Use of accommodating intraocular lens

Abstract

An accommodating intraocular lens, for use in an eye, is made from flexible, bio-compatible lens body material surrounding a closed and sealed lens cavity which is filled with bio-compatible optical liquid. The optical liquid has a refractive index sufficiently high to, in cooperation with the ciliary muscle and accommodation of the lens body. focus light, incident on the eye, on the retina, and thus to provide accommodation. Connecting structure of the lens is interfaced with the ciliary muscle of the eve. The pressure expressed by the ciliary muscle, during the accommodative effort, is received by the connecting structure as a pushing force, and is transferred, as a pushing force, to the lens body, thus to change the radius of curvature of the anterior body member and/or the posterior body member, thus providing smooth focusing, including from far distance in the relaxed state to near distance in the accommodative state.

1 - 44 . (canceled) 
     
     
         45 . A method of providing focal length adjustment in an eye of a patient, the method comprising:
 (a) installing in such eye an accommodating intraocular lens having an outer perimeter, the intraocular lens comprising
 (i) a bio-compatible optical lens body having an anterior body member and a posterior body member, the anterior body member and the posterior body member being joined to each other about an outer perimeter of the optical lens body, the optical lens body having a vision axis, a cavity being disposed in the lens body between the anterior body member and the posterior body member, and about the vision axis, 
 (ii) a bio-compatible liquid in the cavity, and 
 (iii) a connecting structure attached to the optical lens body, the connecting structure being configured such that, when the accommodating intraocular lens is interfacing with an external structure, and when such external structure applies a pushing force to the lens and directed toward the lens body, the connecting structure translates such pushing force into an incremental pushing force being exerted against the lens body; and 
   (b) interfacing the intraocular lens with a ciliary muscle of such patient such that, when a such pushing force is applied to the lens, by contraction of such ciliary muscle, the connecting structure is effective to receive such pushing force accompanying such muscle contraction, and to translate such pushing force into an incremental pushing force being exerted against the lens body, thereby applying the so-received pushing force against the lens body, thereby to effect change in radius of curvature of at least one of the anterior body member and the posterior body member.   
     
     
         46 . A method as in  claim 45 , the posterior body member being rigid relative to the anterior body member such that changes in the radius of curvature of the anterior body member, by flexure of the anterior body member, causes changes in focal length of the lens which are substantially greater than any changes in focal length caused by flexure of the posterior body member. 
     
     
         47 . A method as in  claim 45 , the eye of the patient comprising a sulcus, the method further comprising positioning outer edges of the connecting structure in the sulcus. 
     
     
         48 . A method as in  claim 47 , both the anterior body member and the posterior body member defining convex outer surfaces, and responding to flexure of the ciliary muscle with similar changes, each to the other, in radius of curvature. 
     
     
         49 . A method as in  claim 45 , comprising using as the intraocular lens, a lens wherein the anterior body member has a concave inner surface and wherein said posterior body member has a planar, or concave or otherwise recessed outer surface. 
     
     
         50 . A method as in  claim 45 , comprising using as the intraocular lens, a lens wherein the composition of the anterior body member and the posterior body member are selected from the group consisting of optical grade silicone, polymerized collagen, optical elastic acrylic polymer, collamer, and combinations of collamer and hydroxyethyl methacrylate. 
     
     
         51 . A method as in  claim 45  wherein the connecting structure comprises at least first and second external flanges spaced from each other, the flanges being attached to the lens body and extending outwardly from the outer perimeter of the lens body to distal edges of the external flanges, remote from the outer perimeter of the lens body, the one or more external flanges being sufficiently rigid to transmit such pushing force, exerted by such external structure at the distal edges of the flanges, and directed toward the lens body, through the flanges, to the outer perimeter of the optical lens body such that the lens body is pushed radially inwardly at the outer perimeter of the lens body. 
     
