title: Switchable electro-optic diffractive lens with high efficiency for ophthalmic applications.
abstract: Presbyopia is an age-related loss of accommodation of the human eye that manifests itself as inability to shift focus from distant to near objects. Assuming no refractive error, presbyopes have clear vision of distant objects; they require reading glasses for viewing near objects. Area-divided bifocal lenses are one example of a treatment for this problem. However, the field of view is limited in such eyeglasses, requiring the user to gaze down to accomplish near-vision tasks and in some cases causing dizziness and discomfort. Here, we report on previously undescribed switchable, flat, liquid-crystal diffractive lenses that can adaptively change their focusing power. The operation of these spectacle lenses is based on electrical control of the refractive index of a 5-mum-thick layer of nematic liquid crystal using a circular array of photolithographically defined transparent electrodes. It operates with high transmission, low voltage (<2 Vrms), fast response (<1 sec), diffraction efficiency > 90%, small aberrations, and a power-failure-safe configuration. These results represent significant advance in state-of-the-art liquid-crystal diffractive lenses for vision care and other applications. They have the potential of revolutionizing the field of presbyopia correction when combined with automatic adjustable focusing power.
authors.affiliation: College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA. gli@optics.arizona.edu
authors.forename: Guoqiang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Mathine
authors.forename: Pouria
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Valley
authors.forename: Pekka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ayräs
authors.forename: Joshua N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Haddock
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Giridhar
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Williby
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schwiegerling
authors.forename: Gerald R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Meredith
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kippelen
authors.forename: Seppo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Honkanen
authors.forename: Nasser
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Peyghambarian
mesh_terms: D000065:Accommodation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D004560:Electricity; D005139:Eyeglasses; D006801:Humans; D007909:Lenses; D050866:Liquid Crystals; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D011305:Presbyopia / Q000628:therapy*; D012030:Refractive Errors / Q000628:therapy*