CN118922152A - Intraocular lenses with nanostructures and methods of making the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Certain embodiments provide an intraocular lens (IOL) that includes a lens body having an integral anterior lens element with an anterior nanostructure assembly formed thereon, and an integral posterior lens element with a posterior nanostructure assembly formed thereon.

Description

Intraocular lens with nanostructure and method for manufacturing the same

Background Art

The human eye, in its simplest terms, functions to provide vision by transmitting light through a transparent outer portion called the cornea and focusing an image onto the retina with the aid of the lens. The quality of the focused image depends on many factors, including the size and shape of the eye and the transparency of the cornea and lens. When age or disease causes the lens to become less transparent, vision deteriorates because less light is able to be transmitted to the retina. Such defects in the lens of the eye are medically known as cataracts. One accepted treatment for this condition is surgical removal of the lens and replacement of the lens function with an intraocular lens (IOL).

Although existing IOLs and methods and systems for manufacturing the same may be acceptable, they also have certain disadvantages.Therefore, there is a need for improved IOL designs and associated manufacturing techniques for complex optical designs.

Summary of the invention

Aspects of the present disclosure provide an intraocular lens (IOL) comprising a lens body having an integral anterior lens element having an anterior nanostructure assembly formed thereon, and an integral posterior lens element having a posterior nanostructure assembly formed thereon.

Aspects of the present disclosure also provide a method for manufacturing an intraocular lens (IOL). The method includes: manufacturing an integral front lens element and an integral rear lens element, combining the integral front lens element and the integral rear lens element to form a cavity therebetween; and filling the cavity with an optical fluid. The integral front lens element has a front nanostructure component formed thereon, and the integral rear lens element has a rear nanostructure component formed thereon.

Aspects of the present disclosure further provide a method for configuring an intraocular lens (IOL). The method includes: calculating a configuration of a front nanostructure component formed on an anterior lens element of the IOL and a rear nanostructure component formed on a rear lens element of the IOL, the calculation being based on a lens base power of the IOL and a desired refractive index value; and forming the IOL or causing the IOL to be formed based on the calculated configuration of the front nanostructure component and the rear nanostructure component.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to be able to understand the above-mentioned features of the present disclosure in detail, the present disclosure briefly summarized above may be described in more detail by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the accompanying drawings illustrate only some aspects of the present disclosure, and the present disclosure may allow for other equally effective embodiments.

1A depicts a top view of an intraocular lens (IOL) according to some embodiments.

1B depicts a side view of a portion of the IOL of FIG. 1A , according to some embodiments.

1C depicts an enlarged view of a portion of the IOL of FIG. 1A , according to some embodiments.

2 depicts example operations for fabricating an IOL having nanostructures, in accordance with some embodiments.

3 depicts example operations for forming a lens element, in accordance with certain embodiments.

4A , 4B, and 4C illustrate various aspects of a lens element corresponding to various stages of operation of FIG. 3 , according to some embodiments.

FIG. 5 depicts an example system for designing, configuring, and/or forming an IOL, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 6 depicts example operations for forming an IOL in accordance with some embodiments.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements and features of one embodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments without further recitation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments described herein provide methods and systems for manufacturing an intraocular lens (IOL) having a nanostructured pattern embossed on an outer surface of the IOL. In certain embodiments, the methods and systems include: producing a front lens element and a rear lens element, each of which has a nanostructured pattern; combining the front lens element and the rear lens element to form a cavity therebetween; and filling the cavity with an optical fluid.

IOL with nanostructures

Figure 1A illustrates a top view of an intraocular lens (IOL) 100 according to some embodiments. Figure 1B illustrates a side view of a portion of IOL 100. Figure 1C illustrates an enlarged side view of a portion of IOL 100. IOL 100 includes a lens body 102 and a haptic portion 104 coupled to a peripheral non-optical portion of lens body 102.

