Eye implant for relieving glaucoma, and device and method for use therewith
First Claim
1. A surgical implant device adapted for use in the eye to relieve excess eye pressure by drainage of eye fluids from the limbal angle of the anterior chamber of the eye, comprising:
- a thin body of biocompatible material of a length and shape adapted to extend along the interior of the sclera from the limbal angle of the anterior chamber of the eye to the choroid of the eye;
said body having at least one outwardly-opening surface channel extending along its length for a distance great enough to extend from said limbal angle to said choroid.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An eye implant device for relieving excessive eye pressure due to glaucoma comprises a thin, elongated, resilient, semi-rigid body of biocompatible material such as polymethyl methacrylate, having surface channels extending along its length to provide drainage passages for eye fluids and transverse perforations through it spaced from each other along its length. Preferably the material of the body is wettable by the eye fluids, and the device curved along its length to match the curvature of the interior of the sclera of the eye in the limbal region. The longitudinal channels are preferably provided by corrugating the body of the device longitudinally, and the device is preferably cruciform in shape. It is preferably implanted with its tip in the peripheral angle of the anterior chamber of the eye, with its central portion extending between the sclera and ciliary body to form a cyclodialysis, and through a portion of the sclera, to which it is sutured; the opposite end extends into the suprachoroidal space, wherein eye fluids drained from the anterior chamber are absorbed.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A surgical implant device adapted for use in the eye to relieve excess eye pressure by drainage of eye fluids from the limbal angle of the anterior chamber of the eye, comprising:
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a thin body of biocompatible material of a length and shape adapted to extend along the interior of the sclera from the limbal angle of the anterior chamber of the eye to the choroid of the eye; said body having at least one outwardly-opening surface channel extending along its length for a distance great enough to extend from said limbal angle to said choroid. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A surgical implant device for use in an eye subject to glaucoma, comprising:
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a thin body of semi-rigid, resilient, biocompatible material which is wettable by liquids of the eye, said body being of the order of 10 mm in length, of the order of 6 mm in width and of the order of 0.3 mm in thickness and in the configuration of a crucifix having a main stem and a cross-arm; the top of said main stem remote from the cross-arm of said crucifix having a sharp edge; said body having a radius of curvature along its length of about 1.2 cm; said body being corrugated along its length dimension to provide channels extending from one end to the other thereof; said body having perforations extending transversely through the sides of said corrugations, about 1 mm apart and of a diameter of about (5-0 suture). - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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18. A surgical eye implant for relieving excess eye pressure comprising:
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a thin prosthetic device of biocompatible material, one end portion of which is adapted to extend between the ciliary body and the sclera of the eye and into the peripheral angle of the anterior chamber of the eye, the remainder of said device having a shape and extent to extend along and through the sclera to the suprachoroidal space of the eye; said device having at least one channel at the surface thereof with a length of such extent for extending from said peripheral angle to said suprachoroidal space. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. The method of providing an eye implant for relieving excess eye pressure, comprising:
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cutting a flap in and through the conjunctiva to expose the underlying sclera from a position adjacent to the limbus to a position above the underlying choroid; cutting part-way through said exposed sclera to form a scleral flap and to define an underlying scleral bed extending from a position adjacent the limbus to a position adjacent the choroid; making an anterior incision through said scleral bed adjacent to the limbus to form a sclerotomy; making a posterior incision through said scleral bed on the side of said anterior incision toward the choroid to form another sclerotomy; providing a thin prosthetic implant device of biocompatible material having at least one surface channel extending along its length; inserting one end of said device through said first incision, and along a path between the ciliary body and the sclera, into the peripheral angle of the anterior chamber of the eye, until the opposite end of said device lies between said anterior and posterior incisions; thereafter sliding said device lengthwise in the posterior direction, inserting said opposite end of said device through said posterior incision, and continuing said sliding motion until said opposite end enters the suprachoroidal space; thereafter, suturing said device to the scleral bed while said one end of said device is in said peripheral angle and said opposite end is in said suprachoroidal space, and successively closing said scleral flap and said conjunctival flap. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27)
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28. A surgical implant device for use in the eye to relieve excess eye pressure, comprising:
a thin body of biocompatible material having at least one externally-open surface channel of a length to extend from the limbal angle of the anterior chamber of the eye toward the choroid of the eye, at least as far as the ciliary body.
Specification