lenticules

Lenticule (plural lenticules) is a small lens-shaped body or region that occurs in various disciplines. The term derives from Latin lenticula, meaning a little lens, and is used to describe a roughly circular or ellipsoidal shape in cross-section.

In ophthalmology, a corneal lenticule is a disc-shaped portion of the corneal stroma. In refractive surgery such as SMILE (small-incision lenticule extraction), this lenticule is created with a laser and then removed to reshape the cornea and correct vision. The lenticule’s thickness and diameter are chosen to achieve the desired refractive change.

In geology and mineralogy, lenticules refer to lens-shaped inclusions or layers within rocks or minerals. These lens-like features can form during deposition, metamorphism, or deformation and may influence the mechanical or optical properties of the material.

In materials science and microscopy, lenticules describe similar lens-shaped zones, such as voids or inclusions, observed within composites, ceramics, or polymers. The term is used descriptively to convey a specific, lens-like geometry rather than to denote a distinct defect class.

In lenticular printing and related optical applications, a lenticule is one of the many tiny cylindrical lenses on a lenticular sheet. The arrangement of lenticules allows the viewer to perceive depth, motion, or changing images as the viewing angle changes.

Because lenticules appear in diverse fields, the exact meaning depends on the context, but they share the common characteristic of a small, lens-like structure.