The lens body 102 includes a front lens element 102A and a rear lens element 102P. The lens elements 102A and 102P are joined together to form a cavity 106. The cavity 106 is filled with an optical fluid. The optical fluid can be an incompressible or substantially incompressible fluid that exhibits a different refractive index than the lens elements 102A and 102P. The optical fluid can be an ophthalmic grade index-matched silicone oil, such as an optical fluid available from Entegris, Inc. of Billerica, Massachusetts, USA. The front lens element 102A and the rear lens element 102P can be made of a transparent, flexible, biocompatible polymer, such as a flexible polymer including poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). The diameter φ of the lens body 102 is between about 4.5 mm and about 7.5 mm, for example, about 6.0 mm.

The haptic portion 104 includes hollow radially extending struts (also referred to as "haptics") 104A and 104B that are coupled (e.g., glued or welded) to a peripheral portion of the lens body 102 or molded with a portion of the lens body 102 and thus extend outwardly from the lens body 102 to engage a peripheral wall of the capsular sac of the eye to maintain the lens body 102 in a desired position in the eye. The haptics 104A and 104B each have an interior volume 108A, 108B that is in fluid communication with the cavity 106 of the lens body 102. The haptics 104A and 104B can be made of a biocompatible material such as modified poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), modified PMMA hydrogel, hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), PVA hydrogel, other silicone polymer materials, hydrophobic acrylic polymer materials, such as those available from Alcon, Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, USA. and ) are manufactured from a circumferentially spaced 40-ft (102 m) area. The loops 104A and 104B typically have radially outward ends defining arcuate end portions. The end portions of the loops 104A and 104B may be separated by a length L between about 6 mm and about 22 mm, for example about 13 mm. The loops 104A and 104B have a specific length so that when in contact with the equatorial region of the capsular bag after implantation, the end portions generate a slight engagement pressure. Although FIG. 1A illustrates one example configuration of the loops 104A and 104B, any sheet-like loop or other type of loop may be used.

It should be noted that the shape and curvature of the lens body 102 are shown for illustrative purposes only, and other shapes and curvatures are also within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the lens body 102 shown in FIG. 1B has a biconvex shape. In other examples, the lens body 102 may have a plano-convex shape, a convexo-concave shape, or a plano-concave shape. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1B, the IOL 100 is a monofocal IOL (having a monofocal focus) in which an annular echelon grating is not formed on the front lens element 102A or the rear lens element 102P. In some other embodiments, the IOL 100 is a multifocal IOL (having multiple focal points, such as bifocals and trifocals) with an annular echelon grating on the front lens element 102A and/or the rear lens element 102P (not shown). In some other embodiments, the IOL 100 is an extended depth of focus (EDOF) IOL (having a long focus) with an annular echelon grating on the rear lens element 102P (not shown).

In the embodiments described herein, the front lens element 102A includes a front nanostructure component 110A formed thereon, and the rear lens element 102P includes a rear nanostructure component 110P (not shown) formed thereon. The front nanostructure component 110A and the front lens element 102A are formed as an integral single piece of the same material (e.g., a flexible polymer, including PDMS). The rear nanostructure component 110P and the rear lens element 102P are also formed as an integral single piece of material (e.g., a flexible polymer, including PDMS). In some embodiments, the lens body 102 includes only one of the front nanostructure component 110A or the rear nanostructure component 110P. The lens element 102A or 102P on which the nanostructure component is not formed may include a diffractive structure to adjust the refractive index and/or reflectivity of the lens.

As shown in FIG. 1C , the front nanostructure component 110A includes protrusions 112. The rear nanostructure component 110P includes similar protrusions 112. The shape, size, and density (e.g., the spacing between adjacent protrusions 112) of the protrusions 112 are designed to provide the lens body 102 with a desired refractive index. For example, the protrusions 112 can have a height H between about 30 nm and about 200 nm, a width between about 30 nm and about 300 nm, and a spacing between adjacent protrusions 112 between about 30 nm and about 300 nm. The nanostructure components 110A, 110P can further reduce the reflectivity by between about 10% and about 90% compared to a lens body without a nanostructure component on its front or rear outer surface. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1B , the nanostructure components 110A, 110P completely cover the front lens element 102A and the rear lens element 102P, respectively. However, in some other embodiments, the nanostructure assemblies 110A, 110P only partially cover the front lens element 102A and the rear lens element 102P, respectively.

