Vision correction with laser refractive index changes
AssigneeUniversity of Rochester
InventorsLeonard Zheleznyak, Scott Catlin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and systems wherein laser induced refractive index changes by focused femtosecond laser pulses in optical polymeric materials or optical tissues is performed to address various types of vision correction.
Claims20
A method for placing myopic defocus on the peripheral retina of an eye to prevent or slowing myopia progression in a patient, comprising:
- modifying the refractive index of ocular tissue of an eye of the patient, or of an optical device selected from an intraocular lens, contact lens, or corneal inlay, by irradiating select regions of the ocular tissue or optical device material with a focused, visible or near-IR laser below the optical breakdown threshold of the tissue or optical device material to provide refractive structures that exhibit a change in refractive index, and exhibit little or no scattering loss, and scanning over the select regions with the laser such that ablation or removal of the tissue or optical device material is not observed in the irradiated region, wherein the refractive structures provided form at least one peripheral zone having a different dioptric power around a center zone of the cornea or natural crystalline lens, or optical device, so as to provide a multifocal power profile in the cornea or natural crystalline lens, or optical device.
An optical contact lens including central optical and outer peripheral zones comprising an optical polymer material, wherein select regions of the optical device have been irradiated with a focused, visible or near-IR laser below the optical breakdown threshold of the optical polymer material to provide refractive structures that exhibit a change in refractive index, and exhibit little or no scattering loss, and wherein ablation or removal of the optical polymeric material is not observed in the irradiated regions, and wherein the refractive structures provided are configured to form at least one peripheral zone having a different dioptric power around a center zone of the contact lens, so as to place a myopic defocus on the peripheral retina of an eye of a patient when the contact lens is placed on cornea of the eye.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.