Ophthalmic lens with central obscuration

Abstract

An ophthalmic lens, such as an intraocular lens or a contact lens comprising an obscuration positioned centrally on the light transmissive body of said ophthalmic lens, coaxial with the optical axis, which has a diameter that is not greater than 50 percent of the diameter of the lens body is proposed. Use and methods producing therefor are also proposed according to the present disclosure. The lens, its use and method for producing said lens are targeted for people with age-related macular degeneration and geared towards regaining usable vision without excessively invasive procedures, and with a demonstrably higher rate of effectiveness and success.

Description

[0001] OPHTHALMIC LENS WITH CENTRAL OBSCURATION

[0002] Technical Field of the Present Invention

[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to ophthalmic lenses and, more specifically, ophthalmic contact- and intra-ocular lenses aimed at improving usable vision for eyes with foveal choroidal neovascular membrane and central scotomas, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the improvement being at least partly provided by a central obscuration of the ophthalmic lens.

[0004] Background of the Present Invention

[0005] Macular degeneration, the leading cause of central blindness, impacts approximately 200 million people worldwide, underscoring its role as a significant health challenge. Located at the center of the retina, the macula covers just about 10% of the visual field but is responsible for sharp, central, color vision. Although macular degeneration predominantly affects the elderly, it can be severely debilitating. This remains true even if a large part of the retina is intact, as the area in optical focus deteriorates. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is divided into dry and wet (neovascular) forms. While there is currently no treatment to reverse AMD, interventions exist that can slow or stop the progression of wet (neovascular) AMD, and dry AMD is often addressed with lifestyle changes. For patients suffering from AMD, central scotomas or any type of foveal choroidal neovascular membrane is the use of low visual aids. These aids can be roughly divided into magnification-based approaches and approaches using some sort of off-center optics to direct and focus onto a part of the retina other than the fovea. The former types of systems often involve bulky optics, typically larger than spectacles that are worn by the patient. Examples of common aids are spectacle mounted telescope, magnifying glasses, close circuit television (CCTV) vision aids, spectacles with an increased magnification inset, and handstand magnifiers. Alternatively behavioral training has also been suggested and tested, such as eccentric viewing training or microperimetry biofeedback training, where patients are trained to use parts of their retina that are still healthy.

[0006] Several types of intraocular lenses (IOL) that have been considered useful for age-related macular degeneration and adjacent illnesses are described in the paper by Grzybowski et al. titled "Intraocular lenses in age-related macular degeneration", as found in Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology 255.9 (2017): 1687-1696.

[0007] One suggested solution is the Lipschitz macular implant, that is implanted into the sulcus. The Lipschitz macular implant is a miniaturized Cassegrain type telescope. The further development of this technology was called Implantable miniature telescope and utilized a miniaturized Galilean type telescope and was sold by VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies. Both these implanted telescopes require surgical intervention that are very invasive and very risky compared to standard IOL implantations, such as e.g. either a standard phakic implantation or an aphakic implantation into the capsular bag.

[0008] A patent document known in the art, EP 2 747 706, describes a multifocal intraocular lens (IOL) arranged to focus the light on two different parts of the retina, e.g. for patients with a central scotoma.

[0009] There are also dual lens systems known in the art: One such is described in US 10,959,836 B2, where a posterior light diverging lens is combined with an anterior light converging lens. Another type of dual lens system is the Scharioth Macula lens that is implanted anterior to the lens capsule into pseudo phakic eyes with macular disease and is designed to help patients by providing magnification. It works together with a standard IOL as a limited telescopic implant, but is much less invasive and also leads to less loss of field.

[0010] Another document, US20220280285A1, discloses intraocular implants including a mask having an annular portion with a relatively low visible light transmission surrounding a relatively high transmission central portion such as a clear lens or aperture. The intraocular implant may be implanted in any location along the optical pathway in the eye, e.g., as an implant in the anterior or posterior chamber.

[0011] W02011020078A1 teaches intraocular implants which may include a mask having an annular portion with a relatively low visible light transmission surrounding a relatively high transmission central portion such as a clear lens or aperture. This construct is adapted to provide an annular mask with a small aperture for light to pass through to the retina to increase depth of focus.

