Contact lenses having a reinforcing scaffold

Abstract

Ophthalmic lenses for correcting refractive error of an eye are disclosed. Ophthalmic lenses include an inner optic portion having a scaffold between an anterior portion and a posterior portion. The scaffold is characterized by a substantially uniform thickness formed from a material characterized by a modulus that his higher than the modulus of the peripheral portion. Openings within the scaffold are filled with a low modulus material. When applied to an eye, the lenses are configured to provide one or more lenticular volumes between the posterior surface of the lens and the cornea. The disclosure further relates to methods of correcting refractive errors of an eye such as astigmatism or spherical aberration using the ophthalmic lenses.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An ophthalmic lens for correcting a refractive error of an eye, wherein the ophthalmic lens comprising:
 an inner optic portion configured to be disposed over an optical region of the cornea and comprising a center portion configured so that a posterior surface of the inner optic portion is characterized by a shape diverging from a refractive shape of the cornea, wherein the center portion comprises a scaffold; and   a peripheral portion disposed radially outward of the inner optic portion.   
     
     
         2 . The ophthalmic lens of  claim 1 , wherein,
 the scaffold comprises a scaffold material characterized by a scaffold modulus; the peripheral portion comprises a peripheral material characterized by a peripheral modulus; and   the scaffold modulus is greater than the peripheral modulus.   
     
     
         3 . The ophthalmic lens of  claim 2 , wherein the scaffold modulus ranges from 300 MPa to 3000 MPa. 
     
     
         4 . The ophthalmic lens of  claim 1 , wherein the scaffold is characterized by a substantially uniform thickness. 
     
     
         5 . The ophthalmic lens of  claim 4 , wherein the substantially uniform thickness ranges from 50 μm to 500 μm. 
     
     
         6 . The ophthalmic lens of  claim 1 , wherein the scaffold comprises one or more openings. 
     
     
         7 . The ophthalmic lens of  claim 1 , wherein,
 the center portion is characterized by a center volume; and   the one are more openings comprise from 20 vol % to 80 vol % of the center volume.   
     
     
         8 . The ophthalmic lens of  claim 1 , comprising a filler material filling the one or more openings in the scaffold. 
     
     
         9 . The ophthalmic lens of  claim 1 , wherein the center portion is disposed between an anterior portion and a posterior portion. 
     
     
         10 . The ophthalmic lens of  claim 9 , wherein,
 the anterior portion comprises an anterior material characterized by an anterior modulus;   the posterior portion comprises a posterior material characterized by a posterior modulus;   the scaffold comprises a scaffold material characterized by a scaffold modulus;   the filler material is characterized by a filler modulus; and   the anterior modulus and the posterior modulus are less than the scaffold modulus.   
     
     
         11 . The ophthalmic lens of  claim 10 , wherein each of the anterior material, the posterior material, the filler material, and the peripheral material is the same material. 
     
     
         12 . The ophthalmic lens of  claim 10 , wherein each of the anterior material, the posterior material, the filler material, and the peripheral material comprise a hydrogel. 
     
     
         13 . The ophthalmic lens of  claim 10 , wherein each of the anterior material, the scaffold material, the filler material, and the posterior material are characterized by substantially the same refractive index within +/−0.02. 
     
     
         14 . The ophthalmic lens of  claim 1 , wherein the inner optic portion is characterized by a maximum thickness from 50 μm to 500 μm. 
     
     
         15 . The ophthalmic lens of  claim 1 , wherein the inner optic portion is characterized by a rigidity from 1E9 MPa-μm to 1E11 MPa-μm. 
     
     
         16 . The ophthalmic lens of  claim 1 , wherein the inner optic portion is configured to maintain one or more lenticular volumes between a posterior surface of the inner optic portion and the optical region of the cornea. 
     
     
         17 . The ophthalmic lens of  claim 1 , wherein the inner optic portion is characterized by an oxygen transmissibility of at least 80 D k/t. 
     
     
         18 . The ophthalmic lens of  claim 1 , wherein the inner optic portion comprises an anterior surface and a posterior surface wherein each of the anterior surface and the posterior surface is characterized by a spherical profile. 
     
     
         19 . The ophthalmic lens of  claim 1 , wherein, the cornea is comprises an optical axis; and
 the ophthalmic lens is configured to correct refractive error independent of radial orientation with respect to the optical axis.   
     
     
         20 . The ophthalmic lens of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of fenestrations, wherein the plurality of fenestrations is disposed within the inner optic portion, within the peripheral portion, or within both the inner optic portion and the peripheral portion. 
     
     
         21 . The ophthalmic lens of  claim 1 , wherein, the refractive error of the eye comprises astigmatism; and
 each of the anterior surface of the inner optic portion and the posterior surface of the inner optic portion is radially symmetric.   
     
     
         22 . A method for correcting a refractive error of an eye, the eye having a cornea with a refractive shape extending across an optical region of the cornea, the method comprising:
 positioning an ophthalmic lens on the cornea so that an inner optic portion of the ophthalmic lens is disposed over the optical region of the cornea, wherein the ophthalmic lens comprises:   an inner optic portion configured to be disposed over the optical region of the cornea and comprising a center portion configured so that a posterior surface of the inner optic portion has a shape diverging from the refractive shape of the cornea, wherein the center portion comprises a scaffold; and   a peripheral portion disposed radially outward of the inner optic portion.