errors. Furthermore, when manufacturing an artificial lens (e.g., before inserting a contact lens or, e.g., an intraocular lens into the patient's eye), the system advantageously allows for a refractive structure that can provide spherical, aspheric, toroidal, or cylindrical correction, and / or a gentle creation of the artificial lens, particularly allowing the lens to maintain its flexibility even after the lens creation is completed. The polarizability of the artificial lens is modified based on a two-photon (or generally multi-photon) process that allows the adjustment of the optical properties / profile of said artificial lens, or allows the adjustment of the optical properties in different planes of the artificial lens. Furthermore, the modification of the polarizability based on a two-photon or multi-photon process can improve the maintenance of the lens' flexibility when treated with wavelengths between 400 nm and 590 nm. The artificial lens is preferably an IOL.

[0033] Criteria for selection and optimization of system parameters: One ultimate objective of the present invention is to produce a physician-prescribed localized refractive modification of a post-implanted IOL to improve the patient's visual acuity. An important criterion for a refractive modification procedure is the total procedure time required to obtain the desired result. It is generally recognized that such a procedure should not take more than a few minutes to be considered feasible. State-of-the-art systems capable of localized refractive modification do not include an approach to capture the actual procedure time of an IOL application.

[0034] Consider the system trade-offs and limitations: For a practical, high-performance system that can adjust implanted artificial lenses in general, or IOLs in particular, it is recognized that there are many interdependencies and tradeoffs between the subcomponents, which need to be treated as a system and therefore jointly optimized, including the illumination source, optics, scanner, and treatment plan. An important requirement for the optimization of any system / parameter is to stay within the safety limits of the lens material if the artificial lens treatment is a contact lens, or of the lens material if the artificial lens treatment is an IOL, and of the eye together with its components (e.g., retina). Such requirements form the basis of the common input data mentioned above. In particular, two main damage mechanisms of radiation from a radiation source, preferably a pulsed laser source, can be distinguished: single pulse damage (dielectric breakdown and avalanche breakdown), where the temperature of the lens material and / or eye is subsequently heated due to repeated pulses on the same volume, and thermal damage. For example: the average power of a pulsed radiation source is related to the heating and therefore to the potential damage of the lens material and / or eye. Therefore, while the average power of the radiation source is kept below the threshold of overheating of the lens material and / or eye, the pulse energy and the pulse repetition rate are the inverse product of the pulse energy and the number of pulses per second (=inverse of the repetition rate) equal to the average power. Average power is defined as the pulse energy multiplied by the number of pulses per second and is expressed in watts (W). The amount of irradiation is the flux density (W / cm 2 ) is equivalent to Radiation exposure is measured as a fluence (J / cm 2 ) is equivalent to

[0035] One overall objective is to minimize the treatment time for IOL adjustment after implantation. Theoretically, higher and higher pulse energies can be applied with more frequent pulses (= higher repetition rates), but typically above 1 watt average power, dangerous conditions start to occur for the IOL material and retina due to overheating. Therefore, to stay within safe operating limits, a preferred radiation exposure can be defined while completing the treatment of the entire IOL volume in a few minutes. The preferred radiation exposure is ≦5 kJ / cm 2 , particularly preferably <1 kJ / cm 2 , and very particularly preferably <0.3 kJ / cm 2 This described radiation exposure amount has further application to processes and methods according to the present invention, as further described below. If the treatment plan is too extensive and exceeds the laser's safety limits regarding overheating, the treatment can be stopped to allow cooling of all of the artificial lens material and tissue affected by the treatment, after which the scoring system can compare the treated voxels in the artificial lens to the optical pattern and the treatment can continue.

[0036] The process of adjusting the optical properties / profile of the artificial lens through the system and with the above requirements is carried out by the above treatment plan.According to the treatment plan, for example, toric, spherical, multifocal or EDOF (extended depth of focus) profile can be written into the lens.An algorithm can be used to write, for example, a profile for toric, spherical, multifocal or EDOF (extended depth of focus) profile.

[0037] The required optical pattern and control commands for the illumination source, optics and scanner of the system described above or preferably below can be calculated by combining the knowledge of the desired optical profile with common and individual input data, e.g. lens data, such as the laser energy required for a certain refractive index change per voxel of said artificial lens material, and further patient data, such as the exact position and orientation of the artificial lens in the patient's eye, which is part of the treatment planning data. The control commands can be updated and modified during the writing process by in-process input data, such as, for example, temperature data of the patient's eye by IR thermometry, in-process positioning data of the illumination beam, artificial lens or eye obtained by, for example, OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography), and / or refraction data obtained from Scheimpflug images.

[0038] In a further embodiment of the input data, the input data comprises lens data of said artificial lens, preferably of said intraocular lens, and / or treatment plan data relating to a treatment plan for said treatment of said artificial lens.For example, the lens data may comprise data on one or more of the following: the polarizability and / or refractive index of the artificial lens as a function of the position of each volume or part of the artificial lens, the shape, diopter, cylinder and sphere, and / or its individual abnormalities in said dimensions.Thus, the polarizability may increase or decrease at a certain position or volume in one or more planes of the artificial lens depending on the current polarizability (or refractive index) and the polarizability (or refractive index) to be obtained through treatment. Additionally or alternatively, the lens data may include data regarding one or more of the dimensions (e.g., diameter and / or thickness) of the artificial lens, lens shape, diopter, cylinder, sphere, and / or its individual abnormalities in said dimensions, as well as data regarding the materials contained in the artificial lens, preferably an intraocular lens. Preferably, the lens data includes data on one or more dimensions (e.g. diameter and / or thickness) of the artificial lens or IOL, or data on the polarizability and / or refractive index of the artificial lens as a function of the position of the respective volume or portion of the artificial lens, the lens shape, diopter, cylinder, sphere and / or its individual abnormalities in said dimensions, as well as data on the materials comprised by the artificial lenses that are part of the individual input data sets. Preferred materials that the artificial lens, preferably an intraocular lens, may comprise are described below.

[0039] The treatment plan calculations may, in some examples, generate control commands that result in one or more of the treatment plan data including: scanning procedure control instruction data of a scanning procedure for said scanning of the illumination beam of the first and / or second wavelength over the artificial lens (e.g. a scan pattern, and / or a scan sequence, and / or a scan speed, and / or a scan duration of the scan pattern, and / or a scan duration of the scan sequence, and / or a pulse duration (e.g. nanosecond, or picosecond, or femtosecond pulses) of the pulses of the illumination beam of the first and / or second wavelength, and / or an illumination beam profile of the illumination beam of the first and / or second wavelength, and / or a radiation (photon) density, and / or a radiation intensity, and and / or radiation power, and / or radiation wavelength), processing input data such as temperature data of the current and / or predicted temperature of the artificial lens during said exposure, refractive index / polarization data of the artificial lens obtained based on said exposure, refractive index / polarization data obtained in particular with respect to a mapping of refractive index / polarization obtained to specific locations / coordinates of the artificial lens, incision dimension data of the dimensions of the incision, and individual input data such as eye data regarding the dimensions and / or shape of the patient's eye, positioning data regarding the position and / or orientation of the artificial lens relative to the eye, and registration data regarding the identification of the patient and / or the patient's specific eye.

[0040] Preferably, the scanning procedure control command data of the scanning procedure is a scan pattern, and / or a scan rate, and / or a pulse duration of the pulses, and / or a radiation intensity, as further explained below. The parameters of the irradiation beam may then be adjusted according to the lens data and / or treatment planning data defined herein to precisely (locally) vary the polarization / refractive index of the artificial lens as required. Preferably, the parameters of the radiation beam are adjusted according to lens data and / or treatment planning data as described above or preferably herein.

[0041] Those skilled in the art are well aware in this regard that optimal illumination focus conditions are reached when the depth of field (Rayleigh length) of the illumination beam matches the desired thickness of the optical structure to be written into the artificial lens. Those skilled in the art are well aware in this regard that optimal illumination focusing conditions are reached when the depth of field (Rayleigh length) of the illumination beam is matched closely to the local thickness of the artificial lens.

[0042] In a further embodiment, the lens data includes data on radiation absorption properties of the artificial lens (e.g., absorption and / or optical attenuation coefficients, which may depend on the wavelength of light), and the system is configured to adjust the first wavelength and / or the second wavelength of the artificial lens to locally change the polarization property based on a multi-photon absorption process. For example, a specific wavelength or wavelength range may be input based on the material used in the artificial lens to precisely locally change the polarization property of the artificial lens.

[0043] As part of the system according to the invention as described above and further below, the input unit is configured to input these aforementioned input data for treating an artificial lens which may be on a sample holder for the treatment of a contact lens or which may be in a patient's eye for the non-invasive adjustment of an intraocular lens. The invention therefore further relates to a system as described above or below, wherein input data comprises lens data of said artificial lens and / or treatment planning data relating to a treatment plan for said treatment of said artificial lens. The invention therefore further relates to a system as described above or below, wherein the lens data comprises data on radiation absorption properties of said artificial lens, and the system is configured to adjust the first wavelength and / or the second wavelength such that said artificial lens locally changes its polarization property based on a multiphoton absorption process.

[0044] The one or more irradiation sources as part of the system according to the present invention may include one or more pulsed lasers that can be utilized to generate nanosecond pulses, preferably picosecond pulses, more preferably femtosecond pulses.Preferably, one irradiation source is used.Particularly preferably, the one or more irradiation sources include one or more pulsed lasers that are used to generate femtosecond pulses.Particularly preferably, one pulsed laser is used to generate femtosecond pulses that are used as the irradiation of the system according to the present invention or the process and method according to the present invention.

[0045] In one embodiment of the invention, the one or more irradiation sources include lasers that are tunable to emit laser beams having a first and a second wavelength, respectively. This can be particularly advantageous because a single laser can be used to (locally) increase or decrease the polarizability / refractive index of an intraocular lens, as desired. Various pulsed laser types are suitable for the irradiation source in the system according to the invention. MHz lasers as well as kHz lasers are suitable and have specific advantages. For example, MHz laser systems operate at lower pulse energies, but the focused laser spot can be kept on the μm scale (<1 μm to several μm) and can therefore be used for precise local index modifications in all three dimensions, e.g. to generate diffractive structures. A preferred MHz irradiation source is an 80 MHz laser with pulse energies in the range of 0.1 to 10 nJ. kHz lasers, on the other hand, operate with higher pulse energies, typically 0.1-10 μJ, and therefore require larger spot sizes, e.g. 10-100 μm, to avoid damaging the lens material. However, the larger laser spot size means a larger depth of field (=longer Rayleigh length), which may equal or exceed the thickness of the artificial lens material. With such a long Rayleigh length, it may not be possible to modify the refractive index layer by layer within the IOL, but only uniformly along a line around the focal point. The preferred kHz radiation source is a laser with a repetition rate of 100-500 kHz. The average power of said or preferably said radiation source is preferably between 300 and 600 mW, particularly preferably between 400 and 500 mW.

[0046] In a further embodiment of the invention, the same laser source as the illumination source is used by doubling the frequency of the supply laser, or an optical power amplifier is used, or a separate laser source is used to generate an illumination beam having a wavelength outside the ranges given for the first and second wavelengths, respectively.

[0047] The illumination source as part of the system according to the invention preferably includes a tunable laser capable of providing a tunable wavelength in the range of about 680-1080 nm, such as a Ti:Sapphire laser (e.g., Chameleon Ultra II by Coherent, Santa Clara, CA, USA). The system may also include an optical parametric oscillator (e.g., a frequency doubled Chameleon Compact OPO-Vis by Coherent, Santa Clara, CA, USA).

[0048] The radiation source as part of the system according to the invention particularly preferably comprises a femtosecond pump laser in addition to an optical parametric amplifier. The pump laser emits an average power >10 Watts at 1030 nm in pulses <350 fs with a repetition rate of 0.1-700 kHz. The emission of the pump laser is directed to an optical parametric amplifier where the pump laser output is frequency doubled and optically mixed, resulting in a final tunable output in the wavelength range of 600 nm to 800 nm. A preferred repetition rate is between 50 and 600 kHz. A particularly preferred repetition rate is between 100 and 500 kHz. The radiation source as part of the system according to the invention particularly preferably comprises a femtosecond pump laser with average power >10 Watts at 1030 nm in combination with an optical parametric amplifier, emitting radiation pulses <350 fs at a repetition rate of 1-700 kHz. The radiation of said pump laser is directed to an optical parametric amplifier with one or more second harmonic stages, resulting in a final optical output in the wavelength range of 400 nm to 590 nm. A preferred repetition rate is between 50 and 600 kHz. A particularly preferred repetition rate is between 100 and 500 kHz.

[0049] The above-mentioned, or preferably the above-mentioned, laser types generate a collimated optical beam of a few millimeters in diameter, which is then directed to the optics and scanner. 2 The chromatic aberration (measured in units of chromatic aberration) is ideally between 1.0 and 1.5, and more ideally between 1.0 and 1.3.

[0050] Multiphoton excitation occurs only near the focal point, preferably by using ultrashort laser pulses as described above. The average power is limited by the sample damage threshold, such threshold being part of the common input data defined earlier. The ideal parameters for a two-photon induced cyclodimerization reaction are linked to the pulse duration and repetition rate from the system, as further described or preferably described below, and the characteristic time constants of the artificial lens material that can be cyclodimerized, which in brief are the lifetime of the molecular S1 state (~ several ns), the lifetime of the long-lived triplet state (multiple ns to > μs), and the characteristic thermal diffusion time (~ 1 μs). Taking into account the lifetime of the long-lived triplet states, the longer interval between pulses is an advantage. The lifetime of triplet states in the photochemically active groups (multiple ns to >μs) is much longer than the repetition rate of the 80 MHz system (12.5 ns). It is therefore advantageous to use the aforementioned, or preferably the aforementioned kHz laser, since most triplet states are cleared before the next pulse is initiated. This effect results in a significant increase in the efficiency of the cyclodimerization reaction of the artificial lens material, as will be further described below. The temperature rise in the focal spot due to linear absorption, referenced by the characteristic thermal diffusion time, relaxes within microseconds, about 80 times slower than the duration of a typical ~80 MHz pulse. The temperature rise is therefore large. This is not the case for kHz pulses, where the thermal diffusion time is 10 times faster than the duration of a typical 100 kHz pulse. Thus, when irradiated with a constant laser fluence, the local temperature rise due to laser heating is more significant at higher repetition rates.

