Department of Ophthalmology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210006, China.
Department of Ophthalmology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210006, China.
Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2019 Apr;42(2):165-169. doi: 10.1016/j.clae.2018.10.003. Epub 2018 Oct 15.
To introduce a new approach to simulatethe fitting process of rigid gas-permeable (RGP) contact lenses using 3D printing technology.
A hemispherical or parabolic 3D model was created using 3D Builder or Tinkercad software. The horizontal and vertical diameters and the hemispherical or ellipsoid height were adjusted to simulate different morphologies of the corneal anterior surface. After exporting the file in stereo lithography (STL) format, a solid model was printed using a 3D printer and was used to simulate RGP contact lens fitting.
Limited by the precision of the entry-level 3D printer which was used in this study, the print-outs of the corneal models were crude, but the models were tested for their ability to simulate common corneal morphologies with no corneal astigmatism and different axial corneal astigmatism. Compared with some built-in simulation programs for corneal topography, the solid models generated by 3D printing could well simulate the positioning of the lens under the influence of gravity and the eyelid, as well as lens eccentricity or the bubbles under lenses caused by an improper wearing method.
3D printing technology can be well applied in the simulation of RGP contact lens fitting, which may become a new teaching method in optometry.
介绍一种使用 3D 打印技术模拟硬性透气性角膜接触镜（RGP）适配过程的新方法。
使用 3D Builder 或 Tinkercad 软件创建半球形或抛物线形 3D 模型。调整水平和垂直直径以及半球形或椭圆形高度，以模拟不同的角膜前表面形态。将文件以立体光刻（STL）格式导出后，使用 3D 打印机打印出实体模型，用于模拟 RGP 接触镜适配。
受本研究中使用的入门级 3D 打印机精度的限制，角膜模型的打印件比较粗糙，但对其模拟无角膜散光和不同轴向角膜散光的常见角膜形态的能力进行了测试。与一些内置的角膜地形图模拟程序相比，3D 打印生成的实体模型可以很好地模拟在重力和眼睑的影响下镜片的定位，以及由于佩戴方法不当导致的镜片偏心或镜片下气泡。
3D 打印技术可很好地应用于 RGP 接触镜适配的模拟，这可能成为视光学领域的一种新的教学方法。