[0012] US 11090151 B2 discloses a polymeric material hydrophilicity alteration method with a laser radiation source that generates tightly focused laser pulses within a three-dimensional portion of the polymeric material (PM) to affect these changes in PM properties. This may be applied to the formation of customized intraocular lenses comprising material (PLM) wherein the lens is surgically positioned within the eye of the patient. The implanted lens refractive index may then be optionally altered in situ with laser pulses to change the optical properties of the implanted lens and thus achieve optimal corrected patient vision. Objects of the Present Invention

[0013] Primary object of the present invention is to provide an ophthalmic lens, comprising a refractive baseline, an obscuration structure configured to be coaxial with the optical axis and configured to cover at most a quarter of the total lens area.

[0014] Another object of the present invention is to provide an ophthalmic lens comprising an obscuration structure which improves vision of patients suffering from age-related macular degeneration.

[0015] Another object of the present invention is to provide an ophthalmic lens comprising an obscuration structure which leads to decreased field-of-view restrictions for users.

[0016] Another object of the present invention is to provide an ophthalmic intraocular lens comprising an obscuration structure which can be installed in the eye of a user with a drastically less invasive surgical intervention compared to its counterparts.

[0017] Another object of the present invention is to provide an ophthalmic intraocular lens comprising an obscuration structure which can be worn simultaneously with a contact lens with an annular obscuration to potentially improve vision for users with AMD.

[0018] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for creating an obscuration structure on the anterior surface an ophthalmic lens which can be deposited in-vivo and in-situ. Brief Description of the Present Invention

[0019] Disclosed invention mainly targets the demographic suffering from foveal choroidal neovascular membrane or central scotoma, as well as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and other types of adjacent macular diseases. For this purpose, a type of lens is proposed, which may be either a intraocular lens or a contact lens according to different embodiments.

[0020] All currently existing ophthalmic lenses that are targeted to alleviate symptoms of these ailments have at least one drawback. One such drawback can be the excessively invasive nature of the procedure for installing them to the eye of the patient. The more invasive the procedure, the more danger it poses to the patient as well as the expected recuperation time. Another drawback is that those lenses can offer only a localized, off-centered vision, due to the fact that they focus on only one specific part of the retina, other than the fovea. Lenses that are known in the art are also excessively bulky which complicates the usage and implantation thereof, next to suffering from image field restrictions, which can often be severe.

[0021] The ophthalmic lenses proposed according to the teaching of this disclosure can be used or be implanted using standard, well-established and relatively less-invasive techniques. Lenses set forth according to the disclosure also lead to no field restrictions, which is a significant upside compared to the ones known in the art. An additional benefit of the disclosed lenses is that these techniques can even be combined with a diffractive phase grating, which introduces optical power as well to the user. The proposed methods can be applied to already existing ophthalmic lenses with post-processing, meaning that these modifications can even be made to intraocular lenses in-situ. With the centrally located obscuration structure, significant improvements can be achieved regarding vision for some patients suffering from foveal choroidal neovascular membrane and central scotomas, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a symmetrical fashion around the fovea without field restrictions. These benefits of the lenses according to the present disclosure can be achieved all the while bypassing several and in best cases all the aforementioned shortcomings characterizing the state of the art.

[0022] Brief Description of the Figures of the Present Invention

[0023] Accompanying drawings are given solely for the purpose of exemplifying a intraocular lens with an obscuration structure, whose advantages over prior art were outlined above and will be explained in brief hereinafter.

[0024] The drawings are not meant to delimit the scope of protection as identified in the claims nor should they be referred to alone in an effort to interpret the scope identified in said claims without recourse to the technical disclosure in the description of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 1 demonstrates a simplified anatomy of the human eye.

[0026] Figure 2a demonstrates the front side of an ophthalmic multifocal aphakic intraocular lens according to the present invention.

[0027] Figure 2b demonstrates the side view of an ophthalmic multifocal aphakic intraocular lens according to the invention.

[0028] Figure 2c demonstrates another ophthalmic multifocal aphakic intraocular lens according to the invention, where a central obscuration is combined with an annulus obscuration.

[0029] Figure 3 demonstrates the general functionality of lenses with different degree of central obscurations, along with their respective PSF curves.

[0030] Figures 4a and 4b illustrate, respectively, ex-vivo and in-vivo applications of a central obscuration to a lens.

