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The accommodative properties of the natural lens of an eye, which tend to degrade with age, can be enhanced, restored, or otherwise improved using the in situ treatment techniques and methodologies provided here. One exemplary method of enhancing accommodative properties of the natural lens of an ey

The accommodative properties of the natural lens of an eye, which tend to degrade with age, can be enhanced, restored, or otherwise improved using the in situ treatment techniques and methodologies provided here. One exemplary method of enhancing accommodative properties of the natural lens of an eye involves an initial step of specifying treatment areas of the natural lens. These treatment areas correspond to regions of the capsular bag or regions of the crystalline lens. The method continues by increasing stiffness of the treatment areas while all or portions of the natural lens remains in situ. This results in stiffened areas of the natural lens that enhance transfer of ciliary muscle forces to a center region of the crystalline lens.

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1. A method of enhancing accommodative properties of an eye, the eye comprising a capsular bag and a lens inside the capsular bag, the method comprising: identifying treatment areas corresponding to regions of the capsular bag or regions of the lens; andincreasing stiffness of the treatment areas; w

1. A method of enhancing accommodative properties of an eye, the eye comprising a capsular bag and a lens inside the capsular bag, the method comprising: identifying treatment areas corresponding to regions of the capsular bag or regions of the lens; andincreasing stiffness of the treatment areas; wherein the increasing step is selected from the group consisting of: applying a bio-adhesive agent to the treatment areas; introducing a cross-linking agent to the treatment areas; and introducing a stiffening agent to the treatment areas. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein increasing stiffness of the treatment areas results in stiffened areas of the lens that enhance transfer of ciliary muscle forces to a center region of the crystalline lens. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising specifying treatment areas for both the capsular bag and the lens, wherein the increasing step increases the stiffness of the treatment areas for both the capsular bag and the lens. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising specifying treatment areas of the capsular bag only, wherein the increasing step increases the stiffness of the treatment areas of the capsular bag only. 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising specifying treatment areas of the lens only, wherein the increasing step increases the stiffness of the treatment areas of the lens only. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising specifying treatment areas corresponding to peripheral regions of the lens. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising specifying treatment areas corresponding to peripheral regions of the capsular bag. 8. A method for treating a natural lens of an eye, the natural lens comprising a crystalline lens that accommodates in response to ciliary muscle forces, wherein the method comprises increasing stiffness of regions of the crystalline lens while the crystalline lens remains in situ; wherein the increasing step is selected from the group consisting of: applying a bio-adhesive agent to the treatment areas; introducing a cross-linking agent to the treatment areas; and introducing a stiffening agent to the treatment areas. 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising increasing peripheral regions of the crystalline lens. 10. The method of claim 8, further comprising increasing the modulus of elasticity of peripheral regions of the crystalline lens. 11. The method of claim 8, further comprising increasing the stiffness of peripheral regions of the crystalline lens in accordance with a predetermined stiffening pattern. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the predetermined stiffening pattern defines a plurality of radial stiffening spokes for the peripheral regions of the crystalline lens. 13. The method of claim 8, further comprising softening a center region of the crystalline lens to enhance transfer of ciliary muscle forces from peripheral regions of the crystalline lens to the center region of the crystalline lens. 14. The method of claim 8, further comprising softening at least a portion of peripheral regions of the crystalline lens. 15. The method of claim 8, further comprising creating a non-uniform stiffness profile between an anterior surface region and a posterior surface region of the crystalline lens. 16. The method of claim 8, further comprising creating a stiffness gradient between an anterior surface region and a posterior surface region of the crystalline lens. 17. The method of claim 8, further comprising creating a stiffness gradient between a center region of the crystalline lens and peripheral regions of the crystalline lens. 18. The method of claim 8, wherein the increasing step creates stiffened areas that are arranged and oriented to introduce non-uniform optical power change for the anterior and posterior surfaces of the crystalline lens. 19. The method of claim 8, wherein the increasing step creates stiffened areas that are arranged to reduce one or more optical aberrations of the natural lens of the eye. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the optical aberrations are selected from the group consisting of: spherical aberration; coma; and astigmatism. 21. The method of claim 8, wherein the increasing step creates stiffened areas that are arranged to modify an optical power of the natural lens of the eye. 22. The method of claim 8, wherein the increasing step creates stiffened areas that are arranged to provide a plurality of focal lengths for the natural lens of the eye. 23. A method of restoring accommodative characteristics of a natural lens of an eye, the natural lens comprising a crystalline lens that mechanically responds to ciliary muscle forces applied thereto, the method comprising physically transforming the crystalline lens, while it remains in situ, to create a stiffness differential between at least a portion of a peripheral region of the crystalline lens and a center region of the crystalline lens, wherein the at least a portion of the peripheral region of the crystalline lens is stiffer than the center region of the crystalline lens; wherein the creation of the stiffness differential is selected from the group consisting of: applying a bio-adhesive agent to the treatment areas; introducing a cross-linking agent to the treatment areas; and introducing a stiffening agent to the treatment areas. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of physically transforming the crystalline lens comprises hardening at least a portion of the peripheral region of the crystalline lens to enhance transfer of ciliary muscle forces from the peripheral region of the crystalline lens to the center region of the crystalline lens. 25. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of physically transforming the crystalline lens further comprises softening the center region of the crystalline lens to further enhance transfer of ciliary muscle forces from the peripheral region of the crystalline lens to the center region of the crystalline lens. 26. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of physically transforming the crystalline lens comprises mechanically reinforcing at least a portion of the peripheral region of the crystalline lens to enhance transfer of ciliary muscle forces from the peripheral region of the crystalline lens to the center region of the crystalline lens. 27. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of physically transforming the crystalline lens comprises: hardening at least a portion of the peripheral region of the crystalline lens and the center region of the crystalline lens; andthereafter, softening the center region of the crystalline lens to enhance transfer of ciliary muscle forces from the peripheral region of the crystalline lens to the center region of the crystalline lens.