Accommodative Intraocular Lens with Fluid Reservoir
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current intraocular lenses (IOLs) fail to provide effective accommodation for a broad range of vision, particularly for near vision, after cataract removal, leading to the need for additional corrective measures like spectacles or contact lenses, as they lack the ability to adjust focal power dynamically with age-related changes.
Innovation Solution
A curvature-changing, accommodative IOL design featuring a deformable outer shell and inner shell with a fluid optic and elastic membrane that changes curvature in response to axial compression of the capsular bag, allowing fluid to flow into a peripheral reservoir and modify the refractive power, enabling adjustable focus.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a monofocal IOL is used to provide distance vision, then distance vision is improved, but near vision requires additional corrective measures
Solution Approach 1:
The IOL incorporates a deformable outer shell and inner shell structure that allows dynamic adjustment of the optical membrane curvature. When the capsular bag is compressed axially, the reservoir volume decreases, causing fluid to be drawn from the optical chamber into the reservoir, which changes the curvature of the optical membrane and adjusts refractive power from distance to near vision focus.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the refractive power parameter of the IOL by altering the curvature of the optical membrane. This is achieved through fluid dynamics in the reservoir-chamber system where axial compression of the capsular bag creates pressure changes that redistribute fluid, thereby changing the membrane curvature and refractive power to accommodate different viewing distances.
2Reliability
If the natural lens is removed to treat cataract, then vision clarity is improved, but accommodation ability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The IOL design enables self-accommodation through the inherent elastic properties of the optical membrane and the fluid dynamics of the reservoir-chamber system. Axial compression of the capsular bag automatically triggers fluid movement that adjusts the membrane curvature, providing near vision focus without requiring external intervention or additional corrective devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The IOL employs a deformable outer shell and an optical membrane that can change curvature in response to internal pressure changes. This flexible structure allows the lens to dynamically adjust its focal power by deforming the optical membrane, thereby restoring accommodation ability while maintaining vision clarity.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid IOL structure is used to ensure stability, then structural stability is improved, but dynamic accommodation is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The IOL is divided into distinct functional segments: a rigid inner shell providing structural stability, a deformable outer shell enabling dynamic response, and an optical membrane that changes curvature. The reservoir and optical chamber are separately defined spaces that allow independent fluid dynamics. This segmentation allows each component to fulfill its specific function while the overall system achieves both stability and accommodation.
Solution Approach 2:
The IOL incorporates dynamic elements including a deformable outer shell that responds to capsular bag compression, a fluid-filled reservoir that redistributes volume, and an optical membrane that changes curvature. These dynamic components work together to adjust refractive power while the inner shell maintains structural integrity, resolving the contradiction between stability and adaptability.
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
This design allows for a safe and stable accommodative IOL that can dynamically adjust its refractive power to accommodate both distance and near vision without the need for additional corrective measures, addressing presbyopia and cataract-related vision deficiencies.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic membrane traversing an optical axis of the patient's eye
Implementation Method 2
axial compression of the capsular bag creates a negative pressure in an expandable peripheral reservoir of the IOL
Implementation Method 3
This may cause a change in the curvature of an optical membrane of the IOL (i.e., a membrane traversing the optical axis), resulting in a change the refractive power of the IOL
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
An intraocular lens (10) includes a deformable outer shell (14) having a distal end and a proximal end (40), a fluid optic (30) having at least one elastic membrane surface (24) positioned to traverse an optical axis of a patient's eye and at least partially defining an internal chamber (12) to hold an optical fluid, and an inner shell (16) associated with the fluid optic having a distal end and a proximal end (44). Each end is joined to a corresponding end of the outer shell to define a reservoir (20) between the inner and outer shells, the reservoir at least partially disposed about a circumference of the fluid optic and in fluid communication with the internal chamber. The deformable outer shell is configured to deform upon axial compression of the capsular bag in a manner that increases the volume of the reservoir and draws fluid from the chamber into the reservoir, modifying a curvature of the elastic membrane.