Ocular Collar Stent for Treating Narrowing of the Irideocorneal Angle

• US 20140046437A1
• Filed: 08/06/2013
• Published: 02/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Regeneye, LLC
• Original Assignee: Regeneye, LLC
• Inventors: Renke, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 9,308,082 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/4.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/14 Eye parts, e.g. lenses, corneal implants; Implanting instruments specially adapted therefor; Artificial eyes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/142 Cornea, e.g. artificial corneae, keratoprostheses or corneal implants for repair of defective corneal tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/82 Devices providing patency to, or preventing collapsing of, tubular structures of the body, e.g. stents stent-grafts for tubular structures of the body other than blood vessels A61F2/04; stent-grafts for blood vessels A61F2/07; instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts A61F2/95; for closing wounds, or holding wounds closed A61B17/04 - A61B17/115; dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/007 Methods or devices for eye surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00781 Apparatus for modifying intraocular pressure, e.g. for glaucoma treatment drainage implants in general A61M27/002
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/013 Instruments for compensation of ocular refraction A61F9/008 takes precedence; Instruments for use in cornea removal, for reshaping or performing incisions in the cornea

Abstract

An ocular stent for insertion in an anterior chamber of an eye is provided. The stent facilitates the restoration of the structure of an irideocorneal angle of the anterior chamber for treating structural changes from ocular aging. The stent includes an annular body sized to fit in the irideocorneal angle of the eye. The body includes: an anterior portion configured to contact a surface of a transition zone between a trabecular meshwork and a corneal endothelium of the eye; a posterior portion configured to contact a peripheral iris of the eye; and a central portion connecting the anterior portion and the posterior portion of the body. A method for stabilizing the iredeocorneal angle of the anterior chamber using a stent is also disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An ocular stent for insertion in an anterior chamber of an eye, the stent comprising an annular body comprising:

an anterior portion configured to contact a surface of a transition zone between a trabecular meshwork and a corneal endothelium of the eye;

a posterior portion configured to contact a peripheral iris of the eye; and

a central portion connecting the anterior portion and the posterior portion of the body.

2. The stent of claim 1, wherein the anterior portion of the annular body is also configured to contact at least a portion of an anterior portion of the trabecular meshwork.

3. The stent of claim 1, wherein the anterior chamber comprises an irideocorneal angle and the annular body is receivable within the irideocorneal angle.

4. The stent of claim 3, wherein a portion of the posterior portion of the body extends around the irideocorneal angle and crosses an anterior chamber exposure of a ciliary body up to or beyond a scleral spur of the eye.

5. The stent of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the body defines a cross section having a boomerang shape.

6. The stent of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the body comprises a shape memory material.

7. The stent of claim 1, wherein the body is configured to span at least a portion of the trabecular meshwork.

8. The stent of claim 1, wherein the body comprises:

polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), silicone or acrylic block polymers materials having PMMA components, hydrophobic acrylics, hydrophilic acrylics, acrylic poly(styrene-block-isobutylene-block-styrene), silicon elastomer, or heparin surface modified acrylics.

9. The stent of claim 1, further comprising a coating on the surface of the body, wherein the coating is formed from a material that increases at least one of biocompatibility or durability of the stent.

10. The stent of claim 1, wherein the body further comprises at least one communication structure extending radially through the body for equalizing fluid pressure across the body.

11. The stent of claim 1, wherein the anterior portion of the body comprises beads or texturing extending from the anterior portion.

12. The stent of claim 11, wherein the beads or texturing is configured for variable contact between the body and the surface of the transition zone.

13. The stent of claim 1, wherein, when the ocular stent is inserted in the anterior chamber of the eye, the central portion of the body is positioned opposite the trabecular meshwork.

14. The stent of claim 1, wherein when the ocular stent is inserted in the anterior chamber of the eye, the central portion of the body is positioned adjacent to the irideocorneal angle and is configured such that an angle of the central portion approximately corresponds to the irideocorneal angle.

15. The stent of claim 14, further comprising an o-ring that contacts at least a portion of the central portion of the body, and an anterior chamber interocular lens coupled with the o-ring.

16. The stent of claim 1, wherein the stent is at least one of foldable and rollable, such that the stent can be at least one of folded or rolled during insertion and unfolded or unrolled once inserted in the anterior chamber.

17. An ocular stent for insertion in an anterior chamber of an eye, the stent comprising:

at least one annular cord;

a plurality of anterior arms extending from the cord in a first direction; and

a plurality of posterior arms extending from the cord in a second direction, the second direction being different than the first direction,

wherein the stent is receivable within an irideocorneal angle of the anterior chamber of the eye, and

wherein the anterior arms and the posterior arms together form an articulating joint.

18. The stent of claim 17, wherein at least one of the posterior arms and the anterior arms defines at least one through hole and wherein the cord is inserted therethrough, thereby connecting the at least one arm to the cord.

19. The stent of claim 18, wherein at least one of the through holes is a slotted through hole for limiting the range of motion of the joint.

20. The stent of claim 17, wherein the anterior arms and the posterior arms alternate along the at least one cord.

21. A method of stabilizing an irideocorneal angle of an anterior chamber of an eye, the method comprising:

inserting a stent into the anterior chamber, such that the stent is in contact with soft tissue of the anterior chamber; and

simultaneously applying pressure in an anterior direction to a surface of a transition zone between an anterior limit of a trabecular meshwork and a posterior limit of a corneal endothelium of the eye with an anterior portion of the stent and applying pressure in a posterior direction to a surface of the peripheral iris of the eye with a posterior portion of the stent.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein inserting the stent comprises:

forming an incision in a cornea of the eye for accessing the anterior chamber;

inserting a portion of an injector into the anterior chamber through the incision; and

expelling the stent from the injector to the anterior chamber for placement.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising directing aqueous humor fluid before the fluid enters the trabecular meshwork by passing the fluid through the stent.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising stimulating stem cells located within the transitional zone as a result of pressure applied by the anterior portion of the stent.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising applying pressure to at least a portion of an anterior portion of the trabecular meshwork with the anterior portion of the stent.