Method of producing intraocular lenses in vivo
View Patent ↗Methods of producing an intraocular lens in vivo comprise preparing a composition of discrete water soluble macromolecular particles, mixing the composition with a water soluble photoinitiator and forming an opthalmically acceptable aqueous solution having a refractive index of at least 1.39, injecting the resulting aqueous solution into the capsular bag of an eye, and initiating crosslinking between the macromolecular particles by irradiation of a wavelength in the range of about 380 to 700 nm to create a lens in the capsular bag.
1. A method of producing an intraocular lens in vivo, comprising the steps of:
(i) preparing a composition of discrete water soluble macromolecular particles;
(ii) mixing said composition with a water soluble photoinitiator and forming an ophthalmically acceptable aqueous solution having a refractive index of at least 1.39;
(iii) injecting the resultant aqueous solution into the capsular bag of the eye; and
(iv) initiating crosslinking between said macromolecular particles by irradiation with light of a wavelength in the range of about 380 to 700 nm to create a lens in the capsular bag.
2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the macromolecular particles comprise units of at least one hydrophilic group and at least one group giving a high refractive index.
3. A method according to claim 2 , wherein said hydrophilic group is a vinyl lactam or an acrylamide.
4. A method according to claim 3 , wherein said vinyl lactam is N-vinylpyrrolidone.
5. A method according to claim 2 , wherein said hydrophilic group is N,N-dimethylacrylamide.
6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the macromolecular particles comprise a crosslinking agent.
7. A method according to claim 2 , wherein the macromolecular particles further comprise units having functional groups suitable for crosslinking the particles into a solid elastically deformable lens, said groups being selected from vinylic, acrylic and methacrylic groups.
8. A method according to claim 7 , wherein said units are vinyl alcohol units formed by ester-exchange of vinyl acetate units.
9. A method according to claim 7 , wherein said functional groups are introduced by attachment to vinylic units of the macromolecular particles.
10. A method according to claim 9 , wherein said vinylic units have groups for attaching the functional groups for crosslinking selected among hydroxy groups, epoxy groups, carboxylic anhydride groups, lactone groups and isocyanate groups.
11. A method according to claim 9 , wherein said vinylic units are selected from a group consisting of 2-hydroxyethylacrylate, 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate, 2-aminohydroxyethylacrylate, 2-aminoethylacrylate, 2-aminoethylmethacrylate, glycidylacrylate and glycidylmethacrylate units.
12. A method according to claim 2 , wherein the macromolecular particles comprise:
a) vinyl lactam units and/or acrylamide units
b) vinylic units comprising functional groups selected among vinyl, acrylate and methacrylate groups; and
c) a crosslinking agent.
13. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the water soluble photoinitiator comprises photoactive groups attached to linear polymers.
14. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the water soluble photoinitiator comprises photoactive groups attached to macromolecular particles.
15. A method according claim 13 , wherein the photoactive group is selected from acyl- and/or aroyl-phosphine oxides.
16. A method according to claim 14 , wherein the photoactive group comprises an aroyl group selected from a group consisting of 4-carbonylphenylene, 3,5-dimethoxy-4-carbonylphenylene, 3,5-dimethylol-4-carbonylphenylene and 3,5-dimethyl-4-carbonylphenylene.
17. A method according to claim 16 , wherein the photoactive group is a 4-vinylbenzoyldiphenylphosphine oxide.
18. A method according to claim 13 , wherein the photoinitiator when irradiated by light acts as a crosslinker for the crosslinkable macromolecular particles.
19. A method according to claim 13 , wherein the photoinitiator residues subsequent to crosslinking form an integral part of the network constituting the intraocular lens material.
20. A method of producing an intraocular lens including:
(i) introducing a solution into a lens forming enclosure, said solution comprising discrete crosslinkable units of a size small enough to provide an optically clear solution while contributing to a high refractive index of at least 1.39;
(ii) performing crosslinking between said units of the solution; and thereby
(iii) forming a solid lens in said enclosure, optionally under a forming pressure, wherein the solution has a sufficiently low viscosity to be injected with a conventional cannula into the forming enclosure and wherein the forming enclosure is the capsular bag of the eye where the natural lens has been removed with a surgical process.
21. A method according to claim 20 , wherein the formed lens is an elastically deformable lens with a modulus in the range of about 0.1 to 20 kPa.
22. A method according to claim 21 , wherein the resulting lens formed in the capsular bag has the optical and mechanical characteristics necessary for restoration of accommodation.