[0051] The first wavelength of the illumination beam in the system according to the invention is between 600 nm and 800 nm, preferably between 650 nm and 750 nm, more preferably between 670 nm and 720 nm, more preferably between 680 and 710, in order to (locally) reduce the polarizing property (and therefore the refractive index) of the IOL. The second wavelength of the illumination beam in the system according to the invention is between 400 nm and 590 nm, preferably between 500 nm and 580 nm, more preferably between 530 nm and 570 nm, in order to (locally) increase the polarizing property (and therefore the refractive index) of the IOL. This allows the polarization to be varied locally and particularly precisely.

[0052] By (locally) varying the polarizing properties of an artificial lens, the refractive index of said lens can be (locally) varied, the details of this correlation being explained below. As explained in one of the examples below, typical laser parameters are: wavelength 680 nm, pulse duration 180 fs, average power 500 mW.

[0053] Optical parts in the system according to the invention: The main function of the optics is to focus the radiation beam emitted by the radiation source and controlled by the scanner onto the artificial lens. As mentioned above, important considerations are the spot size and depth of focus to minimize the treatment time while staying within the limits given by the laser safety requirements and material damage, as mentioned above as part of the common input data. The most important properties of the optics are given by its effective focal length (EFL) and the diameter of the radiation beam at the entrance aperture of the focusing optics, as well as its numerical aperture (NA). Furthermore, all optical elements in the system according to the invention should be selected for diffraction-limited or near-diffraction-limited properties in order not to substantially degrade the quality of the optical beam. Different ophthalmic needs require different spot sizes, as the spot size determines the spatial resolution achieved. Ideally, the spot size is between 1 and 100 μm, more ideally between 50 and 100 μm, to minimize procedure time while keeping the possibility of material damage low.

[0054] Scanners in the system according to the invention: The scanner used in the system according to the invention may include a galvanometer scanner, a piezoelectric scanner, a rotary scanner or an acousto-optical modulator, and it may be digital, such as a spatial light modulator, a digital micromirror device or a stereolithography device. Preferably, the scanner as part of the system according to the invention according to this description is selected from a galvanometer scanner, a piezoelectric scanner, a rotary scanner, an acousto-optical modulator, a spatial light modulator, a digital micromirror device or a stereolithography device. The preferred galvanometer scanner is a single pivot point scanner. Preferably, the scanner is configured to operate at a scanning speed of more than 50 mm / s. This allows the treatment time to be kept short. As a rule, the treatment time should not exceed a few minutes, preferably less than 10 minutes, preferably less than 5 minutes, particularly preferably less than 3 minutes per treatment session. The treatment area may be defined as the volume and size of the artificial lens, typically with an optic area of ​​5 mm to 7 mm in diameter and a thickness of typically 0.2 mm to 2.0 mm.

[0055] The optimal radiation exposure is <1 kJ / cm to accommodate the entire volume of the artificial lens while keeping the overall radiation exposure low and the treatment time short. 2 and more ideally <0.3 kJ / cm 2 It is.

[0056] Particularly preferably, a random scanning pattern, or interleaved scanning lines, are used to spread the radiation energy of the radiation beam. Scanning can be performed in three modes: in bottom-up scanning, the laser moves from spot to spot with a specific dwell time at each spot (bottom-up, spot-to-spot). Alternatively, in bottom-up scanning, the laser can stay on spots that overlap each other (bottom-up, spot overlay). Alternatively, the laser can move at a constant velocity without staying on any spot (flyby, constant velocity). Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram (1500) of the aforementioned scanning procedure. In one embodiment of the scanning pattern, the IOL is scanned with an illumination source as described above, or preferably as described above, by illuminating through the pupil. The IOL, which is contained in the capsular bag during scanning, is pre-inserted through an incision in the cornea using conventional surgical procedures. In this embodiment, the entire volume of the IOL is scanned, and the scanning is performed in a bottom-up manner (i.e., the portion of the IOL further from the cornea is scanned first), thus creating an optical profile and avoiding unnecessary changes in the refractive index in the optical path.

[0057] As mentioned above, an important consideration when selecting a scanning program is to minimize local heating of the artificial lens and / or the patient's eye, and therefore various variables are used in the scanning program. A laser program is created with specific scanning speeds and sequences, taking into account anatomical features such as incision and pupil size, as well as optical features such as numerical aperture and laser pulse characteristics. In this embodiment, the relationship between lens coordinates and eye coordinates is automatically taken into account. Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram (1600) of the variables used in the above-mentioned scanning program, taking into account when irradiating a lens in a patient's eye.

[0058] The parameters of the scanning program and / or treatment plan preferably include the first and second wavelengths, the scanning speed and sequence, the position of the lens relative to the eye (e.g., in Cartesian coordinates), the scanning procedure, the resulting refractive index change (optical pattern), the numerical aperture of the objective lens, the incision, the optical diameter of the pupil and / or the lens (approximately 6 mm in some embodiments), the pulse duration of the laser beam (shape, intensity, and xy positioning), laser safety when operating the laser, and centering with respect to the position of the lens and the eye.

[0059] The photons generated by the laser, in one embodiment of the system according to the invention, are preferably directed through a mirror (e.g., as optics 1) to, for example, a beam expander that creates a beam for subsequent scanner and focusing optics. After passing through the beam expander, the photons are directed to a scanner (e.g., a galvanometer scanner, or a piezo scanner, or a rotary scanner, or an acousto-optic modulator, or a spatial light modulator, or digitally using a digital micromirror device or a stereolithography device). After passing through the scanner, the laser beam travels through another optical section, such as a partition mirror. In this embodiment, the partition mirror divides the beam into a main image beam for artificial lens illumination and a beam for monitoring beam characteristics and position feedback. After the partition mirror, the optical beam is focused by an imaging group or focusing optics to the artificial lens. In one embodiment, the imaging group includes a microscope objective lens to obtain a high numerical aperture (for spatial resolution at the μm level), or a low NA optical section to enable higher pulse energy at the μJ level.

[0060] The above or preferably the above system further comprises, in one further embodiment of the system, a microscope objective coupled to the scanner for focusing said illumination beam on said artificial lens by means of the microscope objective, the microscope objective having a numerical aperture between 0.1 and 0.8, preferably between 0.2 and 0.5, more preferably between 0.2 and 0.4. Providing a microscope objective with such a numerical aperture may allow a high illumination beam quality, in particular with regard to focusing and resolution properties of the beam used to treat the intraocular lens. The microscope objective lens includes a typical lens configuration that allows, for example, correction of chromatic aberration. The microscope objective lens is preferably linked to an eye interface system, typically a suction system that holds the patient's eye in a fixed position, as described further below. In a further embodiment of the objective lens used in the system according to the invention described above, the objective lens is an Olympus LUCPLFLN objective lens for focusing the illumination beam onto the artificial lens. Therefore, the present invention further relates to a system as described above, further comprising a microscope objective coupled to the scanner for focusing said illumination beam onto said artificial lens by means of the microscope objective, wherein the microscope objective has a numerical aperture between 0.1 and 0.8, preferably between 0.2 and 0.5, more preferably between 0.2 and 0.4.

[0061] The alternative focusing optics / imaging group preferably consists of a single aspheric lens with an effective focal length within 50-150 mm, and preferably a numerical aperture between 0.025 and 0.1. Therefore, the present invention further relates to a system as described above, further comprising a focusing optics / imaging group consisting of a single aspheric lens, preferably having an effective focal length within 50-150 mm, and preferably having a numerical aperture between 0.025 and 0.1.

[0062] The system, or preferably the system, in one further embodiment further comprises a positioning system for determining the position of the focal point of the illumination beam in the eye of the patient, the positioning system being coupled to a scanner, and the scanning of the illumination beam over the intraocular lens by the scanner being based on the position of the focal point of the illumination beam in the eye. The positioning system may include an assessment system such as an optical coherence tomography system, a confocal microscope, or a Scheimpflug camera. The positioning system may be directly or indirectly coupled to the scanner. In some embodiments where a confocal microscope is used, the confocal microscope may be directly coupled to the scanner. The scoring system described above is used to provide topographical data of the eye to a positioning system in order to determine the location of the laser focus relative to the eye and said intraocular lens. In the case of confocal microscopy, a partially transparent mirror is used to allow video imaging.

[0063] The aforementioned or preferably aforementioned system is preferably configured to further determine a position and / or orientation of the intraocular lens relative to the eye and the exit of the irradiation beam, and the scanning by the scanner of the irradiation beam over the intraocular lens is based on the position and / or orientation of the intraocular lens relative to the eye. This may be particularly advantageous as the position of the intraocular lens may not be centered relative to the eye, and decentration may be taken into account when treating the intraocular lens with the irradiation beam.

[0064] Regarding the position of the IOL, at least two coordinate systems can be considered relevant: that of the eye and that of the lens in the eye, since they cannot be centered relative to one another. Regarding the position of the IOL, at least two coordinate systems can be considered relevant: the x, y, z coordinates of the eye and the x, y, z coordinates of the lens in the eye, since they cannot be centered relative to one another.

[0065] In one embodiment, the evaluation system creates individual input data. These individual input data include, for example, data on the lens position and / or orientation of the artificial lens in the eye and on the laser beam exit and / or the optical power mapping of the eye and / or the artificial lens. These data are used to calculate the optical pattern or continue the treatment. Furthermore, the evaluation system can create input data during the writing process. These in-process input data contain, for example, data on the lens position and / or orientation of the artificial lens in the eye and on the laser beam exit and / or optical power mapping of the eye and / or the artificial lens. These data are used for the in-process modification of the control commands used to generate the optical pattern. Therefore, the present invention further relates to a system as described above, further comprising a positioning system for determining a position of a focal point of the irradiation beam within the eye of the patient, the positioning system being coupled to a scanner, and the scanning of the irradiation beam over the artificial lens by the scanner being based on the position of the focal point of the irradiation beam within the eye. Therefore, the present invention further relates to a system as described above, wherein the system is configured to determine a position and / or an orientation of said artificial lens and of the exit of the irradiation beam relative to the eye, and wherein the scanning of said irradiation beam over said artificial lens by a scanner is based on the position and / or orientation of said artificial lens relative to the eye.

[0066] The system described above, or preferably the system described above, in one further embodiment, further comprises a temperature management unit coupled to one or both of (i) one or more irradiation sources and (ii) the scanner, the temperature management unit being configured to determine a temperature of a portion of the artificial lens during the treatment of the artificial lens by the scanning based on the irradiation beam characteristics of the irradiation beam and the artificial lens characteristics of the artificial lens, and the system being configured to control one or both of (i) one or more irradiation sources and (ii) the scanner based on the determination of the temperature. This may make it possible to ensure that the eye and / or the artificial lens are not adversely affected based on the treatment with the irradiation beam. Furthermore, the temperature management unit is preferably configured to predict the temperature of the artificial lens during the treatment, and the input data comprises the predicted temperature, which may make it possible to take preventive measures to ensure that the eye and / or the artificial lens are not adversely affected upon treatment with the irradiation beam. Alternatively, the temperature management unit is an infrared camera that records the eye temperature and correlates the measured data with common data, including calibration data, to calculate the true eye temperature. In another aspect, the temperature dependence of the refractive index is used for temperature control. In these embodiments, the system includes a refractive power mapping device. Based on the deviation of the measured refractive power map and the progress of writing the predicted refractive power map, the temperature within the lens can be calculated during the process.

[0067] In another embodiment, the temperature dependence of the emission spectrum is used for temperature control. In these embodiments, the system includes a UV-Vis spectrometer. Based on the deviation of the measured emission peak wavelength and / or peak width, the temperature in the focus can be calculated during processing. Therefore, the present invention further relates to a system as described above comprising (i) one or more irradiation sources and (ii) a temperature control unit coupled to one or both of the scanners, a temperature management unit configured to determine a temperature of a portion of the artificial lens during the treatment of the artificial lens by scanning based on an irradiation beam characteristic of the irradiation beam and an artificial lens characteristic of the artificial lens; The system is configured to control one or both of (i) the one or more irradiation sources and (ii) the scanner based on said determination of temperature. Therefore, the present invention further relates to a system as described above, wherein the temperature management unit is configured to predict said temperature during said treatment of said artificial lens, and said input data comprises a predicted temperature.

[0068] The aforementioned or preferably the aforementioned system, in one further embodiment, further comprises an eye interface system configured to hold the eye of the patient in a fixed position. The eye interface system may include a suction system for fixing the position of the patient's eye during the procedure. The patient may be "docked" into the system in either a lying or upright position. Therefore, the present invention further relates to a system as described above, comprising an eye interface system configured to maintain the eye of the patient in a fixed position.

[0069] The aforementioned system, or preferably the aforementioned system, in one further aspect includes a wireless or wired receiver and / or transceiver for one or more of: (i) sending control commands to one or more illumination sources, (ii) sending control commands to the scanner, and (iii) inputting control command data to the scanner necessary to create the optical pattern. Thus, one or more of the illumination sources and / or the scanner may be remotely controlled. Additionally or alternatively, data relating to the lens data and / or treatment planning data may be stored external to the system and provided to the system as and when required. In some embodiments, it may be preferable to provide a wired receiver or transceiver for at least controlling the one or more illumination sources and / or the scanner to reduce (or avoid) any delays in transmitting control signals to the one or more illumination sources and / or the scanner. In another embodiment, the receiver / transceiver transmits the treatment planning data and lens data to a central processing unit, which calculates the optical pattern and sends it back as input data to the receiver, which provides it to the system.

[0070] The system described above, or preferably the system described above, further comprises in a further embodiment a device for measuring the refractive power of the artificial lens locally during the treatment of the artificial lens, so that adjustments to one or more of the illumination sources, scanners and input data can be made during the treatment process. The system described above, or preferably the system described above, further comprises in one further embodiment a refractometer for measuring the refractive index of the artificial lens locally during the treatment of the artificial lens, whereby adjustments to one or more of the illumination sources, scanners and input data can be made during the treatment process.

[0071] Further elements of the system for providing photons are optionally a cover in which all the equipment is housed, a power unit providing sufficient energy for the system and all subsystems, and subsystems such as an aspiration system and / or a cooling device. In addition to the above elements, a controller, firmware, a graphic user interface (GUI), and treatment algorithms may be provided. To connect to the system, connectivity may be established via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or other ports such as RS-232.