Fabrication of IOLs with nanostructures

FIG. 2 depicts example operations 200 for forming an IOL having nanostructures, in accordance with some embodiments.

At step 210, a front lens element (e.g., front lens element 102A) having a nanostructure component (e.g., nanostructure component 110A (shown in FIG. 1C)) and a rear lens element (e.g., rear lens element 102P) having a nanostructure component (e.g., nanostructure component 110P) are formed, as described below with respect to operation 300.

At step 220, the front lens element and the rear lens element are assembled and sealed to form a cavity (e.g., cavity 106 (shown in FIG. 1B )). The front lens element and the rear lens element can be bonded together by chemical bonding, thermal bonding, UV bonding, or other suitable types of bonding to form a seal in the peripheral non-optical portion of the lens body (e.g., lens body 102) with the cavity therebetween.

At step 230, the cavity is filled with an optical fluid, such as silicone oil.

Figure 3 depicts an example operation 300 (i.e., step 210) for forming each of the lens elements 102A, 102P. Figures 4A, 4B, and 4C illustrate different aspects of the lens elements corresponding to different stages of the operation 300. As such, Figures 3, 4A, 4B, and 4C are described together.

In step 310, a nanostructured pattern (e.g., nanostructured pattern 402) is formed on a substrate (e.g., substrate 404) by a standard micron/nano manufacturing method, as shown in the isometric view in FIG. 4A and the cross-sectional view in FIG. 4B. For example, first, a photolithography process is performed to spin-coat a photoresist on the substrate, and selected areas of the photoresist are exposed to light and developed. Second, the pattern of the photoresist is transferred to the substrate by reactive ion etching. Then, the remaining photoresist is removed by plasma overetching. The nanostructured pattern can extend over an area of about 7 mm by about 7 mm on the substrate and include an array of grooves (e.g., groove 406 array) carved out on the substrate, with a height between about 30 nm and about 200 nm, a width between about 30 nm and about 300 nm, and a spacing between adjacent grooves between about 30 nm and about 300 nm.

The term "substrate" as used herein refers to a material layer that is used as the basis for subsequent processing operations and includes a surface to be cleaned. For example, the substrate may include glass or one or more conductive metals, such as nickel, titanium, platinum, molybdenum, rhenium, osmium, chromium, iron, aluminum, copper, tungsten or a combination thereof. The substrate may also include one or more materials comprising silicon, including materials associated with Group IV or Group III-V, including compounds such as Si, polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon oxide, Ge, SiGe, GaAs, InP, InAs, GaAs, GaP, InGaAs, InGaAsP, GaSb, InSb, etc. or a combination thereof. In addition, the substrate may also include dielectric materials, such as silicon dioxide, organic silicates, and carbon-doped silicon oxide. Further, depending on the application, the substrate may include any other material, such as metal nitrides, metal oxides, and metal alloys.

In addition, the substrate is not limited to any particular size or shape. The substrate can be a circular wafer with a diameter of 200 mm, a diameter of 300 mm, a diameter of 450 mm, or other diameters. The substrate can also be any polygonal, square, rectangular, curved, or other non-circular workpiece, such as a polygonal glass, plastic substrate.

In step 320, an elastic film (e.g., elastic film 408) is cast on a substrate having a nanostructured pattern formed thereon, as shown in FIG. 4C. The elastic film can be formed of a thin PDMS. During the casting process, the PDMS in liquid form can be mixed with a crosslinking agent and poured onto the substrate and heated to an elevated temperature between about 250° C. to about 350° C., hardening and crosslinking the PDMS to form an elastic film. The thickness of the elastic film can be between about 200 μm and 500 μm. The elastic film has a protrusion (e.g., protrusion 410) that replicates the nanostructured pattern on the substrate. The protrusion can have a height between about 30 nm and about 200 nm, a width between about 30 nm and about 300 nm, and a spacing between adjacent grooves between about 30 nm and about 300 nm. After casting, the elastic film is removed from the substrate. The elastic film can be used as a front lens element with a front nanostructure component or a rear lens element with a rear nanostructure component (shown in exemplary FIG. 1C).