[0031] Detailed Description of the Present Invention

[0032] 10 Eye

[0033] 11 Cornea

[0034] 12 Pupil

[0035] 13 Natural crystalline lens

[0036] 14 Retina

[0037] 15 Posterior cavity

[0038] 16 Anterior and posterior chambers

[0039] 17 Far vision

[0040] 18 Optical axis

[0041] 30 Ophthalmic lens

[0042] 31 Lens body

[0043] 32 Haptic(s)

[0044] 33 Central obscuration

[0045] 34 Anterior surface

[0046] 35 Posterior surface

[0047] 36 Optical axis

[0048] 37 Annular obscuration

[0049] 38 Outer diameter 39 Center thickness

[0050] 40 Femtosecond laser

[0051] 41 Focusing optics

[0052] 42 Intraocular lens

[0053] 43 Anterior chamber

[0054] 44 Retina

[0055] 45 Choroid

[0056] 46 Vitreous body

[0057] 47 Ciliary body

[0058] 48 Capsular bag

[0059] According to the present disclosure, an ophthalmic intraocular aphakic lens is proposed comprising a central obscuration situated on the transmissive lens body. A central obscuration, when taken in isolation, has two main deleterious effects on an optical system. One such effect is the loss in overall collected energy, whereas the other is the loss observed in modulation transfer function (MTF hereinafter) at certain frequencies. The latter effect has been documented in the art, namely by A. T. Mohammed in the paper titled " Limits of the Efficiency of Imaging with Obstructing Aperture^' published in SQU Journal For Science, 2007.

[0060] It is however advantageous in a possible setting for ophthalmic intraocular aphakic lenses, particularly when a specific benefit is associable with a "lossy" MTF. To elaborate, it is known that central obscurations have the effect of decreasing the width of the central peakof the Airy disk, as well as distributing more energy to outer diameters. A compelling case for use of deliberately created central obscurations is that the reductions observed in MTF due to them are extremely frequency-dependent. For high frequencies, the obscuration actually increases MTF. In other words, the obscuration works as a high-pass filter and indeed brings forth a pronounced edge clarity.

[0061] Most known use cases of central obscuration are found in telescopes and microscopes, such as Cassegrain telescopes, even if the obscuration observed in such telescopes necessitate a setup wherein a mirror is placed at the center, making the obscuration a design feature by default. Information regarding the effects of central obscuration(s) is generally founded around these features causing problems in these systems, bringing about a need to study them and their effects. A typical example of this is laid out in the study titled "Central obscuration effects on optical synthetic aperture imaging " Wang et al. as published in Proceedings of SPIE Vol. 9142. According to this document, central obscuration(s) are conceived as problems in space optical instruments needing to be addressed.

[0062] There are use cases where central obscurations are conceived as strictly beneficial. One such example can be seen in the study by Salas et al. titled "High loop rate adaptive optics flood illumination ophthalmoscope with structured illumination capability", published in Applied Optics 57.20 (2018), wherein a central obscuration is used to reduce the occurrence of stray light. In "Illumination uniformity optimization of position-sensitive detector sensing optical system by circular and annular obscurations" ib\\ hed in Applied Optics Vol. 51, No. 35, Zhong et al. suggest a central obscuration combined with an annulus obscuration to increase the uniformity of light. It has also been demonstrated that at high spatial frequencies the MTF high frequencies can be strictly increased by a central obscuration, but it is explicitly stated in the state of the art that no known use for this property exists.

[0063] Patients with age related macular degeneration (AMD hereinafter) and other types of foveal choroidal neovascular membrane have a damaged fovea. This is often a very debilitating condition, and in many cases any improvement to vision can have a very significant positive impact on quality of life. Most proposed solutions involve either a deflection of the focus to an off-center position or a magnification. Magnification that is large is often an impractical solution, given the limitations of the human eye. This is because a single lens is unable to provide the magnification needed, instead requiring implantation of a telescope, e.g. the Lipschitz implant, or using very bulky external solutions. This approach requires very intrusive surgery and is generally not successful. The solutions where the light is deflected to an off-center position are also undesirable, for two reasons. One, it is quite difficult to know beforehand where the retina has good function. Two, the eye is not adapted for that type of input and thus, as a third point, the outcome of such an intervention will be very uneven and difficult to predict. A much better approach is to keep the optics centered around the fovea, however with a broader spread and a more even distribution of light.

