US-12616567-B2 - Liquid accommodating intraocular lens with suspended central lens

US12616567B2US 12616567 B2US12616567 B2US 12616567B2US-12616567-B2

Abstract

An intraocular lens (IOL) has a small, central lens suspended within a pliable housing and, when the housing is filled with liquid, is coaxially aligned with a second small lens embedded in the wall of the housing. The suspension is on a dome- or other-shaped webbing attached to an inner circumference of the wall. When filled with liquid, forces squeezing or pulling the equator of the housing, as with ciliary muscles in the eye, adjust a distance between the lenses in order to adjust focus. Optional haptics may project from points on or above and below the equator. A recess in the posterior hemisphere of the housing can keep cell growth away from an optical axis of the lens system. A third small lens can be embedded in an opposite wall of the housing and coaxially aligned with the other lenses to form a three-lens, ultra-zoom system.

Inventors

Yu-Chong Tai
Mark S. Humayun

Assignees

CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20231114

Claims (14)

1 . An accommodating intraocular lens apparatus comprising: a liquid-inflatable, pliable shell having an equator defined by a farthest circumference of the shell from an optical axis of the shell; a sealable valve in the shell; a resilient webbing extending from an internal circumference of the shell; a central lens suspended across a center of the shell by the webbing; a second lens disposed within an anterior wall of the shell; and a depression formed in a posterior wall of the shell opposite the second lens, the depression having a continuous rim disposed around the optical axis, wherein when the shell is full of liquid: a most posterior point within the depression is less posterior than the entire rim such that any line between any two points on the rim does not touch any portion of the depression, the central lens and the second lens are coaxial, and radially pulling or pushing on the equator alters a distance between the lenses while keeping the lenses coaxial.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the resilient webbing arcs in a direction parallel to the optical axis.
3 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the resilient webbing includes multiple distinct curved arms.
4 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the resilient webbing includes a film annulus having apertures therein.
5 . The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a seam formed from two halves of the pliable shell, wherein the seam neither is disposed at nor crosses the equator.
6 . The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a set of haptic arms projecting from areas on the shell not on the equator of the shell.
7 . The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the set of haptic arms is a first set of haptic arms, the apparatus further comprising: a second set of haptic arms projecting from areas on the shell on an opposite hemisphere of the equator from the first set of haptic arms.
8 . The apparatus of claim 7 wherein ends of the first and the second haptic arms are joined together.
9 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sealable valve includes: an annulus; and a self-sealing polymer body surrounded by the annulus, the polymer body being softer than the annulus.
10 . The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a layer of parylene over the sealable valve.
11 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the central lens is formed from polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), silicone, siloxane, fluorosilane, or hydrophobic acrylate.
12 . The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: the liquid filling the liquid-inflatable, pliable shell.
13 . The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the seam was produced by: adding uncured polymer across a first half of the pliable shell and a second half of the pliable shell in order to join the halves and form a seam.
14 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sealable valve is a first sealable valve, the apparatus further comprising: a second sealable valve on the pliable shell disposed symmetrically opposite the optical axis from the first sealable valve.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/545,254, filed Oct. 23, 2023, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. STATEMENT AS TO RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS MADE UNDER FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT Not applicable. BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Art The present disclosure relates to the technical field of ophthalmic medical devices, and more particularly, to a liquid accommodating intraocular lens with a lens suspended in its center aligned with one or more other lenses embedded in its wall. 2. Description of the Related Art Cataract extraction combined with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation remains one of the only effective treatments for cataracts now and for some time to come. Although the implantation of a traditional monofocal intraocular lens after cataract surgery can obtain good distance vision, a monofocal intraocular lens does not have the ability to adjust focus. Patients generally have farsightedness after surgery and need to rely on glasses to meet the requirements of different close-range work. Multifocal intraocular lens adopts a unique optical design that can simultaneously form two or more focal points in the eye. After surgery, patients can adjust the pupil size and choose different focal points to meet the needs of far-sightedness and near-sightedness, which reduces the rate of wearing glasses after surgery for cataract patients. But when there are multiple focal points, they will produce halos, glare and other shortcomings for patients. In recent years, some scholars have tried to design adjustable intraocular lenses by changing the filling amount of the optical fluid medium (e.g., silicone oil) in the capsular bag or changing the type of optical fluid medium. There is a need in the art for improved intraocular lenses that can be adjusted, preferably, by a patient's own ciliary eye muscles. BRIEF SUMMARY Generally described is a liquid-inflatable intraocular lens device resembling a soft-sided bag that has multiple precise, rigid optical lenses within it, one lens being suspended in its center by webbing. The other optical lens or lenses are on the bag walls and coaxially aligned with the central lens. When the soft-sided bag is squeezed or pulled around its perimeter, such as by the eye's ciliary muscles, the lenses move axially with respect to each other, changing the device's diopter. The device can be made from two halves that are joined together, and the seam is not at the equator. Haptic arms can project out from the equator or from areas flanking, but not on, the equator. Because the webbing and central lens somewhat divide the device internally in half, the device can be considered as having two chambers: an anterior chamber and a posterior chamber. The double chamber device can adjust the optical path of the overall intraocular lens device so that an adequate change in focus can be achieved. Some embodiments of the invention are related to an accommodating intraocular lens apparatus including a liquid-inflatable, pliable shell having an equator defined by a farthest circumference of the shell from an optical axis of the shell, a sealable valve in the shell, a resilient webbing extending from an internal circumference of the shell, a central lens suspended across a center of the shell by the webbing, and a second lens disposed within a wall of the shell, wherein when the shell is full of liquid the central lens and the second lens are coaxial, and radially pulling or pushing on the equator alters a distance between the lenses while keeping the lenses coaxial. The resilient webbing can arc in a direction parallel to the optical axis, like a dome. The resilient webbing can include multiple distinct curved arms or it can include a film annulus having apertures therein. A seam can be formed from two halves of the pliable shell, wherein the seam neither is disposed at nor crosses the equator. A depression can be formed in the shell, the depression having a continuous rim disposed around the optical axis, the continuous rim configured to seal against an enveloping capsular bag when implanted. A highest point within the depression can be lower than the continuous rim when the shell is full of liquid, the depression being configured to hold an enveloping capsular bag away from shell wall material within the depression. A third lens can be disposed within a wall of the shell opposite the second lens, wherein when the shell is full of liquid, radially pulling or pushing on the equator alters a distance between the central lens and third lens while keeping the first, second, and third lenses coaxial. The apparatus can further include a set of haptic arms projecting from areas on the shell on or not on the equator of the shell. The set of haptic arms can be called a first set of haptic arms, the apparatus further including a second set of haptic arms projecting from areas on the