A dual optic accommodating foldable intraocular lens

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Optics

Background:

• Presbyopia, the age-related loss of accommodation, significantly impacts visual quality.
• Current intraocular lens (IOL) technology often fails to fully restore accommodative function.
• There is a need for advanced IOLs that mimic the natural eye's ability to focus at different distances.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design a novel accommodating intraocular lens (IOL) with an extended range of accommodation.
• To ensure the designed IOL is compatible with standard phacoemulsification and endocapsular implantation techniques.
• To evaluate the optical principles of a dual-optic accommodating IOL design.

Main Methods:

• Utilized ray tracing analysis for lens design and optical performance simulation.
• Developed a dual-optic, one-piece foldable silicone lens.
• Performed cadaver eye implantation to assess feasibility.

Main Results:

• Ray tracing confirmed that a dual-optic system (converging anterior, diverging posterior) with spring-loaded haptics yields greater change in refractive power than single-optic designs.
• Axial movement of the anterior optic was key to achieving enhanced accommodative effect.
• A prototype dual-optic IOL was successfully implanted in two cadaver eyes via a 4 mm corneal incision.

Conclusions:

• The dual-optic intraocular lens design effectively increases the optical effect of lens displacement.
• This design represents a promising advancement for accommodating intraocular lenses.
• The findings suggest a viable approach to restoring functional accommodation in pseudophakic eyes.