Accommodating intraocular lens having T-shaped haptics

An accommodating intraocular lens comprising:

• a lens body having normally anterior and posterior sides and including a central optic and extended portions spaced about and extending generally radially out from said optic and having inner ends joined to said optic and opposite outer ends movable anteriorly and posteriorly relative to said optic, and wherein,
• said extended portions include hinges connecting the inner ends of said extended portions to said optic for pivotal movement of said extended portions anteriorly and posteriorly relative to said optic at said hinges, and
• said hinges comprise one of the following:
• (a) flexible hinges including flexible hinge portions connecting said optic and extended portions, (b) pivotal hinges including rotatably connected hinge formations on said optic and extended portions.

An accommodating intraocular lens to be surgically implanted within a natural ocular capsular bag including an elastic posterior capsule urged anteriorly by vitreous pressure and an anterior capsule opening bounded by an anterior capsule rim which fuses by fibrosis to the posterior capsule during a postoperative healing period following surgery with the ciliary muscle paralyzed in its relaxed state, said lens comprising:

• a lens body having normally anterior and posterior sides, a central optic having an optical axis and a posterior surface, and a plurality of extended portions extending generally radially out from the optic, each extended portion having a posterior surface, an inner end connected to the optic, and an outer end remote from said inner end movable anteriorly and posteriorly relative to said inner end,
• said lens adapted for insertion through said anterior capsule opening to an implanted position within said bag in which said extended portions are situated between said rim and posterior capsule for fixation of the lens in the bag and posterior deflection of the lens against said posterior capsule by fibrosis of said rim to said posterior capsule during said healing period, and said extended portions adapted for rearward deflection of said optic under ciliary muscle relaxation to a posterior distant vision position in which the lens has a posterior distant vision configuration and for forward deflection of said optic under ciliary muscle contraction to a near vision position, resulting in consistent accommodation of the implanted lens under said contraction and relaxation of the ciliary muscle, and wherein
• said posterior surface of said optic and said posterior surfaces of said extended portions are disposed in one of the following relationships relative to one another when said lens is in said posterior distant vision configuration:
• (a) a relationship such that said posterior surfaces of said extended portions project rearwardly beyond the posterior surface of said optic for contact of only said posterior surfaces of said extended portions with the posterior capsule, (b) a relationship such that said posterior surface of said optic projects rearwardly beyond the posterior surfaces of said extended portions for contact of only said posterior surface of said optic with the posterior capsule, (c) a relationship such that said posterior surface of said optic and said posterior surfaces of said extended portions are disposed for contact of all of said posterior surfaces with said posterior capsule.

An accommodating intraocular lens to be surgically implanted within a natural ocular capsular bag including an elastic posterior capsule urged anteriorly by vitreous pressure and an anterior capsule opening bounded by an anterior capsule rim which fuses by fibrosis to the posterior capsule during a postoperative healing period following surgery with the ciliary muscle paralyzed in its relaxed state, said lens comprising:

• a lens body having normally anterior and posterior sides, a central optic having an optic axis, and a plurality of extended portions extending generally radially out from the optic, each extended portion having an inner end connected to the optic and an outer end remote from said inner end movable anteriorly and posteriorly relative to said inner end,
• said lens adapted for insertion through said anterior capsule opening to an implanted position within said ball in which said extended portions are situated between said rim and posterior capsule for fixation of the lens in the bag and posterior deflection of the lens against said posterior capsule by fibrosis of said rim to said posterior capsule during said healing period, and said extended portions adapted for rearward deflection of said optic upon ciliary muscle relaxation to a posterior distant vision position in which the lens has a posterior distant vision configuration and for forward deflection of said optic upon ciliary muscle contraction to a near vision position, resulting in consistent accommodation of the implanted lens with said contraction and relaxation of the ciliary muscle, and wherein
• the outer ends of said extended portions are located approximately in a common tip plane normal to said optical axis when said lens has said posterior rear vision configuration, and
• the inner ends of said extended portions are located in certain positions relative to said plane when said lens has said posterior distant vision configuration, and said certain positions are within the range of positions between and including posterior positions in which the inner ends of said extended portions are located rearwardly of said plane and anterior positions in which said inner ends are located forwardly of said plane, and
• said extended portions adapted to deflect said optic rearwardly upon radial compression of said lens by inwardly directed forces exerted on the outer ends of said extended portions when said inner ends of said extended portions are located rearwardly of said plane, and said extended portions adapted to deflect said optic forwardly upon radial compression of said lens by inwardly directed forces exerted on the outer ends of said extended portions when said inner ends of said extended portions are located forwardly of said plane.

