Abstract: A process for making a corneal inlay and implanting the inlay in the human eye, the latter comprising the steps of preparing a lens blank; shaping the blank by laser milling or the like; preparing a recess in the cornea of the patient, the recess being adapted to receiving the shaped inlay whereby the exterior surface of the inlay lies flush with the Bowman's layer; and bonding the inlay to the recess by suturing, laser welding, gluing or other appropriate means.

Abstract: There has been provided a variable lens. In one form the lens power may be varied and in another the power may be selectively fixed in a carrier material. There are no moving mechanical parts but instead an optically active molecular material such as liquid crystals. In one embodiment, the lens and control means for varying the power of the lens are mounted on a common substrate. The lens may be a single optical element or a multi-element device such as a Fresnel lens. A variable gradient index of refraction is achievable by applying a controlled stimulus field to the lens. For example, a geometrically configured matrix of electrical voltages, each at a selected addressable location relative to the optically active material, provides the gradient in one embodiment. A thin film embodiment finds applications in magnifying glasses, cameras, telescopes, microscopes, as well as for intraocular and contact lenses for the human eye.