[0064] In a technical document from Beck Optronic Solutions ("Performance of Optics with Central Obscurations"), p. 3, it is stated that "At high spatial frequencies there is a slight enhancement of the MTF compared to that of an unobscured pupil. There is no known use of this phenomenon. "This represents the current opinion among those skilled in the art that this specific effect has no known use.

[0065] General premise of the idea in practice is that a lens with a central obscuration can function as a high pass filter, and that a central obscuration can increase object separation. This effect, in combination with the general spread of focused light over the retina, renders these lenses specifically useful for eyes with limited damage in the foveal area. An obscuration is thus, according to the embodiments and methods set forth in the present disclosure, conceived as any surface displaying opacity to a significant degree. For instance, an opacity that is generally desirable should block at least 80% of the available light. Opaque and semi-opaque sections of an obscuration are qualitatively different, as a semi-opaque section of the obscuration shall be configured to block no more than 50% of the available light.

[0066] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, most advantageous configurations with central obscurations are cases where the diameter of the obscuration is configured to be between 25% and 50% of the optic diameter, which cover a surface between one eighth and a quarter of the total lens body in terms of area. However, because of the dynamics of the pupil size due to the environment, and additionally the dependence of the pupil size on the size of obscuration, the optimum aperture size is not immediately straightforward. In the majority of the embodiments taught herein, obscuration diameters up to 2 mm are of interest. The human pupil varies with age, lighting conditions and activity between around 1.5 mm up to above 6 mm. Pupils above 4.5 mm mostly occur in very dark environments and furthermore mostly in younger people. It will often make sense to optimize a lens with a central obscuration for pupil sizes in the range of 3 mm to 4 mm.

[0067] In a document mentioned hitherto, Zhong et al. use a combination of an annulus obscuration and a central obscuration in an optical setup. According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, a combination wherein a central obscuration with a relatively small (up to 25% of total surface area) size on an intraocular lens and an optional annularly formed obscuration on a contact lens is proposed. This combination provides, in certain cases and environments, provide a higher uniformity of light distribution. A central obscuration-having intraocular lens set forth according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure, can be manufactured through laser treatment, e.g. using a femtosecond laser. Such a laser treatment might change the optical properties of a polymer that the lens is made of to create an obscuration. In alternative embodiments, said central obscuration on the intraocular lens may also be created by introducing a dye or a pigment to the desired part of the lens body. Further in an alternative manner, said obscuration may also be created by depositing a different material than that of the rest of the lens body.

[0068] In a first implementation, an intraocular ophthalmic lens comprises a central obscuration placed centered around the optical axis, and with a diameter that is not greater than 50% of the diameter of the full optic. These embodiments are visually demonstrated with reference to Figures 2a and 2b. In one implementation, said ophthalmic lens utilizes a combination of an annulus obscuration and a central obscuration combined, in a concentric fashion, on one lens. Another specific use case purports the combination of a central obscuration on the intraocular lens and an optional, ring-formed (annular) obscuration on a contact lens. This embodiment is visually depicted with reference to Figure 2c.

[0069] In one implementation the ophthalmic lens with central obscuration is combined with a second lens using an annulus obscuration (e.g. an IOL with central obscuration and a contact lens with an annulus obscuration). A setup with virtually identical effect of manipulating the aperture can also be realized with a contact lens comprising a central obscuration, and an intraocular lens with an annulus obscuration.

