ABSTRACT
This chapter is inspired by US Patent 6,511,508, Surgical Correction of Human Eye Refractive Errors by Active Composite Artificial Muscle Implants, as well as the pdf version of the patent: USB106511508 (https://www.pat2pdf.org" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">pat2pdf.org).
Surgical correction of refractive errors in the human eye, such as presbyopia, hyperopia, myopia, and stigmatism, involves using transcutaneously inductively energized artificial muscle implants to actively change the axial length and the anterior curvatures of the eye globe. This brings the retina/macula region to coincide with the focal point. The implants use transcutaneously inductively energized scleral constrictor bands equipped with composite artificial muscle structures. The implants can induce enough accommodation of a few diopters, to correct presbyopia, hyperopia, and myopia on demand. In the preferred embodiment, the implant comprises an active smart band to encircle the sclera, preferably implanted under the conjunctiva and under the extraocular muscles to uniformly constrict the eye globe, similar to a scleral buckle band for surgical 56correction of retinal detachment, to induce active temporary myopia (hyperopia) by increasing (decreasing) the active length of the globe. In another embodiment, multiple and specially designed constrictor bands can be used to enable surgeons to correct stigmatism. The composite artificial muscles are either resilient composite-shaped memory alloy-silicone rubber implants in the form of endless active scleral bands, electroactive ionic polymeric artificial muscle structures, electrochemically contractile endless bands of ionic polymers such as polyacrylonitrile (PAN), thermally contractile liquid crystal elastomer artificial muscle structures, magnetically deployable structures or solenoids or other deployable structures equipped with smart materials such as piezocerams, piezopolymers, electroactive and eletrostrictive polymers, magnetostrictive materials, and electro- or magnetorheological materials.
