Corneal Fillers for Refractive Error Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical methods for correcting hyperopia and astigmatia, such as LASIK and corneal rings, are invasive, unpredictable, and often require additional adjustments, while existing technologies fail to provide a minimally invasive and reversible solution for refractive errors like hyperopia and presbyopia.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the creation of a two-dimensional slit within the cornea using a pulsed laser, followed by the injection of a transparent filler material with a refractive index matching or differing from the cornea, to either flatten or bulge the corneal surfaces, allowing for precise refractive corrections without creating a free flap or ring, thereby correcting hyperopia and astigmatism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If LASIK or PRK is used to correct hyperopia by removing corneal tissue, then the curvature of the cornea can be increased, but the procedure is highly invasive and creates significant corneal injury
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of removing corneal tissue to increase curvature (LASIK/PRK approach), the invention injects filler material into the cornea to physically bulge and increase curvature from the inside, effectively inverting the approach from subtraction to addition
Solution Approach 2:
A transparent filler material acts as an intermediary substance injected into the cornea to physically bulge the corneal tissue and increase curvature, avoiding direct tissue removal and associated injury
2Reliability
If corneal rings are used to treat hyperopia by tightening around the central cornea, then the curvature can be increased, but the procedure requires multiple adjustments and tension is concentrated at the ring
Solution Approach 1:
The invention eliminates the need for corneal rings and their associated complexity by directly injecting filler material into the cornea to achieve curvature increase, removing the intermediary ring device entirely
Solution Approach 2:
The refractive index of the filler material can be adjusted to achieve different degrees of curvature change and refractive correction, providing a tunable parameter to optimize treatment without mechanical adjustments
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a pulsed laser is used to create a two-dimensional slit within the cornea, then the procedure is minimally invasive without creating a free flap, but the slit must be precisely positioned deep within the stroma
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces mechanical flap creation with a pulsed laser system that creates a two-dimensional slit within the corneal stroma, substituting mechanical trauma with precision optical energy delivery
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the refractive index of the filler material matches the cornea (about 1.376), then the filler becomes less visible and integrates better, but the refractive correction from the filler itself is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The refractive index of the filler material is adjusted as a controllable parameter: matched to cornea (1.376) for aesthetic integration, or different (1.4-1.6) for enhanced refractive correction, allowing optimization based on treatment priorities
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 approach provides a minimally invasive, long-lasting, and reversible method for correcting refractive errors, reducing the risk of corneal sensitivity and avoiding the need for intraocular lenses, with the ability to fine-tune refractive power and create bifocal shapes for presbyopia correction.
Implementation Method 1
a two-dimensional small incision is created deep below the corneal surface, within the stroma of the cornea, e.g., with a pulsed laser
Implementation Method 2
injection of a transparent filler material with a refractive index matching or differing from the cornea, to either flatten or bulge the corneal surfaces
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A method for treating hyperopia or presbyopia in a patient, the method comprising making a cut deep in the patient's cornea to create a two-dimensional slit adjacent to and generally parallel to an anterior surface of the cornea and injecting a liquid or semi-solid transparent filler material into the deep cut in an amount sufficient to flatten the posterior surface of the cornea to increase the refractive power of the cornea by a predetermined correction of up to about 5 diopters due to the physical flattening of the posterior surface of the cornea, wherein the transparent filler material comprises a refractive index of about 1.3 to about 1.6, and forms a corneal implant with a lenticular shape within the cornea.