[0070] In various embodiments, the shape of the central obscuration can be adjusted to achieve smoother transitions between the obscuration and the transmissive parts of the lens body. One such implementation concerns the central obscuration comprising, instead of a sharp edge, a modulated amplitude modulation. In further implementations of interest, said amplitude modulation may be a strict gradient where a central portion of the obscuration is fully opaque, with an outer portion of the obscuration is configured to gradually shift from opaque to fully transparent, as a function of lens radius. This can be realized such that said modulating effect of the opacity of the lens from inside out creates two distinct regions, one sufficiently opaque, one that is semiopaque. Thus, a pattern can be deposited on the lens body wherein said pattern comprises at least a sufficient opacity up to 80%, that is, an area of the obscuration blocking 80% of the light, whereas other areas that are semiopaque may also be formed, said semi-opaque areas configured to block less than 50% of available light. One implementation might be that outside a full central obscuration the transmission of the obscuration varies in a way that is periodic compared to the square of the radius of the lens (periodic in r2space). This creates an amplitude diffractive grating with diffractive optical power and function similar to that of a so-called Fresnel zoneplate. In certain embodiments this could be useful to further spread the light out from the optical axis. The amplitude modulation is done so that the transparency of the obscuration is a function of the aperture and it can be arranged to be either be substantially binary or gradual.

[0071] In one implementation said amplitude modulation is constructed such that there is a central portion that is fully opaque, outside of which there is a periodic amplitude modulation. In one other implementation said central obscuration can be combined with a periodic phase grating, wherein said periodic phase grating can be disposed outside of the obscuration in a circularly symmetric manner. Similar to the amplitude grating, phase gratings are often periodic in r2space and can be useful to to spread the light out from the optical axis and the shape the point spread function. A phase grating is often formed by a periodic surface relief, but can also be made by a periodic, concentric, variation of the refractive index. Such a periodic variation of the refractive index can be buried at any depth in the lens.

[0072] Figure 1 shows, in a simplified manner, the anatomy of the human eye 10, for the purpose of illustrating the present disclosure. The front part of the eye 10 is formed by the cornea 11, a spherical clear tissue that covers the pupil 12. The pupil 12 is the adaptable light receiving part of the eye 10 that controls the amount of light received in the eye 10. Light rays passing the pupil 12 are received at the natural crystalline lens 13, a small clear and flexible disk inside the eye 10, that focuses light rays onto the retina 14 at the rear part of the eye 10. The retina 14 serves the image forming by the eye 10. The posterior cavity 15, i.e. the space between the retina 14 and the lens 13, is filled with vitreous humour, a clear, jelly-like substance. The anterior and posterior chambers 16, i.e. the space between the lens 13 and the cornea 11, is filled with aqueous humour, a clear, watery liquid. Reference numeral 17 reference far vision. Far vision is in optical terms when the incoming light rays are parallel or close to parallel. Reference numeral 18 indicates the optical axis of the eye 10.

[0073] For a sharp and clear far field view by the eye 10, the lens 13 should be relatively flat, while for a sharp and clear near field view the lens 13 should be relatively curved. The curvature of the lens 13 is controlled by the ciliary muscles (not shown) that are in turn controlled from the human brain. A healthy eye 10 is able to accommodate, i.e. to control the lens 13, in a manner for providing a clear and sharp view of images at any distance in front of the cornea 11, between far field and near field. Ophthalmic or artificial lenses are applied to correct vision by the eye 10 in combination with the lens 13, in which cases the ophthalmic lens is positioned in front of the cornea 11, or to replace the lens 13. In the latter case also indicated as aphakic ophthalmic lenses.

[0074] The amount of correction that an ophthalmic lens provides is called the optical power, OP, and is expressed in Diopter, D. The optical power OP is calculated as the inverse of a focal distance f measured in meters. That is, OP = 1 / f, wherein f is a respective focal distance from the lens to a respective focal point. For many human eyes emmetropia is reached for far vision when the the natural lens, or an artificial lens put in its place, has the power close to 22D. This number varies significantly from person to person. To focus on closer distances the optical power of the lens needs to be stronger than that required for emmetropic far vision.

[0075] Figure 2 demonstrates a multifocal ophthalmic aphakic intraocular lens working in accordance with the present invention.

[0076] Figure 2a shows a top view of an ophthalmic aphakic intraocular lens 30, and Figure 2b shows a side view of the lens 30. The lens 30 comprises a light transmissive circular disk-shaped lens body 31 and a pair of haptics 32, that extend outwardly from the lens body 31, for supporting the lens 30 in the human eye. Note that this is one example of a haptic, and there are many known haptic designs. The lens body 31 has a biconvex shape, comprising a central obscuration 33, a front or anterior surface 34 and a rear or posterior surface 35. The lens body 31 further comprises an optical axis 36 extending transverse to front and rear surfaces 34, 35 and through the center of the central obscuration 33. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the optical axis 36 is a virtual axis, for the purpose of referring the optical properties of the lens 30.

