Tunable Fluidic Lenses with High Dioptric Power for Impaired Vision

TL;DR

This paper presents a fluidic lens made of elastic PDMS capable of high dioptric power, tunable focus, and lightweight design, aimed at improving adaptive eyewear for individuals with impaired vision.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel high-dioptric fluidic lens with tunable focus and shape, suitable for adaptive eyewear, combining experimental and theoretical insights.

Findings

Achieved magnification range of +25 to +100 Diopters

Lens weight is less than 2 grams

Optical aberrations are on the order of the wavelength

Abstract

We report experimental and theoretical results on the production of macroscopic fluidic lenses with high dioptric power, tunable focal distance and aperture shape, for applications in adaptive eyewear for the sub-normal vision segment. The lense is 17 mm wide and is made of an elastic PDMS polymer, which can adaptively restore accommodation distance within several centimeters according to the fluidic volume mechanically pumped in. Moreover, the lens can provide for magnification in the range of +25 Diopter to +100 Diopter with optical aberrations on the order of the wave-length, and overall lens weight of less than 2 $g$. We argue that these features make the proposed lenses appropriate for the impaired vision segment.