Intraocular Lens Peripheral Structure for Stable Planar Placement

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Solution Overview

Problem

Intraocular lenses experience difficulties in achieving planar placement during surgery due to out-of-plane forces, particularly affecting the positioning of peripheral portions, which can lead to challenges in maintaining optical quality and stability.

Innovation Solution

The intraocular lens design incorporates a peripheral portion with haptics that are fluidly connected to an optic portion, allowing fluid communication between them, enabling deformation in response to ciliary muscle movements to adjust optical parameters, and features a dual-channel buttress design to enhance dimensional stability and reduce astigmatism.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the intraocular lens includes a peripheral portion disposed radially outward than the optic portion, then the lens can engage the capsular bag for positioning, but the peripheral portion becomes susceptible to out of plane forces during surgery making planar placement difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepositioning stabilityVSAvoidplanar placement
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The peripheral portion is designed with a flexible membrane structure that can deform to accommodate out-of-plane forces during surgical implantation. This flexibility allows the lens to be inserted and positioned without requiring perfect planar alignment, while the membrane's elastic recovery helps maintain stable positioning after implantation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

2Adaptability or versatility

If the peripheral portion is made flexible to accommodate capsular bag reshaping, then the lens can adapt to ciliary muscle movements, but the peripheral portion may deform unpredictably causing astigmatism

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccommodation to capsular bag reshapingVSAvoidoptical quality maintenance
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The peripheral portion incorporates localized reinforcement features such as radial struts or stiffening ribs that are strategically positioned to provide structural support in critical areas. These localized stiffening elements prevent unpredictable deformation and astigmatism while allowing the rest of the peripheral portion to remain flexible for accommodating capsular bag reshaping.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The peripheral portion is constructed using composite material structures combining flexible membrane material with integrated stiffening elements. This composite design enables the peripheral portion to exhibit both flexibility for adaptation and controlled rigidity for maintaining optical precision, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and manufacturing precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

3Adaptability or versatility

If the haptics are fluidly connected to the optic portion, then the lens can deform in response to ciliary muscle movements to adjust optical parameters, but the fluid communication may cause instability during surgical implantation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoptical parameter adjustmentVSAvoidplacement stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The lens is pre-filled with fluid at a controlled pressure before implantation, establishing a predetermined baseline configuration. This preliminary action ensures that the lens maintains a stable shape during surgical insertion and positioning, while the fluid communication system remains intact and functional for subsequent accommodation responses.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

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 design maintains optical quality throughout accommodation by ensuring predictable deformation and reduces astigmatism, providing stable and accurate vision correction by adapting to capsular bag reshaping.

Implementation Method 1

deformation of the haptics causes a fluid to be moved between the haptics and the optic portion to change an optical parameter (e.g., power) of the intraocular lens

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFluid pressure change: Pressure Gradient

Data Source

PatentEP4372442B1Intraocular lenses and peripheral portion stabilization
Publication Date: 2025.08.06 ALCON INC
  • EP4372442B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP4372442B1 patent drawingFigure 1C~1E
  • EP4372442B1 patent drawingFigure 1F~1H

AI summary

An intraocular lens, wherein an outer periphery of an optic portion has a peripheral surface, and a radially inner portion of a peripheral portion of the IOL has an inner surface, wherein the peripheral surface is directly adjacent to the inner surface, and wherein the peripheral surface does not directly extend (coupled to or integrally formed therewith) from the inner surface, and wherein the peripheral surface and the inner surface are configured so that the peripheral portion is stabilized in at least one of, and optionally both of, the proximal and distal directions relative to the optic portion.