[0077] In practice the diameter of the optic of the lens body 31 is about 5 - 7 mm, while the total outer diameter 38 of the lens 30 including the haptics 31 is about 12-14 mm. The lens 30 may have a center thickness 39 of about 1 mm. In the case of ophthalmic multifocal contact lenses and spectacle or eye glass lenses, the haptics 32 at the lens body 31 are not provided, while the lens body 31 may have a plano-convex, a biconcave or plano-concave shape, or combinations of convex and concave shapes. The lens body may comprise any of Hydrophobic Acrylic, Hydrophilic Acrylic, Silicone materials, or any other suitable light transmissive material for use in the human eye in case of an aphakic ophthalmic lens.

[0078] Figure 2c demonstrates a lens according to the present invention where an annulus shaped obstruction 37 is placed outside of the central obscuration 33 in an essentially concentrical symmetrical fashion.

[0079] Figure 3 demonstrates the general functionality of lenses with different degree of central obscurations. In on-axis telescopes, the secondary mirror typically obscures 30-50% of the diameter. The figure illustrates the shape of the point spread function (PSF) for lenses with central obscurations with varying diameter. Obscurations over 30% affect the Airy disk, shifting energy from the central disk to the rings. Furthermore, central obscurations reduce energy collected and degrade the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) for lower frequencies, however, for higher spatial frequencies the central obscuration actually leads to increased MTF, leading to an improvement in edge clarity.

[0080] As a general statement, it is conceived according to the present disclosure that central obscurations placed in ophthalmic lenses, such as intraocular or contact lenses, can be beneficial for AMD patients. By strategically shifting light from the center to the periphery, the lens can bypass the damaged macula, which is responsible for central vision. This redirection leverages healthier peripheral retinal regions, potentially enabling those with AMD to perceive clearer images and regain some level of visual functionality. Existing aids are based either on magnification, which leads to severe loss of visual field, or on an asymmetric direction of light. A central obscuration leads to no field restriction and will spread the light substantially symmetrically around the optical axis, making use of as large part of the retina as possible.

[0081] Obscurations in ophthalmic lenses can be produced in different ways. In prior art there are several examples on how to make annular obscurations. It is, for example, known in the art to produce pinhole intraocular lenses, created by providing an annular mask with a fully transmissive aperture around the center of the lens for light to pass through to the retina. This is for example described in the paper by Ding et al. titled "Large refractive index change in siiicone- based and non-siiicone-based hydrogel polymers induced by femtosecond laser micro-machining published in Optics express 14.24, 2006, where a diffractive phase grating is created in the lens. An even further developed version of this method is also known in the art, where additionally the hydrophilicity of the lens material can be controlled with the use of lasers.

[0082] Two interesting aspects of using femtosecond laser to locally modify the properties of the polymer material of a lens is that the modification can be done after all standard production steps, and even after implantation, and that the depth of the modification can be freely chosen. If the intensity or duration of the treatment is increased an obscuration can be made instead of a change of refractive index only. This enables production of a central obscuration disk at any desired depth inside the lens. To decrease the transmission, if needed, several layers of central obscurating discs can be created. The lens material can be made of any transparent polymer including hydrophilic and hydrophobic acrylic base or PMMA, ets. The method further allows for in-situ (including in- vivo and ex-vivo) operations which enables applying the central obscuration to fully otherwise fully manufactured IOL or contact lenses. Figure 4a demonstrates manufacturing ex-vivo, for example as the last stage of lens production. Figure 4b demonstrates the in-vivo use. Since the laser is focused inside the lens only this method creates no damage to the eye. A laser-induced obstruction, which can be deposited either in a single layer or multilayers, has the ability to block a certain amount of light in the visible spectrum (290 nm to 780 nm).

[0083] Rapid production of a pinhole of any shape and size inside an IOL, ICL or CL is only possible if all variations of pinhole disks are prepared and placed into the intended lens in the factory or production site. In-situ or ex-situ pinhole production is only possible with an additional disk placed on the top or bottom of a previously implanted lens. Pinhole thickness, darkness and translucency can be specified by applying a single layer or several layers of disks (multilayer), where each disk can have a thickness between 3 pm to 50 pm based on the laser focus point properties. A laser-induced pinhole structure, either as a single layer or in multiple layers, has the ability to block a certain amount of light in the visible spectrum (290 nm to 780 nm). Each layer or disk of the obscuration can have a thickness between 3 pm to 50 pm based on the laser focus point properties.

