Composite Diffractive Intraocular Lens for Post-Surgical Power Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing intraocular lenses (IOLs) face challenges such as misalignment and misplacement post-surgery, particularly in toric IOLs, due to uneven healing and imperfect eye modeling, which affects optical performance and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A composite light adjustable intraocular lens (CLA IOL) combining an acrylic diffractive intraocular lens with a silicone light adjustable lens, featuring a diffractive structure and haptics, allows for post-surgical adjustments to correct misalignments and provide optimized material properties and haptic designs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a light adjustable lens is used to correct post-surgical misalignment, then optical performance is improved, but device complexity increases due to combining multiple lens materials and structures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines an acrylic diffractive intraocular lens with a silicone light adjustable lens into a single composite device. The acrylic portion provides the primary diffractive optical function with multiple focal points, while the silicone portion provides light-adjustable refractive power correction. This merging allows post-surgical misalignment and refractive errors to be corrected without requiring separate implantable devices, thereby improving optical performance while managing complexity through functional integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite materials by attaching a silicone light adjustable lens to an acrylic diffractive intraocular lens. The silicone material provides photopolymerization capability for post-surgical adjustment, while the acrylic material provides stable diffractive optics. This composite structure allows each material to contribute its advantageous properties, improving overall optical performance while distributing the complexity across different functional components.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a diffractive structure with multiple focal points is implemented, then vision correction across multiple distances is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The diffractive structure is segmented into multiple discrete annular zones or steps, each designed to direct light to a specific focal point (near, intermediate, and distance vision). By dividing the optical function into separate diffractive zones rather than using a continuous gradient, the manufacturing process can focus on creating well-defined discrete structures with tolerable precision requirements for each segment, while achieving the complex multi-focal functionality through the combination of segments.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If diffraction efficiency of certain orders is suppressed, then chromatic aberration is reduced, but energy distribution to focal points changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the diffractive structure parameters (such as step heights, zone widths, or refractive index variations) to suppress specific diffractive orders that contribute to chromatic aberration. By carefully adjusting these parameters, the design reduces harmful chromatic effects while maintaining adequate energy distribution to the desired focal points for near, intermediate, and distance vision. This parameter optimization balances chromatic aberration reduction with energy distribution requirements.
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 CLA IOL enables precise optical power adjustments and reduces misalignment issues, enhancing surgical outcomes and expanding market acceptance of advanced IOLs by ensuring accurate vision correction and reducing chromatic aberration.
Implementation Method 1
The diffractive structure produces constructive interference in at least four consecutive diffractive orders corresponding a range of vision between near and distance vision
Implementation Method 2
the constructive interference produces a near focal point, a distance focal point corresponding to the base power of the ophthalmic lens, and an intermediate focal point between the near focal point and the distance focal point
Implementation Method 3
These lenses involve light sensitive materials that photopolymerize upon activation by an irradiation. Irradiation with a carefully designed radial profile initiates the photopolymerization with a corresponding radial profile, which, in turn, leads to the IOL changing its physical shape and therefore, its optical power
Data Source
AI summary
A composite light adjustable intraocular lens comprises an acrylic diffractive intraocular lens, having a diffractive structure and haptics; and a silicone light adjustable lens, attached to the acrylic diffractive intraocular lens. The diffractive structure produces constructive interference in at least four consecutive diffractive orders corresponding a range of vision between near and distance vision, wherein the constructive interference produces a near focal point, a distance focal point corresponding to the base power of the ophthalmic lens, and an intermediate focal point between the near focal point and the distance focal point and wherein a diffraction efficiency of at least one of the diffractive orders is suppressed to less than ten percent.