Intraocular lens structure

Claim 1

An intraocular artificial lens assembly for surgical implantation in the posterior chamber of a human eye the iris and pupillary opening of which are coaxially symmetrical about the anterior-posterior axis of the eye, comprising: (a) a lens member having a posterior surface including a posterior pole, an interior surface including an anterior pole, an equatorial surface disposed between said posterior and anterior surfaces, said posterior and anterior surfaces being substantially symmetrical with respect to an optical axis including said posterior and anterior poles, a generally centrally disposed optically active portion of predetermined minimum transverse dimension correlated to the pupillary opening, and an annular peripheral portion circumscribing said optically active portion; (b) at least five separate support means separately mounted on said lens member and projecting radially outwardly past said equatorial surface so as to leave substantial portions of said equatorial surface unobstructed; (c) at least four of said five separate support means comprising generally U-shaped support loops, each support loop including a pair of spaced legs merging smoothly at one end into an integral curved portion common to both legs of the pair of spaced legs, said integral curved portion lying radially outwardly spaced from said equatorial surface, said spaced legs at their opposite ends being fixed to said lens member in circumferentially spaced relationship; at least two of said separate support means being mounted on said lens member in a plane perpendicular to said optical axis and arranged to engage selected posterior surfaces of the iris and the remainder of said separate support means being mounted on the anterior surface of said lens member and converging toward said plane to engage selected anterior surfaces of the iris; said separate support means mounted on the anterior surface of said lens member each having at least one integral support portion embedded in said lens member and extending from the anterior surface in the direction parallel to said optical axis so that said anterior separate support means are spaced from the anterior surface of said lens member, whereby said lens member is adapted to be suspended on the iris with said annular peripheral portion of said lens member and said posterior support means engaging the posterior surface of the iris, with said anterior support means engaging the anterior surface of the iris, and with the integral support portions of said anterior support means adapted to engage the peripheral surface of the pupillary opening in the iris so that the optical axis of the lens member coincides with the anterior-posterior axis of the eye.