[0072] FIG. 5 shows a further schematic diagram of a system (100) for irradiation of an intraocular lens placed in the eye of a patient (136). The system (100) generally relates to a laser system including at least one femtosecond laser source (102, 104) capable of generating at least one, preferably two different wavelengths. The system (100) further includes a focus or Z-shifter optics (106), a scanner (110) (galvanometer scanner, piezo scanner, rotary scanner, acousto-optic modulator, spatial light modulator, digital micromirror device, or stereolithography device), and an optics (108) for delivering laser pulses to a predetermined area. The system (100) may be capable of delivering the same level of energy to a target area of ​​a polymeric material including photochemically active units forming an intraocular lens placed in the eye of the patient (136). The system further includes an eye interface (112) for fixing the eye of the patient (136) in FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, the laser system is connected to a computer controller (116) incorporating corresponding device firmware (118) and a front-end graphical user interface (GUI) (120). An algorithm (122) is used to calculate the level of energy delivered to the target area of ​​the polymeric material containing the photochemically active units that form the intraocular lens in the treatment planning system. System parameters and process treatment plans (134) are monitored via the GUI (120). Inputs and adjustments from the patient (136), such as lens data (130) and refractive formation plans (132), may be input via the GUI (120). The laser source, subsystems, and body fixation (124) may be integrated into a single module connected to power (126) sealed with a cover (128).

[0073] 6 and 7 show schematic diagrams of elements of the system according to the invention described herein. Photons generated by the illumination source (202), in the embodiment of FIG. 6, are directed through mirrors (optical system 1, e.g., beam shaper (204), focus shifter / Z-shifter (206) to a scanner (208) (e.g., galvanometer scanner, or piezo scanner, or rotary scanner, or acousto-optic modulator, or digital using a spatial light modulator SLM). Attached to the scanner (208) are a microscope objective (optical system 2), and a patient interface (210).

[0074] As shown in Figure 7, the Z-shifter (302) includes a first lens (304), a second lens (306), and a third lens (308). The illumination beam then travels to a scanner (310) that includes multiple mirrors (312), (314), and (316), which allows the xy position of the illumination beam on the IOL to be changed. After passing through the scanner (310), the illumination beam travels through an imaging split mirror (318) before passing through an imaging group (320). The system further includes an illumination unit (322), and a patient interface (324).

[0075] The present application further describes a process for adjusting the polarizing properties of an artificial lens comprising a body formed of a polymeric optical material based on a two- or multi-photon absorption process (preferably at one or more specific locations of said lens), comprising the following steps: providing said lens; and adjusting the polarizing properties of said lens by using a system as described or preferably as described throughout this disclosure, thereby changing the polymeric optical material with a significant difference in the UV / Vis spectrum with respect to the non-irradiated polymeric optical material of the artificial lens. The artificial lens is preferably a contact lens or an IOL comprising a polymerized optical material as described or preferably as described below. The process for adjusting the polarizing properties according to the present invention, as described above or preferably as described below, is carried out in a non-destructive manner of the artificial lens material. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, or ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis or UV / Vis), is known to those skilled in the art. It refers to absorption or reflection spectroscopy in part of the ultraviolet and the entire adjacent visible spectral range. Suitable UV / Vis spectrometers are commercially available. The choice of UV / Vis spectrometer is not critical for the comparison of the UV / Vis spectrum of the initial artificial lens and the UV / Vis spectrum of said irradiated artificial lens made according to the invention, as long as both measurements are performed under comparable conditions known to those skilled in the art so that the results can be compared. A suitable spectrometer is the UV / Vis spectrometer Lambda 900 from PerkinElmer.

[0076] The artificial lens may then be inserted into the patient's eye in some embodiments, hi some embodiments, the lens may include an intraocular lens such that the polarizing properties of the lens may be adjusted while the lens is placed in the patient's eye. Within the aforementioned process, said adjustment of the polarizing property of the artificial lens comprises reducing the polarizing property by irradiating the artificial lens with an irradiation beam having a wavelength between 600 nm and 800 nm, thereby modifying the polymeric optical material with a significant difference in the UV / Vis spectrum with respect to the non-irradiated polymeric optical material of the artificial lens, i.e. a loss of peak absorption in the range of 300 nm to 400 nm. The present invention therefore further relates to a process as described above, wherein said adjustment of the polarizing properties of the artificial lens comprises reducing the polarizing properties by irradiating the artificial lens with an irradiation beam having a wavelength between 600 nm and 800 nm, thereby modifying the polymeric optical material with a significant difference in the UV / Vis spectrum with respect to the non-irradiated polymeric optical material of the artificial lens, i.e. a loss of peak absorption in the range from 300 nm to 400 nm.

[0077] Within the above process, said adjustment of the polarizing property of the artificial lens comprises increasing the polarizing property by irradiating the artificial lens with an irradiation beam having a wavelength between 400 nm and 590 nm, thereby modifying the polymeric optical material with a significant difference in the UV / Vis spectrum with respect to the non-irradiated polymeric optical material of the artificial lens, i.e. an increase in the peak absorption in the range from 300 nm to 400 nm. The present invention therefore further relates to a process as described above, wherein said adjustment of the polarizing properties of the artificial lens comprises increasing the polarizing properties by irradiating the artificial lens with a radiation beam having a wavelength between 400 nm and 590 nm, thereby modifying the polymeric optical material with a significant difference in the UV / Vis spectrum with respect to the non-irradiated polymeric optical material of the artificial lens, i.e. an increase in the peak absorption in the range from 300 nm to 400 nm.

[0078] The present invention therefore further relates to a process for adjusting the polarizing properties of an artificial lens comprising a body made of a polymeric optical material, preferably at one or more specific locations of said lens, based on a two- or multiphoton absorption process, the process comprising the following steps: providing said lens; and adjusting the polarization of said lens by using a system comprising: one or more illumination sources for two-photon or multi-photon irradiation, which are focused by an optical section onto the artificial lens and irradiate the artificial lens with an illumination beam of a first wavelength and / or a second wavelength different from the first wavelength; a scanner coupled to one or more illumination sources and configured to scan the illumination beam across the artificial lens; and an input unit coupled to the one or more irradiation sources and the scanner, where the input unit is configured to input data for treating the artificial lens by scanning the irradiation beam over the artificial lens based on input data; the first wavelength being between 600 nm and 800 nm in order to locally reduce the polarizing properties of said artificial lens based on said treatment of said artificial lens, thereby changing the polymeric optical material with a significant difference in the UV / Vis spectrum with respect to the non-irradiated polymeric optical material of the artificial lens, i.e. the loss of the peak absorption in the range of 300 nm to 400 nm; The second wavelength is between 400 nm and 590 nm to locally increase the polarizing properties of the artificial lens based on the treatment of the artificial lens, thereby altering the polymeric optical material with a significant difference in the UV / Vis spectrum with respect to the non-irradiated polymeric optical material of the artificial lens, i.e. an increase in peak absorption in the range of 300 nm to 400 nm.

[0079] The particular wavelengths used to reduce and / or increase the polarizing properties of the artificial lens may depend on which particular materials or compositions may be used in the artificial lens. Any one or more of the polymeric optical materials described throughout this disclosure may be used to make and / or provide the lenses. Special polymers, as described below, are preferably used and are suitable for the fabrication of artificial lenses, preferably IOLs, whose optical properties can be subsequently (non-invasively) altered by utilizing their ability to change the polarizing and thus the refractive index, if two-photon or multi-photon processes are applied. The special polymers described below are preferably utilized for treatment with the system according to the invention and / or are preferably used in the process according to the invention.

[0080] Two-photon or multi-photon processes can be produced by utilizing the system as previously described in detail. The applicable wavelength range of the irradiation source, preferably a pulsed laser, is as mentioned above in the range of 600 nm to 800 nm, preferably 650 nm to 750 nm, particularly preferably 670 nm to 720 nm, very particularly preferably 680 to 710 nm, reducing the polarization and thus the refractive index of the artificial lens. The applicable wavelength region of the irradiation source, preferably the pulsed laser, is, as described above, in the range of 400 nm to 590 nm, preferably 500 nm to 580 nm, and particularly preferably 530 nm to 570 nm, and increases the polarization and thus the refractive index of the artificial lens. This allows the polarization to be varied locally and particularly precisely.

[0081] In the following, the optical material of an artificial lens, preferably a polymeric optical material of a contact lens or an IOL, used in the process according to the invention will be further and preferably described in the wavelength range from 600 nm to 800 nm, preferably from 650 nm to 750 nm, particularly preferably from 670 nm to 720 nm and very particularly preferably from 680 to 710 nm, for locally reducing the polarizing properties of said material. To accommodate this adjustment, the polymeric optical material has a refractive index in the range of 1.45 to 1.60. The polymeric optical material of the artificial lens (contact lens, or IOL) can optionally contain UV blockers or blue light absorbing agents.

[0082] The polymeric optical material of the artificial lens used in the process according to the invention for said adjustment comprises a polymer matrix comprising covalently bound photoactive units, preferably in an amount of at least 2% to 100% by weight, preferably 5% to 90% by weight, most preferably 7% to 80% by weight. The photoactive units within the polymer matrix can be the same or different. The polymer matrix of the polymeric optical material of the artificial lens and / or IOL for said accommodation may be a homopolymer or a copolymer, preferably a matrix made of a copolymer.

[0083] The polymer matrix containing the photoactive units can be a matrix from a silicon-containing polymer, an acrylic polymer, a methacrylic polymer, or a mixture thereof.

[0084] By photoactive unit is meant a photochemically active unit which is photochemically active under the influence of two-photon or multi-photon processes in the aforementioned, or preferably aforementioned, range of applicable wavelengths. The photoactive unit preferably comprises a non-aromatic double bond, preferably a carbon-carbon double bond, which can be dimerized under the influence of a two-photon, or multi-photon process, by forming a cyclobutane ring through a [2π+2π] cycloaddition. The invention therefore also relates to a process for adjusting the polarizing properties of an artificial lens comprising a body made of a polymeric optical material, preferably at one or more specific locations of said lens, said optical material of the artificial lens comprising a polymer matrix comprising covalently bound photoactive units comprising a non-aromatic double bond, preferably a carbon-carbon double bond, which can be dimerized under the effect of a two-photon or multi-photon process by [2π+2π] cycloaddition to form a cyclobutane ring. In this embodiment, the photoactive units in the polymeric optical material of the artificial lens used in the process according to the invention can be the same or different, but are the only photoactive units in said polymeric optical material, classified in that they comprise a non-aromatic double bond, preferably a carbon-carbon double bond, which can be dimerized under the effect of a two-photon or multi-photon process by [2π+2π] cycloaddition to form a cyclobutane ring, as described above or, more preferably, below.

[0085] Alternatively, the polymer matrix contains the above or below mentioned photoactive units together with the already dimerized photoactive units. Thus, the polymer matrix may still contain the photoactive units capable of dimerization. The polymeric optical material (polymer matrix) may be partially dimerized.

[0086] In said embodiment of the optical material of the artificial lens used in the process according to the invention, preferably the polymeric optical material of a contact lens or IOL, such material can be irradiated with either the first or second wavelength range mentioned above to reduce or increase the polarizing property and thus reduce or increase the refractive index of the artificial lens comprising said polymeric optical material. Such polymeric optical material allows the polarizing property of the artificial lens to be tuned. The invention therefore also relates to a process for adjusting the polarizing properties of an artificial lens comprising a body made of a polymeric optical material, preferably at one or more specific locations of said lens, said optical material of the artificial lens comprising a polymer matrix comprising covalently bound photoactive units comprising a non-aromatic double bond, preferably a carbon-carbon double bond, which can be dimerized under the influence of a two-photon or multi-photon process by [2π+2π] cycloaddition to form a cyclobutane ring, together with photoactive units already dimerized. In this embodiment, the photoactive units in the polymeric optical material of the artificial lens used in the process according to the invention can be the same or different, but are classified in that they are the only photoactive units in said polymeric optical material, and comprise a non-aromatic double bond, preferably a carbon-carbon double bond, which can be dimerized under the influence of a two-photon or multi-photon process by [2π+2π] cycloaddition to form a cyclobutane ring, as described above or preferably below, or said photoactive units are dimerized photoactive units thereof.

[0087] The photoactive units in the polymeric optical material of the artificial lens used in the process according to the invention particularly preferably comprise a non-aromatic carbon-carbon double bond linked to at least one aromatic ring system which can be dimerized by forming a cyclobutane ring by [2π+2π] cycloaddition under the influence of a two-photon or multiphoton process. Preferably, the non-aromatic double bond and the aromatic ring system attached to the non-aromatic double bond form a fused ring system, preferably a bicyclic or tricyclic ring system, particularly preferably a bicyclic ring system, as part of the photoactive unit, as previously described.

[0088] Examples of such fused ring systems linked to the non-aromatic carbon double bonds previously described as part of the photoactive units in the polymeric optical material of the artificial lens used in the process according to the invention are chromen-2-one, chromen-2-thione, thiokeomen-2-one, thiochromene-2-thione, quinolin-2-one, quinoline-2-thione, benzo[b]furan, benzo[b]thiophene, benzo[b]pyrrole, indene, 1,2-dihydronaphthalene, 6,7-dihydro-5H-benzo[7]annulene, (Z)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobenzo[8]annulene.

[0089] The [2π+2π] cycloaddition can be visualized by Scheme 1 below. Figure 8 shows a specific [2π+2π] cycloaddition reaction of poly(M-14); the representative materials are further described in Examples 1 and 2. Scheme 1 further visualizes the cyclization retrograde. Figure 9 shows a specific cleavage of the poly(M-14) dimer by cyclization retrograde, and is further described in Examples 3 and 5. Scheme 1: [ka] Rp refers to a polymer / copolymer backbone covalently linked to the fused ring system via a linker; X'-X' is independent of CH=CH, CR'=CH, CH=CR', or CR'=CR'; Y' is O, S, NR', CH2, CHR', C(R')2; When Y' is O, S, or NR', m is 1, and when Y' is independently selected at each occurrence from CH2, CHR', and C(R')2, m is 1, 2, 3, or 4; Z' is C=O, or C=S; n is 0 or 1; R' is an organic substituent.

[0090] Examples of silicon-containing polymers that can be used as optical materials for the artificial lenses used in the process according to the invention are described in WO2018149857. Examples of acrylate- or methacrylate-containing polymers that can be used as optical materials for the artificial lenses used in the process according to the invention are described in WO2017032442, WO2017032443, WO2017032444, WO2018149850, WO2018149852, WO2018149853, WO2018149855, WO2018149856. All citations are incorporated by reference.