     
         52 . A method as in  claim 45  wherein the connecting structure comprises one or more compressible internal struts interfacing with at least one of the anterior body member and the posterior body member inside the cavity, and displaced from the vision axis, the internal struts constantly exerting pushing force on the respective anterior body member or posterior body member, supplemented by pushing force received at the lens body from such external structure, the combination of the constant pushing force applied by the internal struts and the supplemental pushing force received from such external structure effecting change in curvature of the lens body. 
     
     
         53 . Use of an accommodating intraocular lens for providing focal length adjustment, the accommodating intraocular lens comprising:
 (a) a bio-compatible optical lens body having an anterior body member and a posterior body member, the optical lens body defining a vision axis, the anterior body member and the posterior body member being joined to each other about an outer perimeter of the lens body, a cavity being disposed in the lens body between the anterior body member and the posterior body member;   (b) a bio-compatible liquid in the cavity, the bio-compatible liquid having a refractive index greater than the refractive index of water; and   (c) a connecting structure attached to the optical lens body, the connecting structure being configured such that, when the accommodating intraocular lens is interfacing with an external structure, and when such external structure applies a pushing force to the lens and directed toward the lens body, the connecting structure translates such pushing force into a pushing force being exerted against the lens body.   
     
     
         54 . Use of an accommodating intraocular lens as in  claim 53  wherein the connecting structure comprises at least first and second external flanges spaced from each other, the flanges being attached to the lens body and extending outwardly from the outer perimeter of the lens body to distal edges of the external flanges, remote from the outer perimeter of the lens body. the one or more external flanges being sufficiently rigid to transmit such pushing force, exerted by such external structure at the distal edges of the flanges, and directed toward the lens body, through the flanges, to the outer perimeter of the optical lens body such that the lens body is pushed radially inwardly at the outer perimeter of the lens body. 
     
     
         55 . Use of an accommodating intraocular lens as in  claim 53  wherein the connecting structure comprises one or more compressible internal struts interfacing with at least one of the anterior body member and the posterior body member inside the cavity, and displaced from the vision axis, the internal struts constantly exerting pushing force on the respective anterior body member or posterior body member, supplemented by pushing force received at the lens body from such external structure, the combination of the constant pushing force applied by the internal struts and the supplemental pushing force received from such external structure effecting change in curvature of the lens body. 
     
     
         56 . Use of an accommodating intraocular lens as in  claim 53 , further comprising a sealable valve in the lens body and wherein the bio-compatible liquid is introduced into the cavity through the sealable valve. 
     
     
         57 . Use of an accommodating intraocular lens as in  claim 53 , the anterior body member and the posterior body member both being flexible so as to flex upon receiving such pushing force, whereby changes in curvature are similar in both the anterior body member and the posterior body member. 
     
     
         58 . Use of an accommodating intraocular lens as in  claim 55 , the one or more compressible struts extending from at least one of the anterior body member and the posterior body member and being configured to flex away from the vision axis when compressed. 
     
     
         59 . Use of an accommodating intraocular lens as in  claim 53 , further comprising
 (d) the optical lens body outer perimeter extending about the vision axis;   (e) the joinder of the anterior body member and the posterior body member defining the cavity therebetween, in the lens body; and   (f) the connecting structure comprising one or more compressible internal struts in the cavity, extending between the anterior body member and the posterior body member.   
     
     
         60 . Use of an accommodating intraocular lens as in  claim 59 , the one or more struts being displaced from the vision axis, and being configured to flex away from the vision axis when compressed. 
     
     
         61 . Use of an accommodating intraocular lens as in  claim 53  wherein the bio-compatible liquid in the cavity includes a material selected from the group consisting of silicone oil, hyaluronic acid, and salts of hyaluronic acid. 
     
     
         62 . Use of an accommodating intraocular lens as in  claim 53  wherein the compositions of the anterior body member and the posterior body member include material selected from the group consisting of silicone, collagen, acrylic polymers, collamer, and hydroxyethyl methacrylate.