Foldable Intraocular Lens Aberration Correction
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing intraocular lenses (IOLs) often cause tissue distortion and fail to adequately correct chromatic and monochromatic aberrations, leading to suboptimal vision, especially in peripheral vision, due to their design and materials.
Innovation Solution
A foldable lens with a convexly curved refractive profile region to converge light and concavely curved refractive profile regions to diverge light, allowing for insertion through a small incision and correction of aberrations, including chromatic and monochromatic aberrations, to provide improved vision with reduced distortion and visual artifacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a small incision is made in the eye for IOL insertion, then tissue distortion is reduced, but the lens cannot adequately correct chromatic and monochromatic aberrations
Solution Approach 1:
The lens is divided into multiple functional zones: a central optical zone for primary focusing, an intermediate zone for aberration correction, and a peripheral zone for additional optical optimization. This segmentation allows the lens to fit through a small incision while maintaining comprehensive aberration correction capabilities across different visual fields.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the lens are designed with distinct optical properties - the central region provides primary refraction, while surrounding zones incorporate specific refractive indices and curvatures tailored to correct chromatic and monochromatic aberrations in localized areas, ensuring optimal vision correction throughout the visual field.
2Reliability
If diffractive optics are used in IOLs, then chromatic aberration is corrected, but light is scattered and color artifacts are produced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces diffractive optical elements with refractive optical design. By using precisely engineered refractive surfaces and gradient index materials, the lens achieves chromatic aberration correction through refraction rather than diffraction, eliminating the scattering and color artifacts that plague diffractive IOLs while maintaining effective aberration correction.
3Reliability
If Fresnel lenses are used in IOLs, then peripheral vision is improved, but images are degraded and light scatter occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The lens incorporates continuously curved refractive surfaces with optimized radii of curvature across all zones. The peripheral regions feature gradual curvature transitions that maintain image sharpness while expanding the effective visual field, eliminating the stepped appearance and light scattering associated with Fresnel lens designs.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the lens is made foldable for small incision insertion, then tissue distortion is reduced, but lens complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lens is designed with a telescoping or folding mechanism where the optical elements are nested within each other during insertion. The haptics and optical zones collapse into a compact configuration that passes through the small incision, then expand to their full functional form once positioned in the eye, maintaining structural integrity while enabling minimally invasive insertion.
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 foldable lens effectively corrects aberrations and minimizes visual artifacts, ensuring sharp central and peripheral vision by refracting light efficiently and reducing post-surgical distortion, thus enhancing the quality of vision for patients.
Implementation Method 1
The outer refractive surface portion comprises a first plurality of convexly curved refractive profile regions having positive optical power to converge light energy with refraction toward a focus on the retina
Implementation Method 2
The outer refractive surface portion may comprise a second plurality of concavely curved refractive profile regions having negative optical power disposed between the first plurality so as to diverge the light energy substantially away from the focus on the retina
Data Source
AI summary
A foldable lens comprises an outer refractive surface portion comprising a first plurality of convexly curved refractive profile regions having positive optical power to converge light energy with refraction toward a focus on the retina. The convexly curved refractive profile regions of the outer region may correspond to at least about a quarter of the refractive power of the lens, such that the lens thickness is decreased substantially and the folded lens can fit through a small incision. The outer refractive surface portion focuses light with refraction, in focus images viewed through the outer portion of the lens can appear sharp to the patient. The outer refractive surface portion also comprises a second plurality of concavely curved refractive profile regions having negative optical power disposed between the first plurality, so as to diverge the light energy substantially away from the focus on the retina, such that visual artifacts are inhibited.