An accommodating intraocular lens to be surgically implanted within a natural ocular capsular bag including an elastic posterior capsule urged anteriorly by vitreous pressure and an anterior capsule opening bounded by an anterior capsule rim which fuses by fibrosis to the posterior capsule during a post-operative healing period following surgery with the ciliary muscle paralyzed in its relaxed state, said lens comprising:

• a lens body having normally anterior and posterior sides, a central optic having a posterior surface, and a plurality of extended portions extending generally radially out from the optic, each extended portion having an inner end connected to the optic, and an outer end remote from said inner end movable anteriorly and posteriorly relative to said inner end,
• said lens adapted for insertion through said anterior capsule opening to an implanted position within said bag in which said extended portions are situated between said rim and posterior capsule for fixation of the lens in the bag and posterior deflection of the lens against said posterior capsule by fibrosis of said rim to said posterior capsule during said healing period, and said extended portions adapted for rearward deflection of said optic under ciliary muscle relaxation to a posterior distant vision position in which the lens has a posterior distant vision configuration and for forward deflection of said optic under ciliary muscle contraction to a near vision position, resulting in consistent accommodation of the implanted lens under said contraction and relaxation of the ciliary muscle, and wherein
• said posterior surface of said optic is convexly curved to a substantially steeper convex curvature than said anterior surface and provides at least most of the optical power of said optic.

An accommodating intraocular lens comprising:

• a lens body having normally anterior and posterior sides and including an optic and flexible plate haptics spaced about said optic and flexible anteriorly and posteriorly relative to the optic, and wherein,
• said plate haptics include haptic plates extending generally radially out from the optic and having inner ends joined to edge portions of said optic and opposite outer ends,
• said optic has an optic axis,
• said plate haptics are generally T-shaped and include a pair of resilient fixation fingers at the outer end of each haptic plate each having a length many times its transverse dimensions, whereby each finger is slender and resiliently bendable,
• said haptic plates have longitudinal edges and convex outer end edges,
• the fixation fingers on each haptic plate extend from the longitudinal edges, respectively, of and in the plane of the respective haptic plate and substantially flush with the outer end edge of the respective haptic plate, and
• said fingers have normal unstressed states in which the fingers extend generally transverse to the length of the haptic plates, and said fingers are resiliently bendable inwardly toward said optic to positions in which said outer end edges of said haptic plates and said fingers conform approximately to a common curvature.

An accommodating intraocular lens comprising:

• a lens body having normally anterior and posterior sides and including an optic having an optic axis and generally T-shaped plate haptics spaced about the optic, and wherein,
• said plate haptics include haptic plates extending generally radially out from said optic and having inner ends joined to edge portions of said optic and opposite outer ends, and a pair of resiliently flexible fixation fingers at the outer end of each haptic plate,
• said haptic plates have longitudinal edges, and said fingers of each plate haptic extend from the longitudinal edges, respectively, of the respective haptic plate in the plane of the respective haptic plate, and
• said fingers have normal unstressed positions in which the fingers extend generally laterally of the haptic plates, and said fingers have a length many times their transverse dimensions, whereby the fingers are slender and resiliently bendable from said unstressed positions inwardly toward said optic to deflected positions in which the fingers on each haptic plate conform approximately to a common curvature.

An accommodating intraocular lens for insertion through an opening in an anterior capsule of a natural ocular capsular bag for fixation adjacent to a posterior capsule of the capsular bag, said lens comprising:

• a central optic portion having an anterior surface and a posterior surface,
• a plurality of extended portions extending radially from the central optic portion, each extended portion having an inner end connected to the central optic portion and an outer end remote from the inner end, each extended portion adapted to permit the lens to fit within the opening formed in the anterior capsule and to permit fixation of the intraocular lens, said extended portions adapted to rearwardly deflect the central optic portion against the posterior capsule under ciliary muscle relaxation, to forwardly deflect the central optic portion under ciliary muscle constriction, and to bias the central optic portion against the posterior capsule during a substantial portion of its movement, resulting in consistent accommodation of the implanted lens with said constriction and relaxation of the ciliary muscle, and wherein
• each extended portion comprises one of the following:
• (a) a rotatably hinged extended portion, (b) a flexibly hinged extended portion, (c) a bendable extended portion.

A method of providing accommodating vision to a patient having a natural ocular capsular bag attached about its perimeter to the ciliary muscle of the eye-and including an elastic posterior capsule uged anteriorly by vitreous pressure and an anterior capsule opening bounded circumferentially by an anterior capsule remnant which forms with said posterior capsule an annular cul-de-sac within and about the perimeter of said bag and which fuses by fibrosis to and is biased toward the posterior capsule during a postoperative healing period with said ciliary muscle paralyzed in its relaxed state, said method comprising the steps of:

• selecting an accommodating intraocular lens comprising a lens body having normally anterior and posterior sides and including an optic having an optic axis and extended portions spaced circumferentially about and extending generally radially out from said optic and having inner ends joined to edge portions of said optic and opposite outer ends movable anteriorly and posteriorly relative to said optic,
• implanting said lens within said capsular bag in a position wherein said optic is aligned with said anterior capsule opening and said extended portions are situated within said cul-de-sac between said anterior capsule remnant and said posterior capsule with said ciliary muscle paralyzed in its relaxed state,
• maintaining said ciliary muscle in its relaxed state during said healing period to effect fixation of the lens within said bag by fibrosis of said remnant to said posterior capsule and about said extended portions and posterior deflection of said lens against the posterior capsule by said remnant during fibrosis, and
• said extended portions adapted for rearward deflection of said optic to said posterior distant vision position under ciliary muscle relaxation after said healing period and for forward deflection of said optic to a near vision position under ciliary muscle contraction after said healing period, resulting in consistent accommodation of the implanted lens under said contraction and relaxation of the ciliary muscle.