Patent ID: 7198640

Claim:
An accommodating intraocular lens, comprising: an anterior portion having an anterior viewing element comprising an optic having refractive power, said optic having a refractive zone configured to refract light that is received by a retina of a patient; a posterior portion having a posterior viewing element, said viewing elements positioned to move relative to each other along an optical axis of said lens in response to action of the ciliary muscle of the eye, said anterior and posterior portions meeting at first and second apices of said lens, said apices located on a transverse axis of said lens; at least one of the anterior and posterior portions having at least one separation member with a contact surface, said at least one separation member configured to prevent contact between said anterior viewing element and said posterior viewing element by inhibiting relative movement of said anterior and posterior portions toward each other beyond a minimum separation distance; wherein said at least one separation member is located significantly closer to said anterior viewing element or said posterior viewing element than to either of said apices; wherein said at least one separation member defines a cross-sectional area in a plane orthogonal to said optical axis; wherein said contact surface contacts an opposing surface of said intraocular lens over a contact area when said portions are at said minimum separation distance, said contact area being smaller than said cross-sectional area; wherein the entirety of said separation member is located outside a projection of a periphery of said refractive zone along a direction parallel to said optical axis; wherein said separation member is out of contact with one of said anterior portion and said posterior portion when said viewing elements are separated by a distance greater than said minimum separation distance.