Accomodating intraocular lens

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 an optic axis, and a plurality of extended flexible 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 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,
• said lens includes hinges at the inner ends of said extended portions pivotally joining said extended portions to said optic for anterior and posterior pivotal movement of said extended portions at said hinges relative to said optic,
• said hinges occupy posterior positions located rearwardly of said plane when the inner ends of said extended portions are located rearwardly of said plane, and said hinges occupy anterior positions forwardly of said plane when the inner ends of said extended portions are located forwardly of said plane, and
• inwardly directed forces exerted on the outer ends of said extended portions when said hinges are located rearwardly of said plane urge said optic rearwardly, and inwardly directed forces exerted on said extended portions urge said optic forwardly when said hinges 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 comprising:

• a lens body disposed in the posterior chamber of an eye and 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 adjacent to said optic and opposite outer ends movable anteriorly and posteriorly relative to said optic,
• said optic has anterior and posterior surfaces,
• said extended portions have hinges at the inner ends of said extended portions which accommodate pivotal movement of said extended portions anteriorly and posteriorly relative to said optic at said hinges, 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 to be surgically implanted in the posterior chamber of a natural human eye 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 a posterior surface, and a plurality of extended portions extending generally radially out from the optic, each extended portion having an inner end adjacent to the optic, and an outer end remote from said inner end movable anteriorly and posteriorly relative to said inner end,
• said extended portions have hinges at the inner ends of said extended portions which accommodate anterior and posterior pivotal movement of said extended portions at said hinges,
• 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 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 haptic 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.

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 and including an optic having an optic axis, and extended portions spaced apart about the optic,
• each said extended portion including a haptic member extending generally radially out from said optic and having an inner end joined to an edge portion of the optic and an opposite outer end, and a pair of resiliently flexible fixation fingers at the outer end of each haptic member and having normal unstressed positions in which the fingers extend laterally in opposite directions from the respective haptic member transversely of said optic,
• said fingers being resiliently flexible and bendable from their normal unstressed configurations inwardly toward the optic to deflected positions wherein the fingers conform approximately to a common curvature, and
• an enlarged protuberance at the outer end of at least one of said fixation fingers and defining an opening therein for improved fixation by fibrosis.