[0091] In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the polymeric optical material comprising a polymer matrix containing covalently bound photoactive units of the artificial lens used in the process according to the invention comprises polymerized monomers according to formula (1), [ka]

[0092] where the symbols used are: u is 0 or 1, Y may be the same or different in each case and may be O, S, or NR 0 , or X 1 and X 1 , CH2, CHR 0 , C(R 0 )2, [CH2]2, [CHR 0 ]2, [C(R 0 )2]2, [CH2]3, [CHR 0 ]3, [C(R 0 )2]3, [CH2]4, [CHR 0 ]4, or [C(R 0 )2]4; Z is the same or different in each instance and is O or S; X1 is O, S, or SO2; a is 0 or 1; Sp is alkanediyl, alkenediyl, or alkynediyl, optionally substituted with one or more R groups;

[0093] R 0 is a linear or branched alkyl group having 1 to 10 C atoms; R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 are selected independently from H, F, Cl, Br, I, linear or branched alkyl groups having 1 to 20 C atoms, partially or fully halogenated linear or branched alkyl groups having 1 to 20 C atoms, and aryl or heteroaryl groups having 5 to 40 ring atoms; R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , and R 9 are in each case independently selected from the group consisting of F, linear or branched, non-halogenated, partially or fully halogenated alkyl groups having 1 to 20 C atoms, non-halogenated, partially or fully halogenated cycloalkyl groups having 3 to 6 C atoms, linear or branched, non-halogenated, partially or fully halogenated alkoxy groups having 1 to 20 C atoms, linear or branched, non-halogenated, partially or fully halogenated thioalkyl groups having 1 to 20 C atoms;

[0094] X 11 is selected from the group consisting of O, S, O-SO2, SO2-O, C(=O), OC(=O), C(=O)O, S(C=O), and (C=O)S; c is 0 or 1; R 10 , R 11 , R 12 are selected independently from H, F, linear or branched alkyl groups having 1 to 20 C atoms, which may be partially or fully halogenated, and aryl groups having 6 to 14 C atoms; R is the same or different in each case and is selected from F, OH, linear or branched alkyl groups having 1 to 10 C atoms, partially or fully halogenated linear or branched alkyl groups having 1 to 10 C atoms, linear or branched alkoxy groups having 1 to 10 C atoms, and partially or fully halogenated linear or branched alkoxy groups having 1 to 10 C atoms.

[0095] In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the polymeric optical material comprising a polymer matrix containing covalently bound photoactive units of the artificial lens used in the process according to the invention comprises polymerized monomers according to formula (2), [ka]

[0096] where the symbols used are: u is 0 or 1, Y may be the same or different in each case and may be O, S, or NR 0 , or X 1 and X 1 , CH2, CHR 0 , C(R 0 )2, [CH2]2, [CHR 0 ]2, [C(R 0 )2]2, [CH2]3, [CHR 0 ]3, [C(R 0 )2]3, [CH2]4, [CHR 0 ]4, or [C(R 0 )2]4; Z is the same or different in each instance and is O or S; X1 is O, S, or SO2; a is 0 or 1; Sp is alkanediyl, alkenediyl, or alkynediyl, optionally substituted with one or more R groups;

[0097] R 0 is a linear or branched alkyl group having 1 to 10 C atoms; R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 are selected independently from H, F, Cl, Br, I, linear or branched alkyl groups having 1 to 20 C atoms, partially or fully halogenated linear or branched alkyl groups having 1 to 20 C atoms, and aryl or heteroaryl groups having 5 to 40 ring atoms; R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , and R 9 is in each case independently selected from the group consisting of F, linear or branched, non-halogenated, partially or fully halogenated alkyl groups having 1 to 20 C atoms, non-halogenated, partially or fully halogenated cycloalkyl groups having 3 to 6 C atoms, linear or branched, non-halogenated, partially or fully halogenated alkoxy groups having 1 to 20 C atoms, linear or branched, non-halogenated, partially or fully halogenated thioalkyl groups having 1 to 20 C atoms, R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , or R 9 If any of the formulas corresponds to formula (2-1), then * indicates a link to the remainder of formula (2), [ka] R 10 , R 11 , R 12 are selected independently from H, F, linear or branched alkyl groups having 1 to 20 C atoms, which may be partially or fully halogenated, and aryl groups having 6 to 14 C atoms;

[0098] X 11 is selected from the group consisting of O, S, O-SO2, SO2-O, C(=O), OC(=O), C(=O)O, S(C=O), and (C=O)S; c is 0 or 1; R is the same or different in each case and is selected from F, OH, linear or branched alkyl groups having 1 to 10 C atoms, partially or fully halogenated linear or branched alkyl groups having 1 to 10 C atoms, linear or branched alkoxy groups having 1 to 10 C atoms, and partially or fully halogenated linear or branched alkoxy groups having 1 to 10 C atoms.

[0099] Halogenated preferably means fluorinated, chlorinated or brominated, particularly preferably fluorinated. A straight-chain or branched alkyl group having 1 to 10 C atoms means an alkyl group having 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10 C atoms, such as, for example, methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, n-propyl, isobutyl, n-butyl, tert-butyl, n-pentyl, 1-, 2- or 3-methylbutyl, 1,1-, 1,2- or 2,2-dimethylpropyl, 1-ethylpropyl, n-hexyl, n-heptyl, n-octyl, ethylhexyl, n-nonyl or n-decyl. Linear or branched alkyl groups having 1 to 20 C atoms include all examples of linear or branched alkyl groups having 1 to 10 C atoms, including any alkyl groups having 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 C atoms, such as n-undecyl, n-dodecyl, n-tridecyl, n-tetradecyl, n-pentadecyl, n-hexadecyl, n-heptadecyl, n-octadecyl, n-nonadecyl and n-eicosyl.

[0100] The term partially halogenated alkyl group means that at least one H atom of the alkyl group is replaced by F, Cl, Br, or I. Preferably, the alkyl group is partially fluorinated, which means that at least one H atom of the alkyl group is replaced by F. The term fully halogenated alkyl group means that all H atoms of the alkyl group are replaced by F, Cl, Br, and / or I. Preferably, the alkyl group is fully fluorinated, which means that all H atoms of the alkyl group are replaced by F. A preferred fully fluorinated alkyl group is trifluoromethyl. The terms halogenated or, preferably, fluorinated correspond in addition to other groups such as halogenated cycloalkyl groups, halogenated alkoxy groups, or halogenated thioalkyl groups.

[0101] Cycloalkyl groups having 3 to 6 C atoms include cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl and cyclohexyl, which may be partially or fully halogenated or fluorinated as explained above.

[0102] A linear or branched alkoxy group having 1 to 20 C atoms is an O-alkyl group having 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 or 20 C atoms, such as, for example, methoxy, ethoxy, iso-propoxy, n-propoxy, iso-butoxy, n-butoxy, tert-butoxy, n-pentyloxy, 1-, 2- or 3-methylbutyloxy, 1,1-, 1,2- or 2,2-dimethylpropoxy, 1-ethylpropoxy, n- By alkoxy is meant hexyloxy, n-heptyloxy, n-octyloxy, ethylhexyloxy, n-nonyloxy, n-decyloxy, n-undecyloxy, n-dodecyloxy, n-tridecyloxy, n-tetradecyloxy, n-pentadecyloxy, n-hexadecyloxy, n-heptadecyloxy, n-octadecyloxy, n-nonadecyloxy, and n-eicosyloxy, which may be partially or fully halogenated or, preferably, partially or fully fluorinated. A preferred fully fluorinated alkoxy group is trifluoromethoxy.

[0103] Straight-chain or branched thioalkyl groups having 1 to 20 C atoms are also S-alkyl groups having 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 or 20 C atoms, such as, for example, thiomethyl, 1-thioethyl, 1-thio-iso-propyl, 1-thio-n-propoyl, 1-thio-iso-butyl, 1-thio-n-butyl, 1-thio-tert-butyl, 1-thio-n-pentyl, 1-thio-1-, -2- or -3-methylbutyl, 1-thio-1,1-, -1,2- or -2,2-dimethylpropyl, 1-thio-1-ethylpropoxy ... Thioether groups include 1-thio-n-hexyl, 1-thio-n-heptyl, 1-thio-n-octyl, 1-thio-ethylhexyl, 1-thio-n-nonyl, 1-thio-n-decyl, 1-thio-n-undecyl, 1-thio-n-dodecyl, 1-thio-n-tridecyl, 1-thio-n-tetradecyl, 1-thio-n-pentadecyl, 1-thio-n-hexadecyl, 1-thio-n-heptadecyl, 1-thio-n-octadecyl, 1-thio-n-nonadecyl, and 1-thio-n-eicosyl, which may be partially or fully halogenated or, preferably, partially or fully fluorinated. A preferred fully fluorinated thioether group is the trifluoromethyl thioether.

[0104] Preferred alkyl and alkoxy groups have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10 C atoms.

[0105] An aryl group in the context of the present invention contains 6 to 40 ring atoms, a heteroaryl group in the context of the present invention contains 5 to 40 ring atoms, including at least one heteroatom. The heteroatom is preferably selected from N, O and / or S. An aryl or heteroaryl group is understood here to mean either a simple aromatic cycle, i.e. phenyl, or a simple heteroaromatic cycle, such as pyridinyl, pyrimidinyl, thiophenyl, etc., or a fused (anelate) aryl or heteroaryl group, such as naphthyl, anthracenyl, phenanthrenyl, quinolinyl or isoquinolinyl.

[0106] The aryl or heteroaryl group is preferably benzene, naphthalene, anthracene, phenanthrene, pyrene, benzanthracene, chrysene, perylene, fluoranthene, naphthacene, pentacene, benzopyrene, biphenyl, biphenylene, terphenyl, triphenylene, fluorene, spirobifluorene, dihydrophenanthrene, dihydropyrene, tetrahydropyrene, cis- or trans-indenofluorene, cis- or trans-indenocarbazole, cis- or trans-indolocarbazole, truxene, isotruxene, spiron, spirone, spirones ... Rotoruxene, spiroisotoruxene, furan, benzofuran, isobenzofuran, dibenzofuran, thiophene, benzothiophene, isobenzothiophene, dibenzothiophene, pyrrole, indole, isoindole, carbazole, pyridine, quinoline, isoquinoline, acridine, phenanthridine, benzo-5,6-quinoline, benzo-6,7-quinoline, benzo-7,8-quinoline, phenothiazine, phenoxazine, pyrazole, indazole, imidazole, benzimidazole, naphthimidazole, phenanthrimidazole, pyrimidine doimidazole, pyrazineimidazole, quinoxalineimidazole, oxazole, benzoxazole, naphthoxazole, anthroxazole, phenanthroxazole, isoxazole, 1,2-thiazole, 1,3-thiazole, benzothiazole, pyridazine, hexaazatriphenylene, benzopyridazine, pyrimidine, benzopyrimidine, quinoxaline, 1,5-diazaanthracene, 2,7-diazapyrene, 2,3-diazapyrene, 1,6-diazapyrene, 1,8-diazapyrene, 4,5-diazapyrene, 4,5,9,10-tetraaza Perylene, pyrazine, phenazine, phenoxazine, phenothiazine, fluorubine, naphthyridine, azacarbazole, benzocarboline, phenanthroline, 1,2,3-triazole, 1,2,4-triazole, benzotriazole, 1,2,3-oxadiazole, 1,2,4-oxadiazole, 1,2,5-oxadiazole, 1,3,4-oxadiazole, 1,2,3-thiadiazole, 1,2,4-thiadiazole, 1,2,5-thiadiazole, 1,3,4-thiadiazole, 1,3,5-triazine, 1,2,4-triazine, 1,It is derived from 2,3-triazine, tetrazole, 1,2,4,5-tetrazine, 1,2,3,4-tetrazine, 1,2,3,5-tetrazine, purine, pteridine, indolizine, and benzothiadiazole. Aryl with 6 to 14 C atoms is preferably an aryl group selected from the group consisting of phenyl, naphthyl or anthryl, particularly preferably phenyl.

[0107] In one particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the polymeric optical material comprising a polymer matrix containing covalently bound photoactive units of the artificial lens used in the process according to the invention contains polymerized monomers according to formula (3), [ka] Here, X1, a, R 5 ~R 9 , and R 10 ~R 12 has the above meaning.

[0108] In one particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the polymeric optical material comprising a polymer matrix containing covalently bound photoactive units of the artificial lens used in the process according to the invention contains polymerized monomers according to formula (4), [ka] Where: u is 0, Y is X 1 , X 11 is selected from the group consisting of O-SO2, SO2-O, OC(=O), C(=O)O, S(C=O), and (C=O)S, c is 1; and X 1 , X1, a, Sp, R 0 , R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 and R has the aforementioned meaning.

[0109] In one particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the polymeric optical material comprising a polymer matrix containing covalently bound photoactive units of the artificial lens used in the process according to the invention contains polymerized monomers according to formula (5), [ka] Where: u is 0, Y is X 1 , X 11 is selected from the group consisting of O-SO2, SO2-O, OC(=O), C(=O)O, S(C=O), and (C=O)S, c is 1; and X 1 , X1, a, Sp, R 0 , R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 and R has the aforementioned meaning.

[0110] R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 and R 9 are selected from H, F, Cl, Br, I, linear or branched alkyl groups having 1 to 20 C atoms, linear or branched alkoxy groups having 1 to 20 C atoms, partially or fully halogenated linear or branched alkyl groups having 1 to 20 C atoms, partially or fully halogenated linear or branched alkoxy groups having 1 to 20 C atoms and aryl or heteroaryl groups having 5 to 40 ring atoms, preferably independent of each other, R 5 ~R9 At least one group selected from is a linear or branched alkyl or alkoxy group having 1 to 20 C atoms, which may be partially or fully halogenated to give a compound according to formula (1) or (3). R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 and R 9 are selected from H, F, Cl, Br, I, linear or branched alkyl groups having 1 to 20 C atoms, linear or branched alkoxy groups having 1 to 20 C atoms, partially or fully halogenated linear or branched alkyl groups having 1 to 20 C atoms, partially or fully halogenated linear or branched alkoxy groups having 1 to 20 C atoms and aryl or heteroaryl groups having 5 to 40 ring atoms for compounds according to formula (2), (4) or (5), preferably independent of each other.