[0084] According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, an ophthalmic lens, such as an intraocular lens or a contact lens, said lens having a light transmissive lens body with an optical axis, an anterior and a posterior surface and a refractive baseline that extends over at least a part of the lens body, comprising an obscuration positioned on said light transmissive lens body such that said obscuration extends through the light transmissive lens body between said anterior surface and said posterior surface of the lens is proposed.

[0085] According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, said obscuration is positioned centrally on said light transmissive lens body, coaxial with the optical axis, and said obscuration has a diameter that is not greater than 50 percent of the diameter of the lens body.

[0086] According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, said obscuration can have, in terms of opacity, a range between a sufficiently opaque structure and a semi-opaque structure, the former blocking preferably at least 80% of available light whereas the latter blocking not more than 50% of available light.

[0087] According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, said obscuration comprises at least one portion that is opaque and at least one portion that is semi-opaque.

[0088] According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, said obscuration is amplitude-modulated, whereby a sufficient portion of an inner area of the obscuration is configured to be fully opaque whereas at least one portion of an outer area are configured to be semi-opaque.

[0089] According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, said lens comprises an annular obscuration, wherein the inner diameter thereof is configured to be greater than that of the central obscuration.

[0090] According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, said central obscuration has a diameter in the range between 0.75 mm and 2 mm. According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, said ophthalmic lens further comprises a diffractive phase grating.

[0091] According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, a use of ophthalmic lenses comprising obscurations is disclosed wherein an intraocular lens with an obscuration is utilized in tandem with a contact lens with an obscuration. In one embodiment, use of such ophthalmic lenses in tandem is characterized in that said intraocular lens comprises a central obscuration, whereas said contact lens comprises an annular obscuration. In one embodiment, use of such ophthalmic lenses in tandem is characterized in that said intraocular lens comprises an annular obscuration, whereas said contact lens comprises a central obscuration.

[0092] According to the present disclosure, an in-situ or ex-situ method of depositing at least a central obscuration on an ophthalmic lens is also set forth. First, an ophthalmic lens, such as an intraocular lens or a contact lens is provided. Second, a femtosecond laser situated on top of said ophthalmic lens facing the anterior surface of said lens is provided, along with a focusing lens between said femtosecond lens and the anterior surface of said lens whereby the anterior surface is precisely targeted. Then, at least one layer of a central obscuration with a predetermined diameter between 0.75 mm and 2 mm to the anterior surface of the lens with said femtosecond laser applied for a predetermined duration is formed. According to other embodiments based on specific needs and requirements, multiple layers can be formed to deposit concentric portions of obscuration with opaque and semi-opaque characteristics. Also for creating annulus shaped obscurations, at least one layer of an annular obscuration can be concentrically formed on the anterior surface of the lens, such that the inner diameter of the annulus is greater than 2 mm. According to the present disclosure, method of manufacturing an ophthalmic lens comprising at least a central obscuration using masks is also set forth. First, a mask configured to block at least 80% of available light and at least one support member coupled to the mask, said mask being of at least 0.75 mm and at most 2 mm in diameter is provided. Then, the mask is positioned within a mold chamber such that the at least one support member is coupled to the mold chamber so that the mask resists movement and the mask is centrally placed within said chamber. Then, a lens material is flowed into the mold chamber so that said opaque mask is centrally encased within the lens material such that it is concentric with the optical axis of the finished lens body. Said method, according to another embodiment may comprise an additional step of providing, along with said one opaque mask, at least one other mask, configured to block at most 50% of available light and at least one support member coupled to the mask, said mask being of at least 2 mm in diameter.

[0093] Masks that are used according to this method may be of various diameters, and various opacities, said opacities varying from blocking at least 80% of available light, blocking between 80% and 50% of available light and blocking no more than 50% available light. Said masks can be concentrically deposited into the mold chamber, such that a gradual shift of opacity can be achieved as a function of lens radius. Furthermore, concurrent with the properties of various ophthalmic lenses put forth according to the description hitherto, said masks can be fully circular or annularly shaped, which will aid in making the obscurations change properties of opacity as a function of aperture.

