Method of making an intra-ocular lens-mount element
First Claim
1. The method of making a self-supporting intra-ocular lens mount, which method comprises preparing to greatly enlarged scale a master plan view of the mount, said plan view being of a configuration defining a ring-like body with radially outward feet at angularly spaced locations and with lens-periphery engageable radially inward formations, selecting a thin flexible sheet of an etchable plastic material which is tolerated by the body and coating a surface thereof with photosensitive material, photographically exposing said photosensitive coating at reduced scale from said master plan view, developing the exposed coating to a positive image of the ring-like body upon the sheet, subjecting the developed side of the sheet to an etching chemical solution, and continuing the etching process until a substantially completed ring-like plastic blank results consistent with the positive image configuration.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention contemplates improved techniques for making lens implants for use in ophthalmological surgery, the lens being a replacement for a cataract-clouded natural lens, and the replacement being installed in the pupil at the iris as the operative step following removal of the cataracted lens. The lens produced by the inventive method features adapter structure assembled to an intra-ocular lens element and having first and second pluralities of radially outward stabilizing feet, in angularly spaced and interlaced relation with the feet of the other plurality; and the respective pluralities of stabilizing feet are on opposite sides of the iris, thus enabling the iris to retain and position the implanted lens.
13 Citations
18 Claims
- 1. The method of making a self-supporting intra-ocular lens mount, which method comprises preparing to greatly enlarged scale a master plan view of the mount, said plan view being of a configuration defining a ring-like body with radially outward feet at angularly spaced locations and with lens-periphery engageable radially inward formations, selecting a thin flexible sheet of an etchable plastic material which is tolerated by the body and coating a surface thereof with photosensitive material, photographically exposing said photosensitive coating at reduced scale from said master plan view, developing the exposed coating to a positive image of the ring-like body upon the sheet, subjecting the developed side of the sheet to an etching chemical solution, and continuing the etching process until a substantially completed ring-like plastic blank results consistent with the positive image configuration.
- 6. The method of making a self-supporting intra-ocular lens-mount element, which comprises preparing to greatly enlarged scale a drawing of a unitary flat blank for the element, said drawing being of configuration defining a ring-like body with radially outward feet at angularly spaced locations and with lens-engageable means extending radially inward of the lens periphery to be engaged thereby, selecting a thin flexible sheet of an erodable plastic material which is tolerated by the body, applying to a surface of said sheet an erosion-resistant mask which is a photographic reduction of said drawing to intended ultimate scale for the element, and subjecting the masked surface of said plastic sheet to an erosive environment until a substantially completed plastic blank results consistent with the mask configuration.
Specification