Large diameter electrically tunable lens for ophthalmic distance accommodation.

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Liquid crystal lenses offer tunable optical power.
• Existing designs may have limitations in optical power range or aberrations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present an electrically tunable liquid crystal lens based on the refractive Fresnel concept.
• To demonstrate its performance in terms of optical power variation, aberrations, and vision recovery.

Main Methods:

• Design and fabrication of a 30 mm diameter liquid crystal lens using single-step lithography.
• Optical characterization including Snellen chart testing.

Main Results:

• Achieved a wide optical power variation range from -0.74 to +0.71 Diopters.
• Demonstrated very low root mean square aberrations (≤0.15 µm).
• Showcased good vision recovery with fast response times (<500 msec) and low haze.

Conclusions:

• The proposed liquid crystal lens design is simple, effective, and manufacturable.
• It shows significant potential for applications requiring tunable optics and vision correction.