Apparatus and method for reducing intraocular pressure
First Claim
1. An apparatus for draining aqueous humor from an eye for reducing or stabilizing intraocular pressure, the eye having an anterior chamber and including a cornea, a surrounding marginal limbus by which the cornea is continuous with a scleral layer and a conjunctival layer, and an external ocular surface of the eye under an eyelid, the apparatus comprising:
- a tube extending between an inlet end and an outlet end, the inlet end being adapted to be in fluid communication with the anterior chamber of the eye, and the tube being adapted to direct a flow of aqueous humor from the anterior chamber and through the inlet end to the outlet end;
a housing defining a cavity in fluid communication with the outlet end of the tube, the cavity being configured to receive the aqueous humor; and
a flow control device operably engaged with the housing and configured to control the flow of the aqueous humor from the cavity to a location external to the anterior chamber, the flow control device including at least one conduit extending between the cavity and the external location, the at least one conduit configured to allow the flow of the aqueous humor from the cavity to the external location, an elongate portion of the at least one conduit formed from a flexible material configured to provide varying flow resistance as the aqueous humor continues to flow through the at least one conduit from the cavity to the external location, the flexible material defining a transverse cross-sectional area for the elongate portion of the at least one conduit,wherein in response to each of various increases in the intraocular pressure, the flexible material is configured to expand to respectively increase the transverse cross-sectional area along the elongate portion of the at least one conduit, the flow resistance decreasing as the cross-sectional area increases, andin response to each of various decreases in the intraocular pressure, the flexible material is configured to contract to respectively decrease the transverse cross-sectional area along the elongate portion of the at least one conduit, the flow resistance increasing as the cross-sectional area decreases.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for reducing/stabilizing intraocular pressure is provided. A tube extends from an inlet end in fluid communication with an anterior chamber of the eye, to direct an aqueous humor flow from the anterior chamber to an outlet end in fluid communication with a cavity, defined by a housing, for receiving the aqueous humor. A flow control device is operably engaged with the housing, and is configured to control the flow of the aqueous humor, via a conduit defined thereby and extending from the cavity, to a location away from the anterior chamber. The conduit is dilatable in response to the intraocular pressure being above a preselected pressure, to increase the flow or to decrease resistance to flow of the aqueous humor through the conduit to the drainage site and to reduce the intraocular pressure to no greater than the preselected pressure. Associated apparatuses and methods are also provided.
-
Citations
37 Claims
-
1. An apparatus for draining aqueous humor from an eye for reducing or stabilizing intraocular pressure, the eye having an anterior chamber and including a cornea, a surrounding marginal limbus by which the cornea is continuous with a scleral layer and a conjunctival layer, and an external ocular surface of the eye under an eyelid, the apparatus comprising:
-
a tube extending between an inlet end and an outlet end, the inlet end being adapted to be in fluid communication with the anterior chamber of the eye, and the tube being adapted to direct a flow of aqueous humor from the anterior chamber and through the inlet end to the outlet end; a housing defining a cavity in fluid communication with the outlet end of the tube, the cavity being configured to receive the aqueous humor; and a flow control device operably engaged with the housing and configured to control the flow of the aqueous humor from the cavity to a location external to the anterior chamber, the flow control device including at least one conduit extending between the cavity and the external location, the at least one conduit configured to allow the flow of the aqueous humor from the cavity to the external location, an elongate portion of the at least one conduit formed from a flexible material configured to provide varying flow resistance as the aqueous humor continues to flow through the at least one conduit from the cavity to the external location, the flexible material defining a transverse cross-sectional area for the elongate portion of the at least one conduit, wherein in response to each of various increases in the intraocular pressure, the flexible material is configured to expand to respectively increase the transverse cross-sectional area along the elongate portion of the at least one conduit, the flow resistance decreasing as the cross-sectional area increases, and in response to each of various decreases in the intraocular pressure, the flexible material is configured to contract to respectively decrease the transverse cross-sectional area along the elongate portion of the at least one conduit, the flow resistance increasing as the cross-sectional area decreases. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
-
21. A method of manufacturing an apparatus for draining aqueous humor from an eye for reducing or stabilizing intraocular pressure, the eye having an anterior chamber and including a cornea, a surrounding marginal limbus by which the cornea is continuous with a scleral layer and a conjunctival layer, and an external ocular surface of the eye under an eyelid, the method comprising:
-
engaging an outlet end of a tube into fluid communication with a cavity defined by a housing, the outlet end extending to an inlet end adapted to be in fluid communication with the anterior chamber of the eye, the tube being adapted to direct a flow of aqueous humor from the anterior chamber and through the inlet end and to the outlet end such that the aqueous humor is received by the cavity; and engaging a flow control device with the housing, the flow control device being adapted to control the flow of the aqueous humor from the cavity to a location external to the anterior chamber, and including at least one conduit extending between the cavity and the external location, the at least one conduit configured to allow the flow of the aqueous humor from the cavity to the external location, an elongate portion of the at least one conduit formed from a flexible material configured to provide varying flow resistance as the aqueous humor continues to flow through the at least one conduit from the cavity to the external location, the flexible material defining a transverse cross-sectional area for the elongate portion of the at least one conduit, wherein in response to each of various increases in the intraocular pressure, the flexible material is configured to expand to respectively increase the transverse cross-sectional area along the elongate portion of the at least one conduit, the flow resistance decreasing as the cross-sectional area increases, and in response to each of various decreases in the intraocular pressure, the flexible material is configured to contract to respectively decrease the transverse cross-sectional area along the elongate portion of the at least one conduit, the flow resistance increasing as the cross-sectional area decreases. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
-
-
34. An apparatus for draining aqueous humor from an eye for reducing or stabilizing intraocular pressure, the eye having an anterior chamber and including a cornea, a surrounding marginal limbus by which the cornea is continuous with a scleral layer and a conjunctival layer, and an external ocular surface of the eye under an eyelid, the apparatus comprising:
-
a tube extending between an inlet end and an outlet end, the inlet end being adapted to be in fluid communication with the anterior chamber of the eye, and the tube being adapted to direct a flow of aqueous humor from the anterior chamber and through the inlet end to the outlet end; a flow control device operably engaged with the outlet end and configured to control the flow of the aqueous humor from the tube to a location external to the anterior chamber, the flow control device including at least one conduit extending between the outlet end and the external location, the at least one conduit configured to allow the flow of the aqueous humor from the cavity to the external location, an elongate portion of the at least one conduit formed from a flexible material configured to provide varying flow resistance as the aqueous humor continues to flow through the at least one conduit from the cavity to the external location, the flexible material defining a transverse cross-sectional area for the elongate portion of the at least one conduit, wherein in response to each of various increases in the intraocular pressure, the flexible material is configured to expand to respectively increase the transverse cross-sectional area along the elongate portion of the at least one conduit, the flow resistance decreasing as the cross-sectional area increases, and in response to each of various decreases in the intraocular pressure, the flexible material is configured to contract to respectively decrease the transverse cross-sectional area along the elongate portion of the at least one conduit, the flow resistance increasing as the cross-sectional area decreases; a first filter device disposed in fluid communication between the inlet end of the tube and the flow control device, the first filter device being configured to filter contaminants from the aqueous humor prior to the flow control device; and a second filter device disposed in fluid communication with the flow control device, opposite to the outlet end of the tube from the flow control device, the second filter device being configured to filter contaminants from any backflow to the flow control device. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37)
-
Specification