Accommodating Intraocular Lens With Shape-Changing Optic
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing intraocular lenses (IOLs) fail to effectively mimic the natural human lens's accommodation abilities, particularly after cataract surgery, due to the loss of capsular elasticity and fibrosis, leading to limited dioptric power change and visual disturbances like glare and halos.
Innovation Solution
An accommodating IOL design with a shape-changing optic that applies radial tension to the anterior face anterior to the equator, utilizing a more resistant anterior face and a chamber filled with a softer material, allowing for greater dioptric power adjustment through elastic properties and haptic engagement with the lens capsule.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional fixed-power IOL is used, then the lens provides stable optical power, but it fails to provide accommodation and causes visual disturbances
Solution Approach 1:
The IOL incorporates a dynamic shape-changing optic that can transition between different curvatures to provide accommodation. The optic includes an elastic anterior face and a chamber filled with softer material, allowing the lens to dynamically adjust its shape in response to ciliary muscle contraction and relaxation, enabling focus adjustment for near and distance vision.
Solution Approach 2:
The IOL utilizes an elastic anterior face made of flexible material that can deform to change the lens curvature. This flexible shell structure allows the optic to adapt its shape while maintaining structural integrity, providing accommodation capability without causing visual disturbances associated with rigid fixed-power lenses.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the anterior face is made more resistant to deformation, then the lens maintains structural stability, but the dioptric power change is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The IOL employs different material properties in different regions: the anterior face is made more resistant to deformation for structural stability, while the chamber is filled with softer material that allows controlled deformation. This local differentiation enables the lens to maintain overall stability while achieving sufficient dioptric power change through the compliant chamber material.
Solution Approach 2:
The IOL combines materials with different mechanical properties - a more resistant elastic anterior face material combined with softer chamber filling material. This composite structure allows the lens to simultaneously achieve structural stability from the resistant anterior face and adequate dioptric power change through the compliant chamber material.
3Power
If radial tension is applied to the anterior face anterior to the equator, then the dioptric power adjustment is enhanced, but the lens complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The IOL optic is segmented into distinct functional regions: an elastic anterior face, a chamber filled with softer material, and a posterior optic. This segmentation allows radial tension applied anterior to the equator to selectively deform the anterior face and chamber while leaving the posterior optic relatively stable, enhancing dioptric power adjustment without requiring complex overall lens restructuring.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The IOL achieves enhanced accommodation capabilities, maintaining visual clarity and reducing optical aberrations by mimicking the natural lens's elastic gradient, even with fibrotic capsules, providing improved focus across various distances.
Implementation Method 1
The posterior optic can comprise a refractive power adjustment material comprising silicone that allows modification of the refractive power of the IOL when exposed to a light source
Implementation Method 2
The accommodating IOL includes an elastic anterior face located anterior to the equator... A chamber can be located between the anterior face and the posterior optic and can contain a fluid. The anterior face is more resistant to deformational change than the fluid
Implementation Method 3
A plurality of haptics each having a medial portion and a lateral portion can extend from the periphery of the anterior face... allowing for greater dioptric power adjustment through elastic properties and haptic engagement with the lens capsule
Data Source
AI summary
An accommodating intraocular lens (IOL) with a shape-changing optic is provided. The IOL includes a chamber located between an anterior face and a posterior optic and containing a fluid. The posterior optic is a refractive power adjustment optic that allows modification of the refractive power of the IOL when exposed to a light source. A coating is disposed between the refractive power adjustment posterior optic and the chamber. The coating includes a material that prevents entry of the fluid in the chamber into the refractive power adjustment posterior optic.