Systems for designing IOLs

5 depicts an exemplary system 500 for designing, configuring, and/or forming an IOL 100. As shown, the system 500 includes, but is not limited to, a control module 502, a user interface display 504, an interconnect 506, an output device 508, and at least one I/O device interface 510 that can allow different I/O devices (e.g., a keyboard, a display, a mouse device, a pen input, etc.) to be connected to the system 500.

The control module 502 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 512, a memory 514, and a storage device 516. The CPU 512 can retrieve and execute programming instructions stored in the memory 514. Similarly, the CPU 512 can retrieve and store application data residing in the memory 514. The interconnect 506 transmits programming instructions and application data between the CPU 512, the I/O device interface 510, the user interface display 504, the memory 514, the storage device 516, the output device 508, etc. The CPU 512 can represent a single CPU, multiple CPUs, a single CPU with multiple processing cores, etc. Additionally, in some embodiments, the memory 514 represents a volatile memory, such as a random access memory. Additionally, in some embodiments, the storage device 516 can be a non-volatile memory, such as a disk drive, a solid state drive, or a collection of storage devices distributed on multiple storage systems.

As shown, the storage device 516 includes input parameters 518. The input parameters 518 include the base power of the lens and the desired refractive index value of the lens body. The memory 514 includes a calculation module 520 for calculating control parameters such as the configuration (e.g., shape, size, and density) of the nanostructure assemblies 110A, 110P. In addition, the memory 514 includes input parameters 522.

In some embodiments, the input parameters 522 correspond to the input parameters 518 or at least a subset thereof. In such embodiments, the input parameters 522 are retrieved from the storage device 516 and executed in the memory 514 during the calculation of the control parameters. In such examples, the calculation module 520 includes executable instructions (e.g., including one or more of the formulas described herein) for calculating the control parameters based on the input parameters 522. In some other embodiments, the input parameters 522 correspond to parameters received from a user via the user interface display 504. In such embodiments, the calculation module 520 includes executable instructions for calculating the control parameters based on the information received from the user interface display 504.

In some embodiments, the calculated control parameters are outputted to a lens manufacturing system via output device 508, which is configured to receive the control parameters and form a lens accordingly. In some other embodiments, system 500 itself represents at least a portion of a lens manufacturing system. In such embodiments, control module 502 then causes hardware components (not shown) of system 500 to form a lens according to the control parameters of operation 200 described above.

Methods for forming an IOL

6 depicts an example operation 600 for forming an IOL (e.g., IOL 100). In some embodiments, step 610 of operation 600 is performed by a system (e.g., system 500), and step 620 is performed by a lens manufacturing system. In some other embodiments, both steps 610 and 620 are performed by a lens manufacturing system.

At step 610, control parameters such as the configuration (e.g., shape, size, and density) of the nanostructure assemblies 110A, 110P are calculated based on input parameters (e.g., lens base power and desired refractive index value of the lens body). The calculations performed at step 610 are based on one or more of the embodiments (including formulas) described herein.

At step 620, an IOL (e.g., IOL 100) based on the calculated control parameters (such as the configuration (e.g., shape, size, and density) of the nanostructure assemblies 110A, 110P) is formed according to the above-described operation 200 using appropriate methods, systems, and apparatus commonly used to manufacture lenses known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

Embodiments described herein provide methods and systems for manufacturing an IOL having a nanostructured pattern embossed on the outer surface of the IOL by: producing a front lens element and a rear lens element, each of which has a nanostructured pattern; combining the front lens element and the rear lens element to form a cavity therebetween; and filling the cavity with an optical fluid. The methods described herein can provide a simplified manufacturing process for an IOL having a nanostructured pattern embossed on the outer surface compared to conventional manufacturing processes. Additionally, the described methods can further eliminate concerns associated with the disintegration of an implanted IOL formed by separately manufacturing the nanostructures and subsequently attaching them to the IOL. Thus, the improved manufacturing techniques disclosed herein allow for the manufacture of an improved IOL having nanostructures on the outer surface to reduce customer complaints of glare and halos and reflection issues that may be associated with the scarred eye phenomenon.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments of the present disclosure may be envisaged without departing from the basic scope of the present disclosure, and the scope of the present disclosure is determined by the claims that follow.

