A Novel Approach To Accommodative Human Intraocular Lenses

This thesis work presents a novel design of a passive ultra-thin IOL, which is the only e ective method for treatment of cataract, a condition responsible for the majority of the world's blindness cases. The lens is designed in a Fresnel shape, which is set to minimize surgical impact and to restore full-range vision without any need for an external power supply. This IOL presents potential to be more a more reliable, versatile, cost and time e ective alternative than the current state of the art iterations. The rst part of this work focuses on discussing the statistics on cataract surgery, the current state of the art IOLs and the theoretical background on human and rabbit eye anatomy, as well as an overview of regulations on laboratory testing. The design will focus on the rabbit lens, as it is a crucial experimental step since tests on humans cannot be directly carried out, even if they are the nal user of the IOL. The second part focuses on discussing the idea and design of the lens, presenting both the standard approach and some alternative solutions, including the one here presented, with a discussion on trade-o s. The third part focuses on discussing fabrication of the IOL mold by means of advanced 3D electron beam mix and match lithography, and characterization of the nal sample. Comparisons with IOLs currently available on the market are also presented. Using all acquired data it will then be possible to try several similar accommodative designs, as well as designing haptics for full force transfer from the ciliary muscles to the IOL. All these and future developments are discussed in the conclusion.