An optical device comprising an optical hydrogel with select regions that have been irradiated with laser light having a pulse energy from 0.01 nJ to 50 nJ and a wavelength from 600 nm to 900 nm. The irradiated regions are characterized by a positive change in refractive index of from 0.01 to 0.06, and exhibit little or no scattering loss. The optical hydrogel is prepared with a hydrophilic monomer.

A method for adjusting a light adjustable lens in an optical system includes providing a light adjustable lens in an optical system; providing an ultraviolet light source to generate an ultraviolet light; and irradiating the generated ultraviolet light with a light delivery system onto the light adjustable lens with a center wavelength and with a spatial irradiance profile to change a dioptric power of the light adjustable lens by changing a refraction of the light adjustable lens in a refraction-change zone, thereby causing a wavefront sag, defined as half of a product of the change of the dioptric power and the square of a radius of the refraction-change zone, to be within 28% of its maximum over an ultraviolet spectrum.

A method for forming optical elements at a surface of an ophthalmic lens including a lens material includes providing a laser interaction layer at a surface of the ophthalmic lens, the laser interaction layer including a first material having a first absorption of radiation at a first wavelength, ?.sub.1, the lens material having a second absorption of radiation at ?.sub.1, the second absorption being lower than the first absorption, exposing discrete areas of the laser interaction layer to laser radiation at ?.sub.1 sufficient to form an optical element at each discrete area in the lens material.

Systems and methods are provided for forming an optical element within a transparent material using an irradiating optical beam, where the irradiating optical beam is employed to induce internal refractive index changes in the transparent substrate. Optical elements such as bulk and gradient index lenses may be formed in the transparent structure according various embodiments of the disclosure. An optical element may be formed by selecting a refractive index profile for the optical element, determining a corresponding suitable spatially dependent irradiation intensity profile for producing the selected refractive index profile, focusing an irradiating optical beam within the transparent structure, and controlling an intensity and position of the focused irradiating optical beam within the transparent structure according to the spatially dependent irradiation intensity profile.

The present invention is directed to adjustable chromophore compounds and materials (e.g., ophthalmic lens materials) incorporating those compounds. The adjustable chromophore compounds include a chemical moiety that structurally changes upon exposure to predetermined electromagnetic radiation (e.g., two photon radiation) as well as lens materials, particularly intraocular lens materials that incorporate those compounds.

Methods and systems wherein laser induced refractive index changes by focused femtosecond laser pulses in optical polymeric materials or optical tissues is performed to address various types of vision correction.

A method for adjusting a light adjustable lens in an optical system includes providing a light adjustable lens in an optical system; providing an ultraviolet light source to generate an ultraviolet light; and irradiating the generated ultraviolet light with a light delivery system onto the light adjustable lens with a center wavelength and with a spatial irradiance profile to change a dioptric power of the light adjustable lens by changing a refraction of the light adjustable lens in a refraction-change zone, thereby causing a wavefront sag, defined as half of a product of the change of the dioptric power and the square of a radius of the refraction-change zone, to be within 28% of its maximum over an ultraviolet spectrum.

Methods and systems wherein laser induced refractive index changes by focused femtosecond laser pulses in optical polymeric materials or optical tissues is performed to address various types of vision correction.

A method for modifying the refractive index of an optical polymeric material. The method comprises continuously irradiating predetermined regions of an optical, polymeric material with femtosecond laser pulses to form a gradient index refractive structure within the material. The optical polymeric material can include a photosensitizer to increase the photoefficiency of the two-photo process resulting in the formation of the observed refractive structures. An optical device includes an optical, polymeric lens material having an anterior surface and posterior surface and an optical axis intersecting the surfaces and at least one laser-modified, GRIN layer disposed between the anterior surface and the posterior surface and arranged along a first axis 45? to 90? to the optical axis. The at least one laser-modified GRIN layer comprises a plurality of adjacent refractive segments characterized by a variation in index of refraction across at least one of at least a portion of the adjacent segments and along each segment.

A system/method allowing personalized ex vivo customization of a generic ophthalmic lens blank (OLB) or ophthalmic lens with known diopter (OKD) based on localized field-measured patient characteristics is disclosed. The OLB is composed of a clear material that contains an ultraviolet (UV) absorbing compound. The refractive index of a portion of the clear material may be customized by spatial modification (CSM) of its refractive index via the use of pulsed laser radiation (PLR). The customization of clear material (i) creates a lens which cannot be created otherwise, or (ii) eliminates the need for remote laboratory fabrication of a customized intraocular lens (IOL) for the patient. The OLB is retained within a secured lens container (SLC) providing for precise physical orientation of the OLB haptics and OLB lens structure with respect to the application of PLR to the OLB. The SLC contains a lens filler material (LFM) covering the OLB and is hermetically sealed after the OLB has been positioned within the SLC interior and prior to sterilization of the SLC+OLB combination.