Claims (20)

1. An intraocular lens (IOL), comprising:

A lens body having an integral front lens element with a front nanostructure assembly formed thereon and an integral rear lens element with a rear nanostructure assembly formed thereon; and

One or more of the loops of the material, the one or more haptics are coupled to the lens body.

2. The IOL of claim 1, wherein the integral anterior lens element and the integral posterior lens element each comprise poly (dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS).

3. The IOL of claim 1, further comprising:

an optical fluid fills a cavity formed between the unitary front lens element and the unitary rear lens element.

4. The IOL according to claim 3, wherein,

The optical fluid comprises silicone oil.

5. The IOL according to claim 3, wherein,

The one or more tabs each include an interior volume in fluid communication with the cavity.

6. The IOL according to claim 1, wherein,

Each of the front and rear nanostructure assemblies includes a plurality of protrusions having a height between 30nm and 200nm, a width between 30nm and 300nm, and a spacing between adjacent protrusions between 30nm and 300 nm.

7. The IOL according to claim 1, wherein,

The front and rear nanostructure assemblies are configured to reduce the reflectivity of the lens body by between 10% and 90% compared to a lens body without nanostructure assemblies on the integral front or rear lens elements.

8. A method for manufacturing an intraocular lens (IOL), the method comprising:

manufacturing a unitary front lens element and a unitary rear lens element, wherein,

The integral front lens element has a front nanostructure assembly formed thereon, an

A rear nanostructure assembly formed on the unitary rear lens element;

joining the unitary front lens element and the unitary rear lens element to form a cavity therebetween; and

The cavity is filled with an optical fluid.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein,

Manufacturing each of the unitary front lens element and the unitary rear lens element comprises:

casting an elastomeric film on a substrate having a nanostructured pattern formed thereon; and

The elastic film is removed from the substrate.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein,

The elastic membrane comprises poly (dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS).

11. The method of claim 9, wherein,

The nanostructured pattern formed on the substrate extends over an area of 7mm by 7mm and includes an array of trenches having a height between 30nm and 200nm, a width between 30nm and 300nm, and a spacing between adjacent trenches between 30nm and 300 nm.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein,

The front and rear nanostructure assemblies each include a plurality of protrusions having a height between 30nm and 200nm, a width between 30nm and 300nm, and a spacing between adjacent trenches between 30nm and 300 nm.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein,

The optical fluid comprises silicone oil.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

attaching a tab portion to the peripheral non-optical portions of the unitary front lens element and the unitary rear lens element,

Wherein the tab portion comprises one or more hollow tabs having an interior volume in fluid communication with the cavity.

15. A method for configuring an intraocular lens (IOL), the method comprising:

Calculating a configuration of anterior nanostructure assemblies formed on an anterior lens element of the IOL and posterior nanostructure assemblies formed on a posterior lens element of the IOL based on the lens base power and the desired refractive index value of the IOL; and

Forming the IOL or causing the IOL to be formed based on the calculated configurations of the anterior and posterior nanostructure assemblies.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein,

Forming the IOL or such that forming the IOL comprises:

manufacturing the front lens element and the rear lens element;

Bonding the front lens element and the rear lens element to form a cavity therebetween; and

The cavity is filled with an optical fluid.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein,

Manufacturing each of the front lens element and the rear lens element includes:

casting an elastomeric film on a substrate having a nanostructured pattern formed thereon; and

The elastic film is removed from the substrate.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein,

The elastic membrane comprises poly (dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS).

19. The method of claim 17, wherein,

The nanostructured pattern formed on the substrate extends over an area of 7mm by 7mm and includes an array of trenches having a height between 30nm and 200nm, a width between 30nm and 300nm, and a spacing between adjacent trenches between 30nm and 300 nm.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein,

The optical fluid comprises silicone oil.