Systems and methods for creating aberration-corrected gradient index lenses

#Various embodiments of the present invention generally relate to systems and methods for creating customized lenses. More specifically, some embodiments relate to systems and methods for creating aberration-corrected gradient index lenses.

#A lens is an object that can be used to alter the behavior of light. For example, a lens can transmit and refract light towards a focal point. Lenses are typically made of plastic or glass and can be used in a wide range of applications and imaging systems. For example, lenses can be found in binoculars, telescopes, endoscopic probes, microscopes, projectors, cameras, and projectors all use lenses. In addition, corrective lenses such as eye glasses and contacts can be used for the correction of visual impairments (e.g., defocus, astigmatism, and higher-order aberrations).

#Given the variety of applications and types of objectives, it has traditionally been impractical to stock all lenses that could possibly be needed. With corrective lenses, for example, the accuracy of the correction is limited by the number of lenses that can economically be manufactured and stocked. Thus adding finer divisions or higher order aberrations (e.g., coma) would improve patient vision but at the cost of much larger inventory, which becomes expensive to fabricate and maintain. In addition, traditional systems for creating customized lenses that correct for various aberrations are expensive and can have a significant lag time. As a result, systems and methods are needed for efficiently creating customized lenses.

#Embodiments of the present invention will be described and explained through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

#FIG. 1 illustrates a high-level block diagram of a processing environment in which aberration-corrected gradient index lenses may be produced in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

#FIG. 2 illustrates simplified physical layout of a processing environment according to some embodiments of the present invention;

#The drawings have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be expanded or reduced to help improve the understanding of the embodiments of the present invention. Similarly, some components and/or operations may be separated into different blocks or combined into a single block for the purposes of discussion of some of the embodiments of the present invention. Moreover, while the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail below. The intention, however, is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

#Various embodiments of the present invention generally relate to systems and methods for creating customized lenses (e.g., intraocular lenses, contact lenses, telescopic lenses, microscopic lenses, endoscopic lenses, and others). More specifically, some embodiments relate to systems and methods for creating aberration-corrected gradient index lenses and techniques for economical methods to fabricate lenses with customized optical and/or mechanical properties (e.g., to an individual patient). Additionally, a multi-stage polymerization process can be used to allow the lens modulus to be changed after insertion (e.g., into a patient or device) in order to minimize an incision size, match physiological requirements, or access requirements.

#For example, in one or more embodiments, polymer materials and novel processing techniques can be used to create phakic or pseudophakic intraocular lenses with improved visual performance and ease of implantation. Existing intraocular lenses correct patient vision by bending rays at the front and back surface of a curved lens. Various embodiments of the disclosed methods add a 2D or 3D gradient refractive index to the body of the lens, providing for significantly greater control of the lens performance. Since the crystalline lens of the human eye is a gradient index structure, there is physiological motivation that this degree of control is important. The ability to customize this gradient structure to the individual patient offers significant potential visual benefits. The human eye operates very far from the theoretical diffraction-limited performance. This has inspired custom eyeglasses and contact lenses to correct the aberrations beyond defocus and astigmatism that are traditional in vision correction today. These “higher order aberration correction” methods have the significant drawback that the artificial lens is not fixed relative to the eye. Eyeglasses are particularly egregious here, but the movement of a contact lens also limits the degree of correction possible. Intraocular lenses, on the other hand, are fixed relative to the eye after insertion and thus offer an ideal location for aberration correction. Various embodiments of the proposed method should enable vision correction beyond 20/20.