Small incision intraocular lens insertion apparatus
First Claim
1. An apparatus for inserting a foldable intraocular lens into an eye comprising:
- a handle including a peripheral wall and an end element attached to the peripheral wall adjacent one end of the peripheral wall, said handle having an elongated chamber, said end element having an axially extending opening extending through the end element;
a tube having an axially extending passage extending through the tube;
a portion of said tube being received in the axially extending opening of the end element;
means for attaching the tube to the end element with said portion of the tube being in said axially extending opening of the end element;
said peripheral wall having a distal end and a slot in the peripheral wall leading to said chamber and extending to the distal end;
an actuator having a body movable longitudinally in said chamber and a protruding portion which extends from the body through the slot, the protruding portion and the body being unitary;
a flexible paddle; and
an elongated element extending through the passage of the tube and coupling the paddle to the actuator.
10 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for inserting a foldable lens into an eye through an incision in the eye comprising: a paddle permanently affixed to the apparatus, and sized and adapted to contact the lens in the unfolded state; an elongated tube including a distally open interior space sized and adapted to receive the paddle in contact with the lens in the folded state, and a distal end portion sized and adapted to be inserted into the eye through the incision, the tube being cooperable with the paddle to fold the lens into the folded state as the lens in contact with the paddle is received through the distal opening into the interior space; and a mechanism to provide relative movement between the paddle and the tube.
214 Citations
15 Claims
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1. An apparatus for inserting a foldable intraocular lens into an eye comprising:
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a handle including a peripheral wall and an end element attached to the peripheral wall adjacent one end of the peripheral wall, said handle having an elongated chamber, said end element having an axially extending opening extending through the end element; a tube having an axially extending passage extending through the tube; a portion of said tube being received in the axially extending opening of the end element; means for attaching the tube to the end element with said portion of the tube being in said axially extending opening of the end element; said peripheral wall having a distal end and a slot in the peripheral wall leading to said chamber and extending to the distal end; an actuator having a body movable longitudinally in said chamber and a protruding portion which extends from the body through the slot, the protruding portion and the body being unitary; a flexible paddle; and an elongated element extending through the passage of the tube and coupling the paddle to the actuator. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method comprising:
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supporting an intraocular lens on a supporting surface; positioning a lens insertion apparatus having a flexible paddle with the paddle being above the intraocular lens; and with the paddle above the intraocular lens, retracting the flexible paddle within a tube of the lens insertion apparatus to fold the paddle about the intraocular lens to fold the intraocular lens and to retract the intraocular lens into the tube. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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Specification