Opthalmic treatment apparatus

• US 20030139784A1
• Filed: 07/01/2002
• Published: 07/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nidek Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nidek Company Limited
• Inventors: Fukuda, Yutaka, Morimoto, Takeshi, Tano, Yasuo, Miyoshi, Tomomitsu, Fujikado, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,020,527 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/54
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0543 Retinal electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36046 of the eye

Abstract

An ophthalmic treatment apparatus includes an electrode which is set on a place to apply electrical stimulation to cells constituting a retina; and an electrical stimulation pulse generator which is connected to the electrode, for generating, from the electrode, a predetermined electrical stimulation pulse whose electric current is set at 20 μA or more but not exceeding 300 μA.

Claims

1. An ophthalmic treatment apparatus including:

an electrode which is set on a place to apply electrical stimulation to cells constituting a retina; and

an electrical stimulation pulse generator which is connected to the electrode, for generating, from the electrode, a predetermined electrical stimulation pulse whose electric current is set at 20 μ

A or more but not exceeding 300 μ

A.

2. The ophthalmic treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrode is placed on a cornea.

3. The ophthalmic treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the electrode has a shape like a contact lens.

4. The ophthalmic treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the electrode has a positive pole and a negative pole, and the electrode is placed on the cornea so that the positive pole is positioned on a corneal vertex side with respect to the negative pole.

5. The ophthalmic treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electric current of the electrical stimulation pulse is set at 40 μ

A or more but not exceeding 200 μ

A.

6. The ophthalmic treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electric current of the electrical stimulation pulse is set at 50 μ

A or more but not exceeding 120 μ

A.

7. The ophthalmic treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a duration of the electric current of the electrical stimulation pulse is set at 50 μ

s or more but not exceeding 10 ms.

8. The ophthalmic treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a frequency of the electrical stimulation pulse is set at 1 Hz or more but not exceeding 100 Hz.

9. The ophthalmic treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an application time of the electrical stimulation pulse is set at 10 min. or more but not exceeding 5 hours.

10. The ophthalmic treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a pulse waveform of the electrical stimulation pulse is a biphasic wave.

11. An ophthalmic treatment apparatus including:

an electrode having a shape like a contact lens, which is placed on a cornea; and

an electrical stimulation pulse generator which is connected to the electrode, for generating a predetermined electrical stimulation from the electrode.

12. The ophthalmic treatment apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the electrode has a positive pole and a negative pole, and the electrode is placed on the cornea so that the positive pole is positioned on a corneal vertex side with respect to the negative pole.

13. An ophthalmic treatment apparatus including:

an electrode having a positive pole and a negative pole, which is placed so that the negative pole is positioned on a retinal side with respect to the positive pole; and

an electrical stimulation pulse generator which is connected to the electrode, for generating therefrom a predetermined electrical stimulation from the electrode.