Biomedical applications of tunable liquid lenses

Abstract

Liquid lens technology is a rapidly progressing field driven by the promise of low cost fabrication, faster response, fewer mechanical elements, versatility and ease of customization for different applications. Here we present the use of liquid lenses for biomedical optics and medical imaging. I will specifically focus on our approaches towards the development of three ex-vivo and in-vivo liquid-lens optical systems — laparoscopic cameras, 3D microscopy and accommodative contact lenses for presbyopic correction. We have previously shown how this liquid lens technology can be leveraged to design compact cube-microcameras for laparoscopic imaging. We demonstrated a 188 percent increase in the field of view (130 degrees) compared to traditional laparoscopes by using a panoramic, laparoscopic imaging tool comprising of an array of these microcameras. The fundamental remote focusing mechanism of the liquid lens can also be used to replace the mechanical axial tuning stage of a conventional wide-field microscope. This talk will review the feasibility of exploiting the benefits of tunable-focus liquid lenses to enhance 3D optical microscopy. Another exciting avenue I will explore is the possible use of tunable liquid lens technology to correct presbyopia. Our strategy aims at correcting this eye defect by developing a new type of contact lens called an accommodative contact lens (ACL) that incorporates a tunable liquid lens for accommodation.