Optical-quality assessment of a miniaturized intraocular telescope

Purpose Evaluating the optical transmission and geometrical aberrations of an intraocular device, namely, the Small-Incision New Generation Implantable Miniature Telescope (SING IMT™, Samsara Vision), designed to correct age-related macular degeneration. Methods Optical transmission in the spectral range 350-750 nm of the implantable optics was recorded with a fiber-optic spectrometer. Geometrical aberrations were studied by measuring the wavefront of a laser beam after passing through the implantable optics and performing an expansion of the measured wavefront into a Zernike polynomial basis. The study was conducted under in-vitro experimental conditions. A second monofocal intraocular lens (SY60WF, Alcon) was tested and used as reference for assessing the optical quality of the SING IMT™ device. Results Spectroscopy measurements revealed that the SING IMT™ and monofocal IOL element feature UV-rejection and blue-rejection capabilities, respectively. Wavefront concavity indicated that the SING IMT™ behaves as a diverging lens with a focal length of approximately -100 mm; Zernike analysis showed that SING IMT™ has negligible coma, trefoil, astigmatism, and spherical aberrations of any order and along any direction. Conclusions The SING IMT™ exhibited even optical transmission in the whole visible spectrum and curvature capable of magnifying the retinal images without introducing geometrical aberrations, which proves the feasibility of this device as high-quality optical element for imaging. The rigidity of the compound lens of the SING IMT™ prevents mechanically-induced distortions, an issue encountered with polymeric lenses. Translational Relevance Spectrometry and in vitro wavefront analysis provide evidence supporting the new generation miniaturized telescopic intraocular lens as a favorable option to intraocular implant in age-related macular degeneration.