Technical Note

Deformable spectacle lenses

E. S. Pateras\ C. W. Fowler', A. B. Chandrinos'

^Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics Research Group. Vision Sciences Department, Aston
University, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK: and -Department of Optics, Technological Educational
Institution of Athens, GR 122 10 Egaleo, Athens, Greece

(Received 5 May 1992. in revised form 18 September 1992)

Although there are many designs of progressive power mullilbcal lenses commercially available, they all
follow the same basic design concept, with the lens power varying across their aperture as a result of tising
one aspheric lens surface. An alternative approach was tried on an experimental basis, where the variation
in power is produced by a liquid-filled deformable lens.

Ophthalmic multifoeal spectacle lens systems used for
the correction of presbyopia can be divided into two
groups: progressive addition lenses and variable focus
lens systems. One of the variable focus lens systems is
known as the deformable lens, in which the lens surfaces
arc deformed by application of pressure so that a
variable focal length can be achieved. Consquently. the
lens system presents a power ehange which is adjustable
over the whole effective aperture of the lens''.
Historically, a number of deformable lens designs
have been proposed, all having the common feature of
a flexible walled chamber eontaining a transparent
liquid. Either one or both of the walls can be made
In the UK two designs were produced in the early
nineteen seventies. Wright" designed a lens (Figure I)
where the power change occurred in a small lenticular
aperture. This lens used a glass deformable wall on the
rear surface, the fluid being a saturated aqueous solution
of calcium bromide and glycerol. The power change
was limited to l.OOD. A similar lens from Wylde'-
used CR39 plastic walls, and contained xyline as the
Fluid
i entry
duct

flexible. A system with one fixed wall and one flexible

wall would seem to be the most practical, as any ill
FRONT REAR
astigmatic eorreetioti ean be incorporated into the fixed
wall. Two methods of producing a surface deformation
have been used, these being either an increase in pressure
oi' the liquid, achieved by an external source, or alterna-
tively by direct pressure on the lens wall.
Cusco^ produced in Paris a deformable lens system,
which was intended to be used binoculariy for the study Glass
of accommodation. In the early part of this century, spectacle lens Deformable
Rudin"* and Schaller"^ also described deformable lens wilh distance glass
designs. Mitchell*' described a lens and suggested appli- prescription coverslip
cations both in photography and spectacles. Ritzmann^ (0,15 mm thick)
produced a lens which used crossed cylindrical lens
forms, and was designed to be capable of producing
variable power cylindrical powers, as well as variable
sphere. The design of Graham'* could produce a power
change of between +3,50 and -3.50 D. After the
second world war, good optica! plastic materials became
readily available, Wagner** suggesting the use of Plexi-
glass for the wall of a deformable lens. The design of
Fagioli'" was dilTerent in that it had two flexible walls
separated by an annular T shaped (in cross-section)
spacer, this shape being used as a fulcrum to bend the Polyvinyl butyral
walls outwards. spacer
Figure 1 Schematic cross section (not to scale) of iens produced by
Wright", Practical lenses were de>iigned to be in meniscus form, rather
Correspondence to Dr C, W, Fowler, than the flat form shown here

