Optics.org
ECOPTIK
ECOPTIK
daily coverage of the optics & photonics industry and the markets that it serves
Featured Showcases
Photonics West Showcase
Optics+Photonics Showcase
News
Menu
Applications

Fraunhofer IMWS microlenses help slow development of myopia

05 Feb 2025

Laser swelling technique modifies surface of eyeglass lenses to create surface structures at low cost.

A project at Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems (Fraunhofer IMWS) has developed a new technique to modify the surfaces of eyeglass lenses as a treatment for short-sightedness, or myopia.

The method could be particularly valuable for the treatment of children who are starting to develop the condition, and as a route to reducing the overall healthcare burden of myopia and associated possible consequences such as cataracts or macular degeneration across young sufferers and adults.

Researchers have known for some time that alterations to the surfaces of contact lenses or glasses worn by children can have an effect on the growth and development of their eyes, with the creation of microstructures being one such approach.

Although the specifics can vary, the principle often involves creating a central zone of unaltered single-power lens surrounded by zones of "myopic defocus" altering the way that incoming light ultimately arrives at the child's retina.

Trials have shown that defocusing some of the light and reducing the peripheral contrast at the retina will benefit the physical development of the eyeball, and encourage the correct elongation to form as the child grows.

The Fraunhofer team has now devised a new method of producing microlenses individually on the surface of plastic spectacle lenses at lower cost than the injection molding techniques commonly used, through a process based on laser swelling.

Eyewear tailored to individual needs

The project employed a focused infrared laser acting on the surface of plastic lenses to generate local heating. Water molecules inside the polymer material become heated and create internal pressure that can only discharge upward, and the end result is a small bump on the surface, a microlens or lenslet that remains in place after the laser moves on.

"The laser beam can be positioned with great accuracy on surfaces, so we can produce significantly smaller microlenses than is possible with previously existing methods," commented Thomas Höche head of the Optical Materials and Technologies business unit at Fraunhofer IMWS.

"That means the microlenses can be arranged with great flexibility on eyeglasses, so they can be modified to suit a wide range of use cases."

The laser swelling approach could also be applied to other end uses, such as creating microlenses on intraocular lenses, improving the adhesive properties of polymer surfaces, or for design of compact microscopes. Ophthalmology is the project's current target, however.

"Laser swelling gives us a lot of flexibility in terms of the size and shape of the microlenses," said Höche. "From spherical to aspheric and even cylindrical lenses, anything is possible. Corrective eyewear that can be tailored individually to the needs of certain occupational groups is our vision."

CHROMA TECHNOLOGY CORP.Omicron-Laserage Laserprodukte GmbHLaCroix Precision OpticsECOPTIKIridian Spectral TechnologiesHamamatsu Photonics Europe GmbHMad City Labs, Inc.
© 2025 SPIE Europe
Top of Page