Lenticular refractive surgery of presbyopia, other refractive errors, and cataract retardation

Abstract

Methods for the creation of microspheres treat the clear, intact crystalline lens of the eye with energy pulses, such as from lasers, for the purpose of correcting presbyopia, other refractive errors, and for the retardation and prevention of cataracts. Microsphere formation in non-contiguous patterns or in contiguous volumes works to change the flexure, mass, or shape of the crystalline lens in order to maintain or reestablish the focus of light passing through the ocular lens onto the macular area, and to maintain or reestablish fluid transport within the ocular lens.

1 . A method for increasing the flexibility of an ocular lens of an eye, comprising:
 a) selecting a location within an ocular lens of an eye;   b) creating a microsphere at the selected location, wherein said microsphere comprises a gas-filled bubble of generally spherical shape; and   c) repeating processes a) and b) of selecting and creating at a plurality of locations within said ocular lens so as to increase flexibility of said ocular lens, wherein said microsphere created in one process b) of creating remains separate from any other microsphere created during another process b) of creating.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said increase in flexibility corrects an optical anomaly of said eye. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein said optical anomaly comprises a refractive error. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein said refractive error is selected from the group consisting of: myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia, regular astigmatism, irregular astigmatism, and aberrations. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said repeating generates at least one change in said ocular lens resulting in at least one effect selected from the group consisting of: alteration of lens surface curvature, increased lens flexibility, increased accommodation, reduced light scatter, reduced rate of increase in light scatter, and reduced rate of loss of accommodation. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said increase in flexibility increases accommodation of said ocular lens. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  further including: allowing said microsphere and said any other microsphere to collapse while maintaining said increase in flexibility. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein said collapse decreases an anterior to posterior thickness of said ocular lens. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said increase in flexibility creates no significant change in an anterior to posterior thickness of said ocular lens. 
     
     
         10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said microsphere and said any other microsphere are created with a separation in a range of about 2 μm to about 20 μm. 
     
     
         12 - 14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: presenting antioxidants to said eye. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein said antioxidants mediate changes to said ocular lens or other ocular structures and contents. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising altering a lens capsule of said ocular lens. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , whereby a surface area of said lens capsule is reduced by thermoplasty. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said selecting primarily includes selecting locations within adult and juvenile nuclei of said eye. 
     
     
         20 - 36 . (canceled) 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 4  wherein said refractive error is myopia. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 4  wherein said refractive error is hyperopia. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 4  wherein said refractive error is presbyopia. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 4  wherein said refractive error is regular astigmatism. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 4  wherein said refractive error is irregular astigmatism. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 4  wherein said refractive error is aberrations. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein said at least one effect is alteration of lens surface curvature. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein said at least one effect is increased lens flexibility. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein said at least one effect is increased accommodation. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein said at least one effect is reduced light scatter. 
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein said at least one effect is reduced rate of increase in light scatter.