Patent ID: 7976577

Claim:
An implantable mask, comprising: a central optical axis; an anterior surface extending between an outer periphery and an inner periphery of the mask, the anterior surface configured to reside adjacent a first layer of the stroma of a cornea; a posterior surface extending between the outer periphery and the inner periphery of the mask, the posterior surface configured to reside adjacent a second layer of the stroma of the cornea; a mask thickness between the anterior and posterior surfaces of less than about 20 microns; a substantially opaque annular portion extending between the anterior and posterior surfaces and from the inner periphery toward the outer periphery, the opaque portion configured to substantially prevent transmission of light; an aperture disposed about the central optical axis and configured to transmit substantially all light directed toward the aperture, the aperture having a dimension generally transverse to the optical axis of about 2.2 millimeters or less, wherein the aperture is surrounded by an inner peripheral region, a hole region, and an outer peripheral region wherein the inner peripheral region is generally concentric with and located between the aperture and the hole region, and the hole region extends from the inner peripheral region to the outer peripheral region; and a plurality of transport holes having a hole entrance at the anterior surface and extending from the anterior surface to the posterior surface, the hole entrances configured such that sufficient transport of tissue maintaining substances through the mask between the first and second stromal layers is adapted to prevent depletion of tissue maintaining substances that would harm adjacent stromal layers; wherein substantially all of the holes are located in the hole region and the holes are positioned at irregular locations to minimize the generation of visible artifacts due to the transmission of light through the holes, the inner peripheral region and the outer peripheral region are substantially free of holes, and the implantable mask is formed from a material comprising a highly fluorinated polymeric material in which the number of carbon-fluorine bonds equals or exceeds the number of carbon-hydrogen bonds in the highly fluorinated polymeric material.