r 1993 Bultcrworlh-Hcinemann for British College of Optometrists

O275-54O8/93/O!O97 03 Ophthal, Physiol, Opt., 1993, Vol. 13, January 97

Deformable lenses: £, S. Pateras et al.
liquid, although medicinal paraffin was suggested as an
alternative.
Recent designs have concentrated on the use of
mechanically deformed surfaces, for example Quantel"
suggested the use of piezoelectric crystals to deform the
walls, and Barnea''' the use of an inflatable ring.
The problem with most published design studies is
that they have concentrated on the mechanical construc-
tion of the lenses, with very little having been written
about the optical characteristics.
Method
We produced a series of deformable lenses and deter-
mined various optical characteristics. The configuration
is shown in Figure 2. Each lens consisted of two walls
(one or both could be flexible) these being plane surfaces
with no dioptric power. An annular spacer with a
predetermined height and width was interposed between
the two plane surfaces. At the top oi^ the lens-cell, two
small holes were drilled in the spacer, about 10 mm
apart. In one of these, a syringe was cemented, to
provide a leak-free lens-cell.
The plane surfaces were fixed to the annular spacer
using an adhesive. The second hole was left open for the
time being. When the lens-cell was ready and the cement-
ing procedure fmished, a liquid was inserted ino the
lens-cell using the syringe. When the whole cavity was
filled with liquid, the second hole in the annular spacer
was sealed. By injeeting more liquid into the cell with the
syringe, pressure was exerted upon the walls, which
bulged outwards. Although most of the lenses produced
had only one flexible surface, a few lenses were created
with both surfaces flexible, to compare which of the two
configurations would give the better results.
Syringe
Vent
Syringe
port
Len5 wall
Annular spacer
Figure 2 Schematic diagram of deformiiblt; iens cell
98 Ophthal. Physiol Opt., 1993, Vol. 13, January
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Vent
Figure 3 Spectacles constructed from pair of deformable lenses
I
The thickness of the material used for the deformable
surface varied between I and 3 mm. The force exerted
upon the fluid, and consequently upon the flexible wall
of the cell by the syringe was measured in terms of
millilitres of extra fluid pushed into the cavity after the
whole cavity was filled. The diameter of the cavity was
the effective aperture of the lens-cell and varied from 30
to 75 mm.
The lens cells were constructed from 'Perspex" (Poly-
methyl methacrylate, ICI, UK) with refractive index
1.491. The diflerent adhesives were tried for cell assem-
bly. Tensol" cement (dichloromethane mixture, ICI,
UK), was used initially, as this is designed for use with
'Perspex'. However, it proved difficult to produce a leak
proof cell, so we later used "Araldite' (Ciba-Geigy, UK)
epoxy resin cement.
The most satisfactory liquid proved to be glycerol
(product 44045, BDH Chemicals, UK), having a refrac-
tive index of 1,472, very close to the refractive index of
Perspex.
The second part of the experimental work consisted of
constructing a pair of deformable spectacle lenses which
are illustrated in Figure 3. A plastic tube connected the
two chambers, so one pump assembly was used. The
small vent allowed the air in the two chambers to escape.
After filling both cefls, the vent was sealed with adhesive.
Injecting more liquid caused deformation of both lenses.
It should be made clear that only one of the two surfaces
2.Or
1.5
Lens wall
1 .0
0.5 -
Liquid
0.0
-20 -10 0 10 20
Distance across lens (mm)
Figure 4 Focimeier measurements al 5 mm miervals across aperture
of iwo experimental deformable lenses: D . lens A; O. lens B
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Deformahle lenses: E. S. Pateras et al.

Table t Characteristics of experimental lenses A and B Conclusions

Ellective aperture (mm)
Rear surface thickness (mm)
Front surface thickness (mm)
Annular spacer thickness (mm)
Volume displacement (mi)
Maximum mean addilion
Lens A Lens B
The major drawbacks of this type of lens were found to
40 40 be:
4 4
1 2.5 1. The response and recovery times of the liquid used
2 2
1,25 1,00 {glycerol) are very large., due to its high viscosity,
+1,62 + 1.5(1 D taking 15-20 min to reach equilibrium.
2. After several deformations, the flexible wall did not
recover completely, adopting a slightly dilTerent state
to the initial form,
3. After a certain period of use. the cementing of such
lens cells collapsed due to chemical influence of the
fluid on the adhesive substance, this being more
apparent with xyhne.
4. Reprodueibility of such lenses was poor after com-
paring lens cells with identical construction and simi-
lar fluid displacements.

By contrast, the greatest potential advantage is the fact

0 1 2 3
Wall thickness (mm]
Figure 5 E,\ peri mental relationship of maximum mean power
addition and deformable wall thickness
of each deformable lens was flexible; the other surfaee
being a rigid plane wall.
Results
Most of our experimental lenses had only one deform-
able surface to facilitate assessment of the surface defor-
mation. The few lenses made with both surfaces flexible,
gave poor and irregular optical results, so this approach
was abandoned.
The lenses were assessed by measuring the power on
a focimeter at 5 mm intervals across the aperture of the
lens. Figure 4 shows the results of the measurement
of two lenses having the characteristics shown in
Tahle I.
Inspection of the data shows that a small amount of
unwanted astigmatism is present throughout the whole
aperture of lens A. The astigmatism at the periphery of
this lens ranged between 0.25 and 0.50 D. Lens B. with
a thicker deformable wall, showed more astigmatism at
the periphery (1,00 D). as a result of the lens deforming
into an aspheric shape. The maximum change in power
achieved depended on the deformable wall thickness. As
shown in Figure 5 the addition increases as deformable
wall thickness decreases.
that the power change occurs across the whole lens
aperture, unlike progressive addition multifocals. How-
ever, it would appear that there is a long way to go
before such a design can be mass-produced as a practical
ophthalmic lens.
References
1, Bennett, A. G. Variable and progressivi; lenses, Manuf.
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3, Cusco. Dr, Sr.steme di Lentille a Foyer Variable sans Deplace-
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4, Rudm. V. Akkommodiruyuschchic ochki. Vest. Ophth. Kieie 29,
246 250 (1912), (Russian),
5, Schaller. D, G, Vorrichlung zur Schafreinstellung Elaslicher und
Fe.ster Objektive Phoiographischer Kameras mil eines Sueher-
Prismas. Gertnan Patenl No. 252 963. (1913),
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