Accommodating positive and negative intraocular lens system

Abstract

An accommodating intraocular lens system including a higher diopter positive intraocular lens and a lower diopter negative intraocular lens. The positive intraocular lens includes a positive optic portion having an outer peripheral edge and two or more haptic elements. The negative intraocular lens includes a negative optic portion having an outer peripheral edge and two or more haptic elements. Each haptic element is formed to have specific flexibility characteristics so as to be less resistant to bending in a plane generally parallel to an eye's optical axis than in a plane generally perpendicular to the eye's optical axis. The accommodating intraocular lens system is so designed with specific flexibility characteristics to facilitate axial displacement of the positive optic portion with respect to the negative optic portion along the eye's optical axis under a compression force. Through the axial displacement of the positive optic portion with respect to the negative optic portion, accommodative effects are maximized to achieve multi-distance visual imaging.

We claim:  
     
         1 . An accommodating intraocular lens system to be implanted within an eye generally perpendicular to the eye's optical axis comprising: 
 a first outer peripheral edge defining a higher diopter positive optic portion with two or more haptic elements permanently connected to the first outer peripheral edge to form a positive lens, wherein said haptic elements each including a contact plate having a trough, and    a second outer peripheral edge defining a lower diopter negative optic portion with two or more haptic elements permanently connected to the second outer peripheral edge to form a negative lens, said haptic elements each including a contact plate having a ridge interlockable with a respective said trough to interlock said positive and negative optic portions together.    
     
     
         2 . The intraocular lens system of  claim 1  wherein said negative optic portion is axially displaced upon compression.  
     
     
         3 . The intraocular lens system of  claim 1  wherein said negative lens and said positive lens are both implanted in a lens capsule of an eye.  
     
     
         4 . The intraocular lens system of  claim 1  wherein said negative lens is implanted in an anterior chamber of an eye and said positive lens is implanted in a lens capsule of an eye.  
     
     
         5 . A method of using the intraocular lens system of  claim 1  comprising: 
 creating an incision in a cornea and lens capsule of an eye,  
 removing a natural lens of said eye, and  
 inserting a lower diopter negative intraocular lens and a higher diopter positive intraocular lens into said lens capsule of said eye as either individual lenses or as a unitary device.  
 
     
     
         6 . A method of using the intraocular lens system of  claim 1  comprising: 
 creating an incision in a cornea and lens capsule of an eye,  
 removing a natural lens of said eye,  
 inserting a lower diopter negative intraocular lens, and  
 inserting a higher diopter positive intraocular lens into said lens capsule of said eye anterior to said lower diopter negative intraocular lens.