Claims

CLAIMS1) An ophthalmic lens, such as an intraocular lens or a contact lens, said lens having a light transmissive lens body with an optical axis, an anterior and a posterior surface and a refractive baseline that extends over at least a part of the lens body, comprising an obscuration positioned on said light transmissive lens body such that said obscuration extends through the light transmissive lens body between said anterior surface and said posterior surface of the lens characterized in that: said obscuration is positioned centrally on said light transmissive lens body, coaxial with the optical axis, said obscuration has a diameter that is not greater than 50 percent of the diameter of the lens body.2) An ophthalmic lens comprising an obscuration as set forth in Claim 1 characterized in that said obscuration can have, in terms of opacity, a range between a sufficiently opaque structure and a semi-opaque structure, the former blocking preferably at least 80% of available light whereas the latter blocking not more than 50% of available light.3) An ophthalmic lens comprising an obscuration as set forth in Claims 1 and 2 characterized in that said obscuration comprises at least one portion that is opaque and at least one portion that is semi-opaque.4) An ophthalmic lens comprising an obscuration as set forth in any preceding Claim characterized in that said obscuration is amplitude- modulated, whereby a sufficient portion of an inner area of the obscuration is configured to be fully opaque whereas at least one portion of an outer area are configured to be semi-opaque.5) An ophthalmic lens comprising an obscuration as set forth in any preceding Claim characterized in that said lens comprises an annular obscuration, wherein the inner diameter thereof is configured to be greater than that of the central obscuration.6) An ophthalmic lens comprising an obscuration as set forth in any preceding Claim characterized in that said central obscuration has a diameter in the range between 0.75 mm and 2 mm.7) An ophthalmic lens comprising an obscuration as set forth in any preceding Claim characterized in that said ophthalmic lens further comprises a diffractive phase grating.8) Use of ophthalmic lenses comprising an obscuration as set forth in any preceding Claim wherein an intraocular lens with an obscuration is utilized in tandem with a contact lens with an obscuration.9) Use of ophthalmic lenses according to Claim 8, characterized in that said intraocular lens comprises a central obscuration, whereas said contact lens comprises an annular obscuration.10) Use of ophthalmic lenses according to Claim 8, characterized in that said intraocular lens comprises an annular obscuration, whereas said contact lens comprises a central obscuration.11) A method of manufacturing a lens with at least a central obscuration comprising steps of: providing an ophthalmic lens, such as an intraocular lens or a contactlens, providing a femtosecond laser situated on top of said ophthalmic lens facing the anterior surface of said lens, providing a focusing lens between said femtosecond lens and the anterior surface of said lens whereby the anterior surface is precisely targeted, forming at least one layer of a central obscuration with a predetermined diameter between 0.75 mm and 2 mm to the anterior surface of the lens with said femtosecond laser applied for a predetermined duration.12) A method of manufacturing a lens with at least a central obscuration as set forth in Claim 11 wherein multiple layers are formed to deposit concentric portions of obscuration with opaque and semi-opaque characteristics.13) A method of manufacturing a lens with at least a central obscuration as set forth in Claims 11 and 12 wherein at least one layer of an annular obscuration is concentrically formed on the anterior surface of the lens, such that the inner diameter of the annulus is greater than 2 mm.14) A method of manufacturing an ophthalmic lens with a central obscuration, said method comprising steps of: providing a mask configured to block at least 80% of available light and at least one support member coupled to the mask, said mask being of at least 0.75 mm and at most 2 mm in diameter; positioning the mask within a mold chamber such that the at least one support member is coupled to the mold chamber so that the mask resists movement and the mask is centrally placed within said chamber; and flowing a lens material into the mold chamber so that said opaque mask is centrally encased within the lens material such that it is concentric with theoptical axis of the finished lens body.15) A method of manufacturing an ophthalmic lens with a central obscuration according to Claim 14, said method comprising an additional step of: providing, along with said one opaque mask, at least one other mask, configured to block at most 50% of available light and at least one support member coupled to the mask, said mask being of at least 2 mm in diameter.

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