[0111] In the compounds of formula (1), (2), (3), (4), or (5), Sp is preferably unsubstituted. In the compound of formula (1), (2), (3), (4), or (5), R 11 and R 12 is preferably H. In the compound of formula (1), (2), (3), (4), or (5), R 10 is preferably H or methyl. In the compound of formula (1) or (2), R 5 is preferably H. In the compound of formula (1) or (2), R 6 is preferably H. In the compound of formula (1) or (2), R 8 is preferably H.

[0112] In the compound of formula (1) or (2), R 9 is preferably a linear or branched alkyl or alkoxy group having 1 to 6 C atoms, which may be partially or fully fluorinated, X1, a, R5 ~R 8 , and R 10 ~R 12 has the meaning given above, or preferably as given above. In the compound of formula (1) or (2), R 7 is preferably a linear or branched alkyl group having 2 to 8 C atoms, which may be partially or fully fluorinated, X1, a, R 5 ~R 6 , R 9 , and R 10 ~R 12 has the meaning given above, or preferably as given above. In the compound of formula (2), (4), or (5), R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 is preferably H. In the compound of formula (2) or (4), R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , and R 9 are selected from H, F, linear or branched alkyl groups having 1 to 20 C atoms, linear or branched alkoxy groups having 1 to 20 C atoms, partially or fully halogenated linear or branched alkyl groups having 1 to 20 C atoms, partially or fully halogenated linear or branched alkoxy groups having 1 to 20 C atoms, and are preferably independent of each other. In the compound of formula (4), R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , and R 9 are preferably all H or R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , and R 9 one or two of are F or an alkyl group having 1 to 8 C atoms which may be partially or fully fluorinated, the other substituents are H. In the compound of formula (5), R 5 , R6 , R 7 , R 8 , and R 9 are all preferably H, other than one substituent present in formula (2-1) as described above, or preferably as described above.

[0113] In a further embodiment of the invention, the polymeric optical material comprising the polymer matrix of the artificial lens used in the process according to the invention contains polymerizable monomers selected from the compounds (M-1) to (M-68) and (A-01) to (A-16): [ka] [ka] [ka] [ka] [ka] [ka] [ka] [ka] [ka] [ka] [ka] [ka] [ka]

[0114] In a further embodiment of the present invention, the polymeric optical material comprising a polymer matrix contains a polymerization monomer selected from the compounds (M-12), (M-14), (M-15), (M-18), (M-53), (M-55), (M-67), and (A-01) to (A-16).

[0115] In a further highly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the polymer matrix of the polymeric optical material used in the process according to the present invention is a copolymer matrix comprising polymerized monomers comprising photoactive units as described above, or preferably as described above, or polymerized compounds of formulae (1) to (5) as described above, or polymerized compounds (M-1) to (M-68), and (A-01) to (A-16), and further polymerized monomers known in the art.

[0116] Examples of monomers which are copolymerized with the monomers comprising the photoactive units described above, or preferably the above, before constructing a polymeric optical material for an artificial lens (e.g., a contact lens or an IOL), are styrene, ethoxyethyl methacrylate (EOEMA), methyl methacrylate (MMA), methyl acrylate, n-alkyl acrylates (n-alkyl groups containing 2 to 20 C atoms), n-alkyl methacrylates (n-alkyl groups containing 2 to 20 C atoms), i-alkyl acrylates (i-alkyl groups containing 3 to 20 C atoms), i-alkyl methacrylates (i-alkyl groups containing 3 to 20 C atoms), ethoxyethoxyethyl acrylate (EEEA), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), tetrahydrofuryl methacrylate (THFMA), glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), 16-hydroxyhexadecyl acrylate, 16-hydroxyhexadecyl methacrylate, 18-hydroxyoctadecyl acrylate, 18-hydroxyoctadecyl meth ... The acrylate may be selected from the group consisting of 18-hydroxyoctadecyl methacrylate, 2-phenoxyethyl acrylate (EGPEA), heptafluorobutyl acrylate, heptafluorobutyl methacrylate, hexafluorobutyl acrylate, hexafluorobutyl methacrylate, hexafluoroisopropyl acrylate, hexafluoroisopropyl methacrylate, octafluoropentyl acrylate, octafluoropentyl methacrylate, pentafluoropropyl acrylate, pentafluoropropyl methacrylate, tetrafluoropropyl methacrylate, trifluoroethyl acrylate, trifluoroethyl methacrylate, bisphenol A diacrylate-1EO / phenol (BPADA), 2-[3'-2'H-benzotriazol-2'-yl)-4'-hydroxyphenyl]ethyl methacrylate (BTPEM), or ethylene glycol dimethacrylate.

[0117] Preferred examples of monomers to be copolymerized with the above-mentioned, or preferably with the above-mentioned monomers comprising photoactive units, prior to constructing a polymeric optical material for an artificial lens (e.g., a contact lens or IOL) are selected from methyl methacrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, 2-phenoxyethyl acrylate, ethoxyethoxyethyl acrylate, 8-methylnonyl methacrylate, n-butyl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, or mixtures thereof.

[0118] Suitable UV absorbers include 2-(3-(t-butyl)-4-hydroxy-5-(5-methoxy-2-benzotriazolyl)phenoxy)ethyl methacrylate, 3-(3-(t-butyl)-4-hydroxy-5-(5-methoxy-2-benzotriazolyl)phenoxy)propyl methacrylate, 3-(3-t-butyl-5-(5-chlorobenzotriazol-2-yl)-4-hydroxyphenyl)propyl methacrylate, 3-(3-(tert-butyl)-4-hydroxy-5-(5-methoxy-2H-benzo[d][1,2,3]triazol-2-yl)phenoxy)propyl methacrylate, 2-(2-hydroxy-5-vinylphenyl)-2H-benzotriazole, allyl-2-hydroxybenzophenone, 2-allyl-6-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-p-cresol, 4-methacryloxy-2-hydroxybenzophenone, 2- (2'-hydroxy-3'-methallyl-5'-methylphenyl)benzotriazole, 2-hydroxy-4-methacryloyloxybenzophenone, 4-acryloylethoxy-2-hydroxybenzophenone, 2-[3-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-hydroxyphenyl]ethyl methacrylate, 2-(2'-hydroxy-5'-methacrylamidophenyl)-5-methoxybenzotriazole, 2-(2'-hydroxy-5'-methacrylamidophenyl)-5-chlorobenzotriazole, 2-(2'-hydroxy-5'-methacryloxypropylphenyl)benzotriazole, 2-(2'-hydroxy-5'-methacryloylpropyl-3'-tert-butyl-phenyl)-5-methoxy-2H-benzotriazole, 2-(3-(tert-butyl)-4-hydroxy-5-(5-methoxy-2H-benzo[d][1,2,3]Triazol-2-yl)phenoxy)ethyl methacrylate, 2-[3'-tert-butyl-2'-hydroxy-5'-(3''-methacryloyloxypropyl)phenyl]-5-chlorobenzotriazole, 2-{2'-hydroxy-3'-tert-butyl-5'-[3'-methacryloyloxypropoxy]phenyl}-5-methoxy-2H-benzotriazole, 2-[3'tert-butyl-5'-(3''-dimethylvinylsilylpropoxy)-2'-hydroxyphenyl ]-5-methoxybenzotriazole, 2-(tert-butyl)-6-(5-chloro-2H-benzo[d][1,2,3]triazol-2-yl)-4-vinylphenol, 2-(2H-1,2,3-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-methyl-6-(2-methylprop-2-enyl)phenol, 2-(3-acetyl-2-aminophenoxy)ethyl methacrylate, 2-(4-benzoyl-3-hydroxyphenoxy)ethyl acrylate, or a combination of these compounds.

[0119] Preferred UV absorbers are selected from the group of 2-[3'-2'H-benzotriazol-2'-yl)-4'-hydroxyphenyl]ethyl methacrylate (BTPEM), 2-(3-(t-butyl)-4-hydroxy-5-(5-methoxy-2-benzotriazolyl)phenoxy)ethyl methacrylate, 3-(3-(t-butyl)-4-hydroxy-5-(5-methoxy-2-benzotriazolyl)phenoxy)propyl methacrylate, 3-(3-t-butyl-5-(5-chlorobenzotriazol-2-yl)-4-hydroxyphenyl)propyl methacrylate, and may be polymerized with monomers according to formula (1), (2), (3), (4), or (5).

[0120] Suitable crosslinkers for use in copolymers comprising polymerized monomers of formula (1), (2), (3), (4), or (5) to construct the polymeric optical material of an artificial lens (contact lens or IOL) include poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate, poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), ethylene glycol diacrylate, 1,3-propanediol diacrylate, 1,6-hexanediol diacrylate, 1,8-octanediol diacrylate, 1,11-undecanediol diacrylate, 1,12-dodecanediol ...dodecanediol diacrylate, 1,4-dodecanediol diacrylate, 1,5-dodecanediol diacrylate, 1,6-dodecanediol diacrylate, 1,8-dodecanediol diacrylate, 1,7-dodecanediol diacrylate, 1,8-dodecanediol diacrylate, 1,9-dodecanediol diacrylate, 1,11-dodecanediol diacrylate, 1,12-dodecanediol diacrylate, 1,13-dodecanediol diacrylate, 1,14-dodecanediol diacrylate, 1,15-dodecanediol diacrylate, 1,16-dodecanediol diacrylate, 1,17-dodecanediol diacrylate, 1,18-dodecanediol diacrylate, 1,19-dodecanediol diacrylate, 1,20-dodecanediol diacrylate, 1,21-dodecanediol diacrylate, 1,22-dodecanediol diacrylate, 1,23-dodecanediol diacrylate, 1,24-dodecanediol diacrylate The monomer unit may be selected from the group consisting of 1,15-pentadecanediol diacrylate, 1,16-hexadecanediol diacrylate, 1,18-octadecanediol diacrylate, 1,3-propanediol dimethacrylate, 1,6-hexanediol dimethacrylate, 1,8-octanediol dimethacrylate, 1,11-undecanediol dimethacrylate, 1,12-dodecyl dimethacrylate, 1,15-pentadecanediol dimethacrylate, 1,16-hexadecanediol dimethacrylate, and 1,18-octadecanediol dimethacrylate.

[0121] If an increase in refractive index is required, another wavelength range may be applied (contact lens or IOL) made of one or more polymers capable of changing the polarizing properties: 400-590 nm, preferably 500-580 nm, most preferably 530-570 nm may be used.

[0122] In the following, the optical material of the artificial lens, preferably the polymeric optical material of a contact lens or IOL, used in the process according to the invention will be further and preferably described in the wavelength range from 400 nm to 590 nm, preferably from 500 nm to 580 nm, particularly preferably from 530 nm to 570 nm, in order to locally increase the polarizing properties of said material. To accommodate this adjustment, the polymeric optical material has a refractive index in the range of 1.45 to 1.60. The polymeric optical material of the artificial lens (contact lens or IOL) for said accommodation can optionally contain an ultraviolet blocking agent or a blue light absorbing agent as described above. The polymeric optical material of the artificial lens used in the process according to the invention for said adjustment comprises a polymer matrix comprising covalently bound dimerized photoactive units, preferably in an amount of at least 2% to 100% by weight, preferably 5% to 90% by weight, most preferably 7% to 80% by weight. The dimerized photoactive units within the polymer matrix can be the same or different. The polymer matrix of the polymeric optical material of the artificial lens for said accommodation and / or of the IOL may be a homopolymer or a copolymer, preferably a matrix made of a copolymer. The polymer matrix containing the dimerized photoactive units can be a matrix from a silicon-containing polymer, an acrylic polymer, a methacrylic polymer, or a mixture thereof.

[0123] By dimerized photoactive unit is meant a photochemically active unit which is photochemically active in the aforementioned, or preferably aforementioned, wavelength region of 400 nm to 590 nm under the influence of two-photon or multi-photon processes.

[0124] The polymer matrix of the polymeric optical material of the accommodating lens and / or IOL comprises dimerized photoactive units that can dissociate under the influence of a two-photon, or generally multi-photon, process. The present invention therefore further relates to a process for adjusting the polarizing properties (preferably at one or more specific locations of said lens) of an artificial lens comprising a body made of a polymeric optical material, said polymeric optical material of the artificial lens comprising a polymer matrix comprising covalently bound dimerized photoactive units as the only photoactive units that can be separated under the effect of a two-photon or, in general, multi-photon process.

[0125] Preferably, the dimerized photoactive unit comprises a cyclobutane ring that will be cleaved under the influence of a two-photon or, in general, multi-photon process. Alternatively, the dimerized photoactive unit particularly preferably comprises a cyclobutane ring which can be cleaved under the influence of a two-photon or, in general, multi-photon process. The present invention therefore further relates to a process for adjusting the polarizing properties (preferably at one or more specific locations of said lens) of an artificial lens comprising a body made of a polymeric optical material, said polymeric optical material of the artificial lens comprising a polymer matrix comprising covalently bound dimerized photoactive units comprising a cyclobutane ring as the only photoactive unit that can be cleaved under the effect of a two-photon or, in general, multi-photon process. The cleavage of the dimerized photoactive unit containing a cyclobutane ring is visualized in Scheme 1 above.

[0126] In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the polymeric optical material comprising a polymer matrix containing dimerized photoactive units of the artificial lens used in the process according to the present invention is derived from polymerized monomers according to the above-mentioned or preferably according to the above-mentioned formula (1), (2), (3), (4) or (5). In a further embodiment of the present invention, the polymeric optical material comprising a polymer matrix containing dimerized photoactive units of the artificial lens used in the process according to the present invention is derived from a polymerized monomer selected from the aforementioned compounds (M-1) to (M-68), and (A-01) to (A-16).

[0127] In a further highly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the polymer matrix of the polymeric optical material used in the process according to the present invention is a copolymer matrix comprising polymerized monomers comprising dimerized photoactive units as described above, or preferably as described above, or derived from polymerized compounds of formulae (1) to (5) as described above, or derived from polymerized compounds (M-1) to (M-68), and (A-01) to (A-16), and further polymerized monomers known in the art. Examples of monomers, UV absorbers, and crosslinkers are described above and are applicable to this polymeric optical material that includes the above-described, or preferably the above-described, dimerized photoactive units.

