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.
