Heat-Tunable Intraocular Lens for Repeatable Power Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing intraocular lenses (IOLs) require invasive procedures or inconvenient UV exposure to adjust power, and existing noninvasive methods have limitations such as requiring UV-blocking glasses and irreversible power changes.
Innovation Solution
A heat tunable IOL with a flexible membrane and reservoir module, using heat-sensitive portions to change the optical fluid volume and lens shape noninvasively, allowing power adjustments via laser heating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If UV light exposure is used to adjust IOL power, then the base power of the IOL can be changed noninvasively, but the patient must wear UV light blocking glasses at all times during the adjustment phase and the changes become locked in preventing further adjustments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses heat as a controllable parameter to change the physical state of the shape memory polymer, enabling reversible transformation between austenite and martensite phases. This allows the IOL power to be adjusted multiple times by controlling temperature, unlike UV exposure which causes irreversible changes. The shape memory polymer's phase transition temperature can be tuned to allow repeated adjustments without locking the lens power.
2Ease of operation
If UV light exposure is used to adjust IOL power, then the base power can be changed, but the adjustment process takes approximately two weeks and requires continuous UV blocking glasses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic or pulsed heating instead of continuous UV exposure. Short bursts of heat can be applied to trigger phase transitions in the shape memory polymer, dramatically reducing the adjustment time from weeks to minutes or hours. The heating can be controlled in pulses, allowing rapid adjustment without requiring prolonged patient compliance with UV blocking glasses.
3Reliability
If invasive surgery is performed to replace the IOL, then the correct power can be achieved, but additional surgeries are undesirable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/invasive approach of surgical IOL replacement with a thermal field approach. By using heat to induce phase transitions in the shape memory polymer, the IOL power can be adjusted noninvasively after implantation. This substitution of mechanical intervention with thermal control allows correction of power errors without additional surgeries, improving patient comfort and reducing surgical risks.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the IOL power is adjusted using existing mechanisms, then the base power can be changed, but the adjustments may be irreversible or require special conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent exploits the reversible phase transition between austenite and martensite states in shape memory polymers. Heating above the transition temperature causes transformation to the austenite phase with one shape, while cooling below it triggers transformation to the martensite phase with another shape. This reversible phase transition enables the IOL to be adjusted multiple times bidirectionally, providing adaptability while maintaining stability when not being adjusted.
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
Enables rapid, noninvasive power adjustments without special eyewear, reducing the need for invasive surgeries and maintaining flexibility in power adjustments over the lens's lifetime.
Implementation Method 1
The heat sensitive portion has a shape responsive to a temperature of at least forty five degrees Celsius such that the reservoir volume changes in response to at least part of the heat sensitive portion reaching the temperature
Implementation Method 2
allowing power adjustments via laser heating
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 1D~1E
Figure 2A~2D
AI summary
A method and system provide an ophthalmic lens including a lens body having a chamber therein, a reservoir module coupled with the lens body and an optical fluid. At least part of the lens body is flexible. The reservoir module includes a reservoir and a heat sensitive portion bordering the reservoir. The reservoir has a reservoir volume and is fluidically connected with the chamber. The heat sensitive portion has a shape responsive to a temperature of at least forty five degrees Celsius such that the reservoir volume changes in response to at least part of the heat sensitive portion reaching the temperature. The optical fluid resides in the chamber and the reservoir. A change in the reservoir volume flows a portion of the optical fluid between the reservoir and the chamber such that the flexible portion of the lens body undergoes a shape change corresponding to a base power change.