[0128] During the manufacture of the artificial lenses used in the process according to the invention, said polymer matrix comprising partially or fully dimerized photoactive units may be formed via one-photon, or two-photon, or generally multi-photon absorption of photoactive units which can be dimerized by forming a cyclobutane ring by [2π+2π] cycloaddition as described above, or preferably as described above. When the process according to the invention is applied to the eye, two-photon (or, in general, multi-photon) absorption may be used. To produce artificial lenses comprising polymeric optical materials comprising a polymer matrix containing partially or fully dimerized photoactive units used in the process according to the invention, two-photon (or generally multi-photon) absorption, or one-photon absorption, may be used via any irradiation means such as a UV lamp with a special wavelength filter, a UV LED with one of the wavelengths specified above, or a laser with the wavelengths specified above. For producing artificial lenses comprising polymeric optical materials comprising a polymer matrix containing partially or fully dimerized photoactive units used in the process according to the invention, one-photon absorption is preferably used via any irradiation means such as a UV lamp with a special wavelength filter, a UV LED with one of the wavelengths specified above, or a laser with the wavelengths specified above.

[0129] For the manufacture of artificial lenses comprising polymeric optical materials comprising a polymer matrix containing partially or completely dimerized photoactive units used in the process according to the invention, the same irradiation source as described for the system according to the invention above can be used by doubling the frequency of the feed laser, or an optical power amplifier can be used, or a different irradiation source can be used, preferably a different irradiation source is used for the manufacture of said artificial lenses.

[0130] The present invention further relates to a process for adjusting the polarizing properties of an artificial lens comprising a body made of a polymeric optical material, based on a two- or multiphoton absorption process, the process comprising the steps of: providing said artificial lens; and Adjusting the polarisation of said lens through illumination of said lens by using the above or preferably the above system, The artificial lens provided herein comprises a polymer matrix comprising covalently bound photoactive units comprising non-aromatic double bonds capable of dimerizing by [2π+2π] cycloaddition to form a cyclobutane ring, as described above or preferably as described above; and, The provided artificial lens is irradiated with an irradiation beam of a first wavelength, the irradiation causing dimerization of the photoactive units, thereby decreasing the polarizing property of the artificial lens, thereby modifying the provided artificial lens, the modified artificial lens comprising a polymer matrix comprising partially or fully dimerized photoactive units derived from the [2π+2π] cycloaddition, and optionally irradiating the modified artificial lens with an irradiation beam of a second wavelength to locally increase the polarizing property of the modified artificial lens by partially cleaving the dimerized photoactive units.

[0131] The present invention further relates to a process for adjusting the polarizing properties of an artificial lens comprising a body made of a polymeric optical material, based on a two- or multiphoton absorption process, the process comprising the steps of: providing said artificial lens; and Adjusting the polarisation of said lens through illumination of said lens by using the above or preferably the above system, The artificial lens provided herein comprises a polymer matrix comprising covalently bound dimerized photoactive units as the only photoactive units that can be separated under the influence of the aforementioned, or preferably the aforementioned, two-photon or generally multi-photon processes, The provided artificial lens is irradiated with an irradiation beam at a second wavelength, said irradiation causing separation of the dimerized photoactive units, thereby increasing the polarizing property of the artificial lens, thereby modifying the provided artificial lens, the modified artificial lens comprising a polymer matrix comprising photoactive units that can re-dimerize, and optionally irradiating the modified artificial lens with an irradiation beam at a first wavelength to locally decrease the polarizing property of the modified artificial lens by partially dimerizing the photoactive units.

[0132] The present invention further relates to a process for adjusting the polarizing properties of an artificial lens comprising a body made of a polymeric optical material, based on a two- or multi-photon absorption process, the process comprising the steps of: providing said artificial lens; and Adjusting the polarisation of said lens through illumination of said lens by using the above or preferably the above system, The artificial lens provided herein comprises a polymer matrix comprising covalently bound photoactive units comprising a non-aromatic double bond, which can be dimerized by forming a cyclobutane ring by [2π+2π] cycloaddition under the influence of a two-photon or multi-photon process together with an already dimerized photoactive unit as described above or preferably as described above, and a provided artificial lens is irradiated with an irradiation beam at a first wavelength, said irradiation causing dimerization of said photoactive units, thereby decreasing the polarizing properties of said artificial lens, thereby modifying the provided artificial lens, wherein the modified artificial lens comprises a polymer matrix comprising more dimerized photoactive units derived from said [2π+2π] cycloaddition reaction; or The provided artificial lens is irradiated with an irradiation beam of a second wavelength, said irradiation causing separation of the dimerized photoactive units, thereby increasing the polarizability of said artificial lens, thereby modifying the provided artificial lens, wherein the modified artificial lens comprises a polymer matrix containing more photoactive units that can dimerize by forming a cyclobutane ring via [2π+2π] cycloaddition.

[0133] The present invention further relates to a method for locally adjusting the polarizing properties of an intraocular lens comprising the aforementioned, or preferably the aforementioned, polymeric optical material, placed in a patient's eye, the method comprising: exposing the intraocular lens to an illumination beam having a wavelength between 600 nm and 800 nm to locally reduce the polarizability of the intraocular lens, preferably using the aforementioned systems and / or processes; or Exposing the intraocular lens to an illumination beam having a wavelength between 400 nm and 590 nm in order to locally increase the polarizing properties of the intraocular lens.

[0134] The present invention further relates to a method for locally adjusting the polarizing properties of an intraocular lens comprising the aforementioned, or preferably the aforementioned, polymeric optical material, placed in a patient's eye, the method comprising: exposing the intraocular lens to a first illumination beam having a first wavelength between 600 nm and 800 nm to locally reduce the polarizability of the intraocular lens, preferably using the aforementioned systems and / or processes; exposing the intraocular lens to a second illumination beam having a second wavelength between 400 nm and 590 nm to locally increase the polarizing properties of the intraocular lens.

[0135] The present invention further relates to a method for locally adjusting the polarizability of an intraocular lens comprising the aforementioned or preferably the aforementioned polymeric optical material, which is placed in a patient's eye, wherein exposing the intraocular lens comprises scanning the irradiation beam over the intraocular lens based on input data relating to lens data of the intraocular lens, in particular relating to the polymeric optical material, and / or treatment planning data relating to a treatment plan for treatment of the intraocular lens based on exposing the intraocular lens to the irradiation beam.

[0136] The present invention further relates to a method for locally adjusting the polarizing properties of an intraocular lens, which is placed in a patient's eye, comprising the aforementioned, or preferably the aforementioned polymeric optical material, The lens data includes data regarding one or more dimensions of the intraocular lens (e.g., diameter and / or thickness), the material, particularly the polymeric optical material contained in the intraocular lens as described above or preferably as described above, the refractive index of the intraocular lens, and a mapping of the refractive index to specific locations / coordinates of the intraocular lens.

[0137] The present invention further relates to a method for locally adjusting the polarizing properties of an intraocular lens comprising the aforementioned, or preferably the aforementioned, polymeric optical material, placed in a patient's eye, wherein the treatment planning data includes one or more of the following: scanning procedure control command data of a scanning procedure for said scanning of said illumination beam across an intraocular lens (e.g. a scan pattern, and / or a scan sequence, and / or a scan speed, and / or a scan duration of a scan pattern, and / or a scan duration of a scan sequence, and / or a pulse duration of pulses of an illumination beam of a first and / or second wavelength, and / or an illumination beam profile of said illumination beam, and / or a radiation (photon) density, and / or a radiation intensity, and / or a radiation power, and / or a radiation wavelength); temperature data for the current and / or predicted temperature of the intraocular lens during said exposure; Refractive index data of the intraocular lens obtained based on said exposure, the refractive index obtained in particular with respect to a mapping of the refractive index obtained for specific positions / coordinates of the intraocular lens; Incision dimension data of incision dimensions, Ophthalmic data relating to the dimensions and / or shape of the patient's eye; positioning data regarding the position and / or orientation of the intraocular lens relative to the eye; and Enrollment data regarding the identity of the patient and / or the patient's specific eye.

[0138] The present invention further relates to a method for locally adjusting the polarizability of an intraocular lens comprising the aforementioned, or preferably the aforementioned polymeric optical material, placed within a patient's eye, wherein exposing the intraocular lens to the irradiation beam comprises exposing a first volume of the intraocular lens before exposing a second volume of the intraocular lens, the first volume being further away from the cornea of ​​the patient's eye than the second volume.

[0139] The present invention further relates to a method for locally adjusting the polarizing properties of an intraocular lens comprising the aforementioned, or preferably the aforementioned, polymeric optical material, placed in a patient's eye, wherein the (first) wavelength is between 650 nm and 750 nm, preferably between 670 nm and 720 nm, more preferably between 680 nm and 710 nm. The present invention further relates to a method for locally adjusting the polarizing properties of an intraocular lens comprising the aforementioned, or preferably the aforementioned, polymeric optical material, placed in a patient's eye, wherein the (second) wavelength is between 500 nm and 580 nm, preferably between 530 nm and 570 nm. In the above paragraph, the first step of the method may be providing said intraocular lens.

[0140] In embodiments, exposing the intraocular lens to the irradiation beam includes exposing a first volume, plane, and / or location of the intraocular lens before exposing a second volume, plane, and / or location of the intraocular lens, the first volume, plane, and / or location being further away from the cornea of ​​the patient's eye than the second volume, plane, and / or location, and a volume, plane, and / or location irradiated later in the irradiation sequence may be closer to the cornea than a volume, plane, and / or location irradiated earlier. The volumes may thereby be related to one or more planes of the intraocular lens.

[0141] The lens data and treatment planning data are preferably as described above and are part of a system preferably used in a method for locally adjusting the polarizing properties of an intraocular lens comprising the above-mentioned, or preferably the above-mentioned, polymeric optical material, which is placed in a patient's eye as described above.

[0142] The present invention still further relates to a method for correcting the vision of a patient by modifying the refractive index of an intraocular lens comprising the aforementioned, or preferably the aforementioned, polymeric optical material, in the eye of said patient, Identifying and measuring the patient's degree of vision correction; determining the location and type of refractive structures to write into said intraocular lens to correct the patient's vision; and and / or subsequently exposing the intraocular lens to two-photon or multi-photon radiation having a wavelength between 600 nm and 800 nm, preferably by using the aforementioned system and / or process for exposing the intraocular lens to said radiation, to locally reduce the polarizing properties of the intraocular lens; and / or Thereafter, exposing the intraocular lens to two-photon or multi-photon radiation having a wavelength between 400 nm and 590 nm to locally increase the polarizing properties of the intraocular lens.

[0143] As outlined above, a change in polarization will result in a change in the refractive index, as explained in more detail below. The speed of light in a vacuum, c0, is a fundamental constant and describes the speed of electromagnetic waves in a vacuum. From the solution of Maxwell's equations, the speed of light in a vacuum can be related to the electric constant ε0 and the magnetic constant μ0, which are also fundamental constants.

number

number

[0144] Relative permittivity ε r (also called dielectric constant) is a dimensionless material-dependent quantity that gives the dielectric constant of a material relative to its electric constant. Thus, the relative dielectric constant of a vacuum is ε r = 1, which can also be confirmed by comparing the two above equations. Next, calculate the actual dielectric constant by multiplying the relative dielectric constant by ε0.

number

number

[0145] The dielectric constant describes how the electric field strength decreases when a material, also called a dielectric, is placed in an electric field. The dielectric constant is determined by the material's ability to polarize in response to an electric field, thereby reducing the total electric field within the material. Most materials have a dielectric constant between 1 and 100, but there are also materials with ε values ​​up to 10,000. r There are known dielectric materials with dielectric constants of . To give some examples, polystyrene, cellulose, and water have dielectric constants of 2.5, 4.5, and 81, respectively. The dielectric constant of air can be taken as 1, which corresponds to a good approximation. In general, the dielectric constant is not a constant, since it can vary with the frequency of the applied field, humidity, temperature, and other parameters. In nonlinear media, the dielectric constant can depend on the strength of the electric field. Thus, ε r The old term "dielectric constant" is unclear and should no longer be used.

[0146] For magnetic fields, the values ​​μ0, μ r , and μ are defined similarly to the corresponding electric field values.

number

number

[0147] The refractive index, n, is a material constant that characterizes the refractive properties of a medium. As already introduced before, the refractive index is the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to the speed of light in a given medium. As a result, a vacuum has a refractive index of 1. The refractive index of water is 1.333. The refractive index of commercial glass products ranges from 1.4 to 1.9. Most organic polymers have refractive indices between 1.4 and 1.6, with specially engineered high-index polymers having refractive indices above 1.7. The refractive index generally depends on the frequency of light, a phenomenon known as scattering. The refractive index of dry air (n air ≈1.0003) differs only slightly from 1, so measurements can be made that correspond to a reasonable approximation for air. In technical optics, the refractive index n 0 is used, which is defined below.

number

[0148] The following relationship is obtained:

number

number

[0149] This means that the refractive index of a polymer / copolymer depends on its dielectric constant, ε r To understand the dielectric constant and how it can modify the refractive index of a polymer / copolymer, we need to take a closer look at what happens when a light wave interacts with a material. The electric field, in this case the electrical component of the light wave,

number

number

number

number

number

number

[0150] Polar Vector

number

number

number

number

number

number

[0151] Electric susceptibility was defined earlier. Two types of polarity must be distinguished: displacement polarity and orientation polarity. Displacement polarity arises from the mutual displacement of charges on neutral atoms or molecules. It is the relative tendency of charge distributions, like the electron clouds of atoms and molecules, to be distorted from their normal shape by an external electric field, i.e. the electric field induces an electric dipole moment. Orientation polarity arises from the orientation of permanent dipoles along the electric field lines. These dipoles were present in the medium before the electric field was applied. In the visible spectral range, only the orientation polarity of electrons is taken into account. The frequency of visible light is approximately 10 14 Hz~10 15 Hz range, which is relatively high. Thus, the contribution to the overall polarity caused by the atomic displacements and orientation of the permanent dipoles is very small and can be neglected. Only the electrons can "follow" the rapidly oscillating electric field. For the displacement polarity, the equation

number

number

number

[0152] In comparison, α is r It is easy to see that it must be proportional to

number

[0153] It should be noted that variations of the embodiments described in the present invention are within the scope of the present invention. Any feature disclosed in the present invention may be replaced with an alternative feature that serves the same purpose, or an equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly excluded. Therefore, any feature disclosed in the present invention should be considered as an example of a general series or as an equivalent or similar feature, unless otherwise specified. All features of the present invention may be combined with one another in any manner, unless the particular features and / or steps are mutually exclusive. This is particularly consistent with the preferred features of the present invention. Similarly, features of non-essential combinations may be used individually (but not in combination). It should also be pointed out that many of the features, especially those of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, are inventions in themselves and should not be regarded as merely some of the aspects of the present invention: they may seek independent protection in addition to or as an alternative to any of the present inventions.

