Current State of the Art and Next Generation of Materials for a Customized IntraOcular Lens according to a Patient-Specific Eye Power

Abstract

Intraocular lenses (IOLs) are commonly implanted after surgical removal of a cataractous lens. A variety of IOL materials are currently available, including collamer, hydrophobic acrylic, hydrophilic acrylic, PHEMA copolymer, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), and silicone. High-quality polymers with distinct physical and optical properties for IOL manufacturing and in line with the highest quality standards on the market have evolved to encompass medical needs. Each of them and their packaging show unique advantages and disadvantages. Here, we highlight the evolution of polymeric materials and mainly the current state of the art of the unique properties of some polymeric systems used for IOL design, identifying current limitations for future improvements. We investigate the characteristics of the next generation of IOL materials, which must satisfy biocompatibility requirements and have tuneable refractive index to create patient-specific eye power, preventing formation of posterior capsular opacification.

Self-healing amino acid-bearing acrylamides/n-butyl acrylate copolymers via multiple noncovalent bonds

“…These values are comparable to those of poly(methyl methacrylate) (refractive index = 1.49 and Abbe number = 58), 78 and silicon and acrylic intraocular lenses (refractive index = 1.41–1.55 and Abbe number = 37–58). 79 These results implied that the AGluOH having hydrogen bonding ability can efficiently enhance the refractive index, while maintaining good transparency.…”

Lens epithelial cell response to polymer stiffness and polymer chemistry

“…As presented in Figure 3, the copolymer of TRIS:HEMA at 1:1 molar ratio (T:H 1:1) had a significantly higher stiffness ( p < 0.01) than other polymer samples (~55,000 MPa). Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) control, which is a prevalent polymer in IOLs, 30 had a stiffness of 8000 MPa, which was significantly ( p < 0.01) lower than T:H 1:1. pHEMA had a stiffness approximately half that of PMMA (~4500 MPa). Crosslinking of pTRIS increased its modulus significantly ( p < 0.01) from 9.4 MPa (pTRIS) to 80 MPa by crosslinking with 4% DIMER (TD 4%).…”

Hydrogels in Ophthalmology: Novel Strategies for Overcoming Therapeutic Challenges

“…Incorporating hydrogels into acrylic intraocular lenses (IOLs) has shown promise in reducing the incidence of posterior capsular opacification (PCO), a common complication following cataract surgery [ 157 ]. PCO is caused by the adhesion and proliferation of residual lens epithelial cells, and surface modification is a key approach to mitigating this issue.…”

“…PCO is caused by the adhesion and proliferation of residual lens epithelial cells, and surface modification is a key approach to mitigating this issue. Specifically, hydrogels like poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) have been effective in minimizing protein deposition and cell adhesion on the IOL surface [ 157 ]. A study by Lin et al further substantiated the benefits of hydrogels by showing that PEG, a semi-IPN hydrogel brush coating, can enhance the biocompatibility of IOLs when applied through surface-initiated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (SI-RAFT) polymerization, ultimately reducing the occurrence of PCO in vivo [ 158 ].…”