Variable Power Intraocular Lens With Shifted Optical Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current intraocular lenses have fixed optical power, leading to suboptimal vision due to changes in the eye's optical characteristics with aging, resulting in the loss of accommodation function and the need for spectacles, and they cannot be adjusted post-implantation to match changing eye conditions.
Innovation Solution
The development of an intraocular lens comprising two optical elements that can be shifted relative to each other perpendicular to the optical axis, allowing for adjustable optical power, with positioning and driving means that can be operated by the user or connected to the ciliary muscle, enabling adjustment of the lens's optical power to match changing eye conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed optical power lens is used, then the lens structure is simple, but the lens cannot adapt to changes in the eye's optical characteristics with aging
Solution Approach 1:
The lens is divided into two separate optical elements (first and second optical elements) that can move independently relative to each other. This segmentation allows each element to contribute differently to the overall optical power, enabling variable focal length while maintaining manageable structural complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The lens transitions from a static fixed-focus design to a dynamic variable-focus design by enabling relative movement between the two optical elements. The haptic structure allows the second optical element to shift position in response to ciliary muscle contraction, dynamically adjusting the optical power to match changing eye conditions with aging
2Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed optical power lens is used, then the lens is easy to manufacture, but the accommodation function is lost
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the lens into two movable optical elements with different optical powers, the design restores accommodation function through relative displacement of these elements. The manufacturing complexity is managed by using standard lens fabrication techniques for each element and a conventional haptic structure, making the overall device feasible for production
Solution Approach 2:
The haptic structure serves as an intermediary mechanism that translates ciliary muscle contraction into relative movement between the two optical elements. This intermediary component enables the restoration of accommodation function without requiring direct modification of the lens manufacturing process, maintaining ease of manufacture while achieving the desired physiological function
3Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed optical power lens is used, then the lens cannot be adjusted post-implantation, but the lens design is simple
Solution Approach 1:
The lens design enables self-adjustment through the natural physiological action of the ciliary muscle. The haptic structure is designed to respond passively to ciliary muscle contraction and relaxation, allowing the optical elements to self-position according to the eye's accommodation needs without requiring external adjustment mechanisms or additional power sources, thus maintaining design simplicity while achieving post-implantation adaptability
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 design allows for adjustable and re-adjustable intraocular lenses that restore accommodation and adapt to changes in the eye's optical characteristics, reducing the need for spectacles and improving overall vision quality by shifting optical elements in response to ciliary muscle contraction and relaxation.
Implementation Method 1
The optical elements have such a shape that they exhibit in combination, different optical powers in different relative positions
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an artificial intra ocular lens of variable optical power, comprising at least two optical elements which can be shifted relative to each other in a direction extending perpendicular to the optical axis wherein the optical elements have such a shape that they exhibit, in combination, different optical powers at different relative positions. This results in a construction which has such a low weight that it is applicable as an intra ocular lens of adjustable optical power. According to a first preferred embodiment the lens comprises positioning means the optical elements in the eye and driving means, which can be operated by the user to execute a movement of at least one of the optical elements relative to the other optical element. This embodiment can be used to correct the accommodation function.