[0154] The technical teachings disclosed in the present invention may be abstracted and combined with other examples. No doubt many other effective alternatives will occur to the mind of the skilled artisan, and it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the described embodiments, but encompasses modifications that are obvious to those skilled in the art and that are within the scope of the claims appended hereto. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0155] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system for irradiation of an artificial lens, such as a contact lens or an intraocular lens, that is not placed in a patient's eye. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a system for illuminating an intraocular lens placed in a patient's eye. [Diagram 3]FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram (1500) of the scanning procedure. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram (1600) of the variables used in a scanning program, taking into account when irradiating a lens in a patient's eye. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 shows a further schematic diagram of a system for irradiation of an intraocular lens placed in a patient's eye. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of elements of a system for irradiation of an intraocular lens placed in a patient's eye. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of elements of a system for irradiation of an intraocular lens placed in a patient's eye. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 shows a specific [2π+2π] cycloaddition reaction of poly(M-14). [Figure 9] FIG. 9 shows the specific cleavage of poly(M-14) dimers by reverse cyclization. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 shows the illumination settings used in Example 5. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 shows the illumination settings, for example for Example 14.

[0156] [Figure 12] FIG. 12 shows the absorption as a function of wavelength for the single photon process, further described in the Experimental Section as Example 2. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 shows the absorption as a function of wavelength for the single photon process described in Example 3. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 shows the change in refractive index for the single photon process as a function of applied energy, as described in Example 5. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 shows the change in refractive index for the single photon process as a function of applied energy, as described in Example 5. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 shows the absorption as a function of wavelength for single-photon processes, as further described in Example 7. [Figure 17]FIG. 17 shows the absorption as a function of wavelength for the single photon process described in Example 8 using the solution of Example 7. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 shows the change in refractive index for the single photon process described in Example 10 for the bulk polymer of Example 9 containing polymerized M18 as a function of applied energy. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 shows the change in refractive index for the single photon process described in Example 10 for the crosslinked dimer of the bulk polymer of Example 9 containing polymerized M18 as a function of applied energy. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 shows the fluorescence spectra with increasing irradiation time according to Example 15. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 shows the fluorescence spectrum peak at 420-430 nm as a function of irradiation wavelength, as described in Example 17. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 shows the refractive index change (Δn) as a function of radiation exposure according to Example 19. [Diagram 23] FIG. 23 shows the refractive index change (Δn) as a function of radiation exposure according to Example 20. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 shows selected examples of refractive index profiles written into optical materials during the experiment of Example 20. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0157] The present invention will now be illustrated in more detail by the following examples, without any intention of limiting it thereby. The following examples are also encompassed by the present disclosure and may be fully or partially incorporated into aspects of the present invention, and into the general disclosure. Manipulation of the UV / Vis spectrum in single photon experiments is performed by placing a cuvette containing the dissolved sample in a sample holder and then irradiating the cuvette. Changes in the UV / Vis spectrum are monitored over time by UV / Vis measurements using, for example, a UV / Vis spectrometer Lambda900 (from PerkinElmer). As described below, the refractive index is manipulated in single photon experiments by placing the sample in a sample holder and irradiating for preferably 30 seconds. The resulting change in refractive index is monitored over time by refractometry. The change in refractive index is measured with a multi-wavelength refractometer (ATR-L from Schmidt & Haensch). Single photon experiments show that the described polymeric optical materials for artificial lenses used in the process according to the invention can be locally altered in their initial polarization through irradiation with specific first and second wavelengths, e.g. causing [2π+2π] cycloaddition or cycloreversion, as described above or below. Alternatively, the artificial lens may be treated based on a multi-photon (eg, two-photon) process, as further described below in Examples 14-19. Working Example Example 1

[0158] Preparation of Poly(M-14): 1 g of M-14 is first dissolved in 10 mL of chloroform. Then, the solution is degassed and 1, 33 mg of AIBN is added. The mixture is then stirred at 60 °C for 14 h. After that, the polymer is precipitated in 250 mL of methanol. The resulting polymer, poly(M-14), is then dried. Example 2

[0159] In a second example, a solution of 75.4 mg of poly(M-14) is prepared in 10 mL of THF. It is diluted 500 times. The diluted solution is loaded into a quartz glass cuvette (32 / GL14 / S / Q / 10, STARNA, path length 10 mm). The UV / Vis spectrum is obtained by using a UV / Vis spectrometer Lambda900 (PerkinElmer). The sample is alternately irradiated at 340 nm and the UV / Vis spectrum is obtained. The results are presented in FIG. 12, which shows the absorption as a function of wavelength for the single photon process. There are three isosbestic points in Figure 12, which indicate a controlled transformation. The photochemical reaction which the transformation represents is a [2π+2π] cycloaddition, which leads to a crosslinked polymer as shown in Figure 8. The dimerization of the photoactive units is indicated by a falling signal at 332 nm. There is an increase in the signal intensity in the range of 260 nm to 275 nm.

[0160] The reaction mixture is dried and analyzed by NMR. 1 HNMR(500MHz,CDCl3)δ7.45,7.17,7.08~7.03,7.01~6.96,6.84,6.75,6.61,6.52,4.96,4.72,4. 06,3.95~3.87,2.58,2.54~2.47,2.36,1.76,1.71~1.56,1.49~1.44,1.37~1.24,1.14,0.93~0.84 The above 1 The singlets at 4.72 and 4.96 ppm in the HNMR spectrum are assigned to the cyclobutane ring formed via the photochemical [2π+2π] cycloaddition reaction. The two signals are due to the formation of a mixture of photodimers consisting of syn and anti, head-to-head and head-to-tail configurations, respectively. The NMR signals and conclusions are consistent with the literature [Raoeta L., Chem. Ber., 1973, 106(2), 388]. Example 3

[0161] In the third example, irradiated poly(M-14) prepared according to example 2 is used. UV / Vis spectrum is acquired. The sample is irradiated at 275 nm and UV / Vis spectrum is acquired alternately. The results are presented in FIG. 13, which shows the absorption as a function of wavelength of the single photon process. The above experiments demonstrate that representative polymeric optical materials are capable of cleaving dimerized photoactive units. The amount of cyclobutane moieties in the crosslinked poly(M-14) is reduced. The mechanism of this cleavage is shown in Figure 9. Back-conversion is indicated by an increased signal at 332 nm.

[0162] The reaction mixture is dried and analyzed by NMR. 1 HNMR(500MHz,CDCl3)δ7.67,7.40,7.20~7.14,6.86,4.11~4.00,2.69~2.62,2.36,1.87~1.78,1.65,1.53~1.41,1.40~1.26,1.14,0.91 As can be further seen, the cyclobutane ring formed via the photoinduced photochemical [2π+2π] cycloaddition reaction was previously assigned to the cyclobutane ring of Example 2. 1 The singlets at 4.74 and 4.98 ppm evidenced by the 1 H NMR spectrum disappear, demonstrating the cleavage as shown in FIG. Example 4

[0163] In a fourth embodiment, a polymeric optical material is prepared having a copolymer matrix.

[0164] A molten mixture of 2,00 g of M-14, 10,36 mg of 2-[3-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-hydroxyphenyl]ethyl methacrylate, 220,00 mg of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (average Mn 250), and 247,60 mg of n-butyl methacrylate is first degassed. Then, 25,57 mg of 1,1'-(3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexylidene)bis[2-(1,1-dimethylethyl)peroxide are added. The mixture is filtered and placed into a sheet mold with a thickness of 1 mm. Polymerization is thermally induced under conditions deemed appropriate by the skilled artisan. After the polymerization process is completed, the polymer is demolded to obtain a polymer sheet with a thickness of 1 mm. Example 5

[0165] In a fifth example, a cylindrical blank of polymeric optical material made according to example 4 is punched from the sheet. A multi-wavelength refractometer with a heated stage is used to determine the refractive index. The blank is heated to 80° C. in the device to release stress from the material before the measurement. The refractive index measurement is made in this example at 546 nm and 35° C. Outside the refractometer, the blank is irradiated at 340 nm in the apparatus shown in FIG. 10. The sample is returned to the refractometer, heated to 80° C., and the refractive index is measured at 546 nm and 35° C. FIG. 14 shows the change in refractive index of the single photon process as a function of the applied energy. As the applied energy increases, the refractive index of the irradiated polymeric optical material decreases. This is due to the cross-linking reaction shown in Figure 8. The cycloaddition reaction shown in Figure 8 results in photoactive units (cyclobutane rings) with low polarizability, which reduces the refractive index. The sample irradiated at 340 nm is used further in the procedures described herein, however the irradiation wavelength is 275 nm.

[0166] The effect shown in Figure 15 is due to the cleavage or back-conversion of the cyclobutane moiety (see Figure 9). This leads to a higher polarization and an increase in the refractive index. Figure 15 shows the change in refractive index for the single photon process as a function of the applied energy.

[0167] FIG. 10 shows a system (400) for the illumination setup described above using an LED system for single photon experiments. The system (400) includes an irradiation source (402), a beam collimator (404), and a sample holder (408) on which a sample (406) is mounted. In this Example 5, the illumination source (402) is a Mounted LED M340L4-340 nm, 53 mW from Thorlabs.

[0168] Examples 6-10 are carried out similarly to Examples 1-5 outlined above. Example 6 Creating Poly(M-18): Dissolve 1 g of M-18 in 10 mL of chloroform. Degas the solution and add 1,33 mg of AIBN. Stir the mixture at 60 °C for 14 h. Precipitate the polymer in 250 mL of methanol. Dry the resulting polymer, poly(M-18). Example 7

[0169] In the seventh example, a solution of 12.67 mg of poly(M-18) is prepared in 25 mL of THF. It is diluted 20 times. The diluted solution is loaded into a quartz glass cuvette. A UV / Vis spectrum is acquired. The sample is alternately irradiated at 340 nm and a UV / Vis spectrum is acquired. The results are shown in Figure 16. Figure 16 shows the absorption as a function of wavelength for the single photon process. Example 8

[0170] In the eighth example, a sample of irradiated poly(M-18) from example 7 is used. A UV / Vis spectrum is acquired. The sample is further irradiated at 275 nm and alternately UV / Vis spectra are acquired. The results are shown in Figure 17. Figure 17 shows the absorption as a function of wavelength for the single photon process. Example 9

[0171] In a ninth embodiment, a second polymeric optical material is prepared having a copolymer matrix. A molten mixture of 2,000 g of M-18, 9,08 mg of 2-[3-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-hydroxyphenyl]ethyl methacrylate, 65,8 mg of ethylene glycol diacrylate, 211,7 mg of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and 173,92 mg of 2-methacrylic acid octadecyl ester is degassed. Then, 26.42 mg of 1,1'-(3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexylidene)bis[2-(1,1-dimethylethyl)peroxide is added. The mixture is filtered and placed into a sheet mold with a thickness of 1 mm. Polymerization is thermally induced under conditions deemed appropriate by a person skilled in the art. After the polymerization process is completed, the polymer is demolded to obtain a polymer sheet with a thickness of 1 mm. Example 10

[0172] In a tenth example, cylindrical blanks of ophthalmic material made according to example 9 are punched from the sheet. A multi-wavelength refractometer with a heating stage is used to determine the refractive index. Before the measurement, the sample is heated to 80° C. in the device to release stress from the material. The refractive index measurement is carried out at 546 nm and 35° C. Alternately, the sample is irradiated at 340 nm, the sample is returned to the refractometer, heated to 80° C., and the refractive index is measured at 546 nm and 35° C. The results are shown in FIG. 18. FIG. 18 thus shows the change in refractive index of the single photon process as a function of the applied energy. The sample irradiated at 340 nm is further used in the procedure described herein, but with an irradiation wavelength of 275 nm. The effect shown in Figure 19 is due to the cleavage or back-conversion of the cyclobutane moiety (see Figure 9). Figure 19 shows the change in the refractive index of the single photon process as a function of the applied energy. Examples 11-13

[0173] The following Examples 11-13 show the refractive index change upon irradiation in a single photon process of polymeric optical materials based on the formulation described in Example 9, having a copolymer matrix containing polymerized monomers M-58, M-56, or M-15 in the amounts shown in the following table: [Table 1]

[0174] Examples of illumination with two-photon / multiphoton absorption: Example 14 The experimental device used in Example 14 is shown in FIG. The two-photon experimental system (410) in FIG. 11 incorporates a tunable laser (412) (Ti:Sapphire laser (Chameleon Ultra II by Coherent, Santa Clara, Calif., USA) as an illumination source configured to generate pulsed laser radiation. The illumination beam is expanded in a beam shaper (414). The pulsed laser radiation produced by the laser source (412) is then directed to a microscope objective lens (416) (Olympus LUCPLFLN) resulting in a focused laser radiation output. A region of polymeric optical material (sample 418) with varying refractive index is aimed at the target via a voice coil driven linear stage (422) (PIMag®) that is used to position the sample holder (420).

[0175] The polymer sample (418) herein is a 6.0 mm diameter flat button of the polymeric optical material described below. All polymers in the polymer samples are copolymers that contain at least a crosslinker. The main monomers used in the preparation of polymeric optical materials with copolymer matrices are summarized in the following table for each button material. [ka]

[0176] During the irradiation process, the flat button of polymer material previously described as polymer sample (418) is placed in a fixed position in a sample holder (420). Coupling gel (Vidisic [Bausch & Lomb]) is applied to the button. The sample holder (420) is mounted horizontally and laser pulses are focused onto the material using a high numerical aperture microscope objective. A refractive index profile is created approximately close to the surface. This is similar to the "bottom-up" and "spot-to-spot" procedures. The sample holder (420) is driven by a voice coil linear stage (422) as previously described, which mimics the movement of a scanner. Typical laser parameters are: wavelength 680 nm, pulse duration 180 fs, average power 500 mW. The parameters that are varied are the scan speed and the spacing x between the lines of the layer. The three parameters are adjusted to create a uniform solid refractive index molding. The change in refractive index is measured with a multi-wavelength refractometer (ATR-L from Schmidt & Haensch).

