Bailey, J, Morgan, PB, Gleeson, HF et al. (1 more author) (2018) Switchable Liquid crystal contact lenses for the correction of presbyopia. Crystals, 8 (1). 29. ISSN 2073-4352
Abstract
Presbyopia is an age-related disorder where the lens of the eye hardens so that focusing on near objects becomes increasingly difficult. This complaint affects everyone over the age of 50. It is becoming progressively more relevant, as the average age of the global population continues to rise. Bifocal or varifocal spectacles are currently the best solution for those that require near and far vision correction. However, many people prefer not to wear spectacles and while multifocal contact lenses are available, they are not widely prescribed and can require significant adaptation by wearers. One possible solution is to use liquid crystal contact lenses that can change focal power by applying a small electric field across the device. However, the design of these contact lenses must be carefully considered as they must be comfortable for the user to wear and able to provide the required change in focal power (usually about +2D). Progress towards different lens designs, which includes lens geometry, liquid crystal choices and suitable alignment modes, are reviewed. Furthermore, we also discuss suitable electrode materials, possible power sources and suggest some methods for switching the lenses between near and far vision correction.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
Keywords: | contact lens; switchable lens; liquid crystal; presbyopia; wearables; corrective optics; healthcare |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Physics and Astronomy (Leeds) > Soft Matter Physics (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number EPSRC EP/L015188/2 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 15 Jan 2018 15:48 |
Last Modified: | 15 Jan 2018 15:48 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | MDPI AG |
Identification Number: | 10.3390/cryst8010029 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:126228 |