Accommodating Intraocular Lens Post-Implant Power Adjustment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing intraocular lenses (IOLs) face challenges in post-implant adjustments due to patient-to-patient variability in lens capsule size, healing responses, slow fluid leakage or diffusion affecting optical power, and potential damage during implantation, requiring adaptable solutions to maintain optimal optical performance and accommodate changing corneal conditions.
Innovation Solution
The development of accommodating intraocular lenses with shape memory properties and fluid management systems, including toggle features, actuatable components, and flow control mechanisms, allows for post-implant adjustments of volume, optical power, and modulus of elasticity to match capsular geometry, enabling self-adjustment or human intervention for optimal performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the IOL volume is adjusted after implantation to accommodate capsular contraction, then the fit within the capsule is improved, but the device complexity increases due to required adjustment mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The IOL incorporates a fluid-filled chamber that allows dynamic volume adjustment after implantation. The chamber can be filled or emptied through injection ports to accommodate capsular contraction or expansion, enabling the lens to adapt its volume to match the changing capsular geometry without requiring complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameter of the IOL volume by controlling the amount of fluid in the flexible chamber. By adjusting the fluid volume, the IOL can adapt to different capsular sizes and contraction levels, providing a simple yet effective solution to the fit problem.
2Reliability
If the IOL power is adjusted to correct refractive errors, then the optical performance is improved, but the device complexity increases due to power adjustment mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The invention adjusts the optical power of the IOL by changing the volume of the fluid-filled chamber. As the chamber volume changes, the curvature of the lens surface changes, thereby adjusting the optical power. This provides a simple volume-based mechanism to achieve power adjustment without complex optical mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The IOL uses hydraulic principles by filling the flexible chamber with fluid. The fluid volume control mechanism allows adjustment of the lens shape and power through simple fluid injection or removal, avoiding complex mechanical or optical adjustment systems.
3Manufacturing precision
If the IOL is designed with fixed volume and power, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the adaptability to patient variability and healing responses deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The IOL transitions from a fixed design to a dynamic, adjustable design. The flexible chamber allows the lens volume to change after implantation, enabling adaptation to patient-specific factors such as capsular contraction, varying capsule sizes, and healing responses, while maintaining simple manufacturing of the base structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The IOL is implanted with an initial fluid volume that provides appropriate power and volume. Subsequent adjustments can be made based on observed healing responses and patient needs, allowing the system to start with a preliminary configuration and then adapt as needed.
4Reliability
If post-implant refractive surgery is performed to correct corneal issues, then the optical performance is improved, but the loss of time and additional procedures increase
Solution Approach 1:
The IOL serves multiple functions: it provides the primary refractive correction, accommodates for capsular contraction, and allows for power adjustment without requiring separate refractive surgery procedures. By integrating these functions into a single adjustable device, the invention eliminates the need for additional corrective surgeries, saving time and reducing procedural risks.
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
These lenses can dynamically adjust to maintain optimal optical performance over time, accommodating changes in capsular size and corneal conditions, ensuring effective vision correction and minimizing the need for external refractive surgery corrections.
Implementation Method 1
The lens may include a shape memory polymer or a shape memory alloy in the haptic portion
Implementation Method 2
the power of a flowable media-filled (such as a fluid) accommodating IOL may change over time due to leakage or diffusion (the rate of which can be very slow) of fluid either out of the IOL (the fluid within the IOL diffusing into the eye) or into the IOL
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Post-implant modifications to an intraocular lens. In some embodiments the lens is an accommodating intraocular lens.