[0177] The results of two-photon laser experiments correlate with the refractive index diagram of the refractive index depending on the electromagnetic energy input of one-photon experiments. Example 15

[0178] In the fifteenth example, a solution of 288 mg of poly(M-14) (Example 1) is made in 4 mL of acetonitrile. The solution is loaded into a quartz glass cuvette (32 / GL14 / S / Q / 10, STARNA, 10 mm path length). The cuvette containing the liquid solution of poly(M-14) is irradiated with 1 μJ pulses at a wavelength of 680 nm at a repetition rate of 100 kHz using a NA 0.1 microscope objective. The two-photon generated fluorescence of the solution is measured as a function of irradiation time using a pulsed irradiation source as described above. Fluorescence is measured in a 90 degree geometry to the irradiating beam using a fiber-coupled and grating-based spectrometer with sensitivity from 350 to 1050 nm. Fluorescence spectra with increasing irradiation time are tabulated in FIG. 20. The two-photon induced [2π+2π] cyclodimerization reaction of the photoactive units is indicated by a descending signal between 400 and 500 nm. Conversion of poly(M-14) to a non-fluorescent dimer reduces the emission peak. The reaction mixture is dried and analyzed by NMR in chloroform-d. The singlets at 4.74 and 4.98 ppm are assigned to the cyclobutane ring formed via the two-photon induced photochemical [2π+2π] cycloaddition reaction. The NMR spectrum correlates with that of Example 2. Both the single-photon and two-photon induced photochemical [2π+2π] cycloaddition reactions give the same products. Example 16

[0179] In the sixteenth example, irradiated poly(M-14) prepared according to example 14 is used as a solution in acetonitrile (4 mL) in a quartz glass cuvette (32 / GL14 / S / Q / 10, STARNA, path length 10 mm). The solution is irradiated with 1 μJ pulses at a wavelength of 532 nm at a repetition rate of 100 kHz using a NA0.1 microscope objective. The amount of cyclobutane moieties in the substrate decreases over time during laser irradiation due to the two-photon induced photochemical [2π+2π] cycloreversion reaction. The reaction mixture is dried and analyzed by NMR in chloroform-d. The singlets at 4.74 and 4.98 ppm, previously assigned to the cyclobutane ring formed via the two-photon induced photochemical [2π+2π] cycloaddition reaction in experiment 14, are annihilated. The two-photon induced photochemical [2π+2π] cycloreversion results correlate with the single-photon induced photochemical [2π+2π] cycloreversion experiments in Example 3. Example 17

[0180] In a seventeenth example, a solution of 288 mg of poly(M-14) from Example 1 in 4 mL of acetonitrile is prepared. The solution is loaded into a quartz glass cuvette (32 / GL14 / S / Q / 10, STARNA, 10 mm path length). In this example, the two-photon generated fluorescence from the solution is measured as a function of the illumination wavelength using a pulsed illumination source as described above. The cuvette containing the liquid solution of poly(M-14) is illuminated with 1 μJ pulses at a repetition rate of 100 kHz using a NA 0.1 microscope objective. The fluorescence is measured in a 90 degree geometry to the illumination beam using a fiber-coupled and grating-based spectrometer with sensitivity from 350 to 1050 nm. The peak of the fluorescence spectrum at 420-430 nm is determined for each illumination wavelength and is plotted in FIG. 21 as a function of illumination wavelength. As can be seen in FIG. 21, the two-photon induced fluorescence has a high value around 680 nm and decreases with increasing illumination wavelength. The excitation maximizes at approximately twice the wavelength at which one-photon excitation maximizes (340 nm), an observation that is typical for a two-photon absorption process. Example 18

[0181] In an eighteenth embodiment, a polymeric optical material having a copolymer matrix is ​​prepared by first degassing a molten mixture of 4.1 g of M-14, 21 mg of 2-[3-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-hydroxyphenyl]ethyl methacrylate, 143.6 mg of 1,18-octadecanediol diacrylate, and 506.7 mg of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate. Then, 52 mg of 1,1'-(3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexylidene)bis[2-(1,1-dimethylethyl)peroxide is added. The mixture is filtered into a sheet mold with a thickness of 1 mm. Polymerization is thermally induced under conditions known in the art. After the polymerization process is completed, the polymer is demolded to obtain a polymer sheet with a thickness of 1 mm. A cylindrical blank of the optical material is punched out from the sheet. Example 19

[0182] In the nineteenth example, a cylindrical blank of optical material made according to example 18 is used. Two-photon induced photochemical crosslinking reaction of optical material is shown in the setup shown in FIG. 11 using two different irradiation sources as described above. One irradiation source, labeled in FIG. 22 under "kHz", is a femtosecond laser operating at 680 nm and emitting μJ pulses at a repetition rate of 100 kHz. The second irradiation source, labeled in FIG. 22 under "MHz", is a femtosecond laser operating at 680 nm wavelength and emitting nJ pulses at a repetition rate of 80 MHz. The cylindrical blank is treated with an average power of 400 mW. Following the irradiation treatment, the optical path length difference across the sample is measured for each measurement with an optical phase sensitive camera. The refractive index of the material in the irradiated area is estimated from said optical path length difference and the thickness of the sample. The refractive index change (Δn) shown in FIG. 22 is obtained by comparing the irradiated area with the non-irradiated area. Subsequent data points from low to high radiation exposure (= applied energy) as the duration of irradiation increases indicate the cumulative effect of the irradiation procedure, which allows for an accurate translation of the physician's requirements into a corresponding treatment plan.

[0183] Figure 22 also shows the difference in overall system efficiency between kHz and MHz irradiation sources. With all system settings identical, the kHz system has a significantly increased writing speed and therefore a shorter and more desirable treatment time. This result indicates that the two-photon induced photochemical [2π+2π] cyclodimerization reaction is more efficient for the kHz system, which is consistent with the conclusions drawn from the excited state lifetimes mentioned above. Example 20

[0184] In this example, a cylindrical blank of optical material made according to Example 18 is used. Two-photon induced photochemical crosslinking reaction of optical material is shown using different irradiation wavelengths. The radiation source used is a femtosecond laser tunable between 666 and 722 nm, emitting μJ pulses at a repetition rate of 100 kHz. The setup shown in FIG. 11 is used. For each measurement, an area of ​​1 mm×6 mm on the optical material is treated with an average power of 400 mW with the same overall radiation exposure. The refractive index of the material in the irradiated area is estimated from the optical path length difference and the thickness of the sample. The refractive index change (Δn) shown in FIG. 23 is obtained by comparing the irradiated and non-irradiated areas. The data shown in FIG. 23 demonstrated that the 680-720 nm range can be used efficiently to create refractive index modifications in optical materials.

[0185] FIG. 24 shows selected examples of refractive index profiles written into the optical material during the course of this experiment. In this example, the illumination source operates with 5-μJ pulses at 710 nm at a repetition rate of 100 kHz. An optical scanner is used to illuminate a rectangular area of ​​0.6 mm×6 mm on the optical material with spatially overlapping optical pulses. Data is collected with a phase-sensitive camera system attached to a microscope at 10× magnification. The phase-sensitive camera records the optical phase difference with a lateral resolution of 30 μm. The recorded values ​​are then converted to refractive index changes, taking into account the thickness of the sample. FIG. 24 shows that the refractive index of the irradiated area is reduced by about 0.011 compared to the surrounding non-irradiated material.

Claims

1. 1. A system for irradiating an artificial lens, the system comprising: one or more illumination sources (1) for two-photon or multi-photon irradiation, which irradiate the artificial lens (3) with an illumination beam (2) of a first wavelength and / or a second wavelength different from the first wavelength, which is focused by an optical part (16) onto the artificial lens (3); a scanner (4) coupled to one or more illumination sources (1) and configured to scan said illumination beam (2) over said artificial lens (3); and an input unit (6) coupled to one or more irradiation sources (1) and to a scanner (4), the input unit (6) being configured to input data for treating the artificial lens (3) by scanning the irradiation beam (2) over the artificial lens (3) based on input data (8), the first wavelength is between 600 nm and 800 nm to locally reduce the polarizing properties of the artificial lens based on the treatment of the artificial lens; the second wavelength being between 400 nm and 590 nm in order to locally reduce the polarizing properties of the artificial lens (3) based on the treatment of the artificial lens, The system.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the artificial lens (3) is a contact lens or an intraocular lens.

3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an artificial lens (3) is placed in the patient's eye.

4. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the input data (8) comprises lens data (10) of the artificial lens (3) and / or treatment planning data (12) relating to a treatment plan for the treatment of the artificial lens (3).

5. 5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the lens data (10) comprises data on radiation absorption properties of the artificial lens (3), and the system is configured to tune the first wavelength and / or the second wavelength such that the artificial lens locally changes its polarization based on a two-photon or multi-photon absorption process.

6. a positioning system (20) for determining a position of a focal point of the irradiation beam (2) within the eye of the patient, 6. The system according to claim 2, wherein a positioning system (20) is coupled to a scanner (4), and the scanning of the illumination beam (2) over the artificial lens (3) by the scanner is based on the position of the focal point of the illumination beam within the eye.

7. the system being configured to determine a position and / or an orientation of said artificial lens (3) and of the exit of the illumination beam relative to the eye, The system according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the scanning of the illumination beam (2) over the artificial lens (3) by a scanner (4) is based on the position and / or orientation of the artificial lens (3) relative to the eye.

8. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, a temperature control unit (14) coupled to one or both of: (i) the one or more irradiation sources (1); and (ii) the scanner (4); a temperature management unit (14) configured to determine a temperature of a portion of the artificial lens (3) during the treatment of the artificial lens (3) by the scanning based on irradiation beam characteristics of the irradiation beam (2) and on artificial lens characteristics of the artificial lens (3); the system being configured to control one or both of: (i) one or more irradiation sources (1); and (ii) a scanner (4) based on said determination of temperature; The system.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the temperature management unit (14) is configured to predict the temperature of the artificial lens (3) during the treatment, and the input data (8) comprises a predicted temperature.

10. The system of any one of claims 2 to 9, further comprising an eye interface system (18) configured to maintain the eye of the patient in a fixed position.

11. 1. A method of operating a system for adjusting the polarizing properties of an artificial lens, comprising a body formed of a polymeric optical material, based on a two- or multi-photon absorption process, comprising: A system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, comprising adjusting the polarizing properties of the lens through irradiation of the lens, thereby changing the polymeric optical material with a significant difference in the UV / Vis spectrum with respect to the non-irradiated polymeric optical material of the artificial lens, method.

12. 12. Method according to claim 11, wherein said adjustment of the polarizing properties of the artificial lens comprises a system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, which reduces the polarizing properties by irradiating the artificial lens with an irradiation beam having a wavelength between 600 nm and 800 nm, thereby modifying the polymeric optical material with a significant difference in the UV / Vis spectrum with respect to the non-irradiated polymeric optical material of the artificial lens, i.e. a loss of the peak absorption in the range of 300 nm to 400 nm.

13. 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said adjustment of the polarizing properties of the artificial lens comprises a system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, increasing the polarizing properties by irradiating the artificial lens with an irradiation beam having a wavelength between 400 nm and 590 nm, thereby modifying the polymeric optical material with a significant difference in the UV / Vis spectrum with respect to the non-irradiated polymeric optical material of the artificial lens, i.e. an increase in the peak absorption in the range from 300 nm to 400 nm.

14. 13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the polymeric optical material of the artificial lens comprises a polymer matrix comprising covalently bound photoactive units comprising non-aromatic double bonds that can be dimerized by forming a cyclobutane ring by [2π+2π] cycloaddition under the influence of a two-photon or multi-photon process.

15. 15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the optical material of the artificial lens comprises a polymer matrix comprising covalently bound photoactive units comprising a non-aromatic double bond that can be dimerized by forming a cyclobutane ring by [2π+2π] cycloaddition under the influence of a two-photon or multi-photon process with an already dimerized photoactive unit.

16. 14. The method according to claim 11 or 13, wherein the polymeric optical material of the artificial lens comprises a polymer matrix comprising covalently bound dimerized photoactive units as the only photoactive units that can be separated under the effect of a two-photon or generally multiphoton process.

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, The system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, comprising irradiating with a radiation beam of a first wavelength an artificial lens comprising a polymer matrix comprising covalently attached photoactive units comprising non-aromatic double bonds capable of dimerizing by [2π+2π] cycloaddition to form a cyclobutane ring, said irradiation causing dimerization of said photoactive units, thereby reducing the polarizing property of said artificial lens, thereby modifying the artificial lens provided, the modified artificial lens comprising a polymer matrix comprising partially or fully dimerized photoactive units derived from said [2π+2π] cycloaddition, Optionally, the system according to any one of claims 1 to 10 irradiates the modified artificial lens with an irradiation beam of a second wavelength in order to locally increase the polarizing property of the modified artificial lens by partially cleaving the dimerized photoactive units, method.

18. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, comprising irradiating an artificial lens with a radiation beam of a second wavelength, said irradiation causing separation of said dimerized photoactive units, thereby increasing the polarizing property of said artificial lens, thereby modifying the artificial lens provided, the modified artificial lens comprising a polymer matrix comprising photoactive units capable of re-dimerizing, 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the system according to any one of claims 1 to 10 irradiates the modified artificial lens with a radiation beam of a first wavelength in order to locally reduce the polarizing property of the modified artificial lens by partially dimerizing the photoactive units.

19. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, comprising irradiating an artificial lens with a radiation beam of a first wavelength, said irradiation causing dimerization of said photoactive units, thereby reducing the polarizing property of said artificial lens, thereby modifying the provided artificial lens, wherein the modified artificial lens comprises a polymer matrix comprising more dimerized photoactive units derived from said [2π+2π] cycloaddition, or 16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the system according to any one of claims 1 to 10 irradiates the artificial lens with a radiation beam of a second wavelength, said irradiation causing separation of the dimerized photoactive units, thereby increasing the polarizing property of the artificial lens, thereby modifying the artificial lens provided, the modified artificial lens comprising a polymer matrix containing more photoactive units capable of dimerizing by forming a cyclobutane ring by [2π+2π] cycloaddition.

20. A kit of parts comprising a system according to any one of claims 1 to 10 and at least one artificial lens suitable for said system.

Images