Patent ID: 8579971

Claim:
An inflatable intra ocular lens/lens retainer for implantation into the intra-capsular space of the lens capsule of an aphakic eye, said lens capsule having a posterior lens capsule and an anterior lens capsule, said inflatable intra ocular lens/lens retainer comprising: i) an anterior annular expandable intra ocular retainer of deformable material for implantation directly behind the anterior lens capsule, said anterior intra ocular retainer having an anterior surface, a posterior surface, a central space, and a transparent lens support element in the shape of a diaphragm that stretches across the anterior surface of the anterior inflatable intra ocular retainer, said anterior intra ocular retainer sized when expanded to bear directly or indirectly against the inner surface of said anterior lens capsule; ii) a posterior annular expandable intra ocular retainer of deformable material for implantation directly in front of the posterior lens capsule, said posterior intra ocular retainer having an anterior surface, a posterior surface, a central space, and a transparent lens support element in the shape of a diaphragm that stretches across the anterior surface of the posterior inflatable intra ocular retainer for engaging the posterior surface of an optical element, said posterior intra ocular retainer sized when expanded to bear directly or indirectly against the inner surface of said posterior lens capsule; iii) a resilient optical element arranged in said central space of said anterior intra ocular retainer and configured along the visual axis of the eye to provide accommodation in combination with said intra ocular retainers in response to changes of ciliary muscle tone, said resilient optical element comprising an inflatable body of elastically deformable material forming a hollow interior chamber, and having an anterior surface and a posterior surface and a central transparent optical zone, and means for inflating said inflatable body with a transparent optical fluid; and iv) means for expanding each of said anterior and posterior annular expandable intra ocular retainers with a fluid, wherein said means for expanding comprises a filling port communicating with a hollow interior chamber within each of said expandable intra ocular retainers; wherein when said posterior annular expandable intra ocular retainer is implanted and expanded its posterior surface bears directly or indirectly against the posterior lens capsule of said lens capsule thereby applying pressure against said posterior lens capsule of said lens capsule.