Tack for intraocular drug delivery and method for inserting and removing same
First Claim
1. A tack for intraocular drug delivery, comprising:
- (a) a post including a drug to be administered, the post having a first end and a second end, the first end for being positioned within a vitreous region of an eye, the post having a length measured parallel to a longitudinal axis of the tack, the length being determined according to a dosage of the drug to be administered and such that obstruction of vision through a lens of the eye is minimized;
(b) an anchoring region affixed to the second end of the post, the anchoring region including a width measured perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the tack, said width varying to provide the anchoring region with a configuration which anchors the tack within at least one of a sclera, a retina and a choroid; and
(c) a head extending radially outwardly from the anchoring region such that upon insertion of the anchoring region and post within the eye, the head remains external to the eye and abuts a scleral surface of the eye.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A tack for intraocular drug delivery and a method for insertion and removal of an intraocular device for sustained release of a drug are provided. The tack comprises a post, an anchoring region and a head. The post is for being positioned within the vitreous region of the eye. The post has a first end and a second end, and includes a drug to be administered. The anchoring region is affixed to the second end of the post, and includes a width measured perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of the tack which varies to provide the anchoring region with a configuration to anchor the tack within at least one of a sclera, a retina and a choroid. The head extends radially outwardly from the anchoring region such that upon insertion of the anchoring region and post within the eye, the head remains external to the eye and abuts a scleral surface of the eye. Other embodiments include a tack comprising a post, a central portion, a head and a suture hole through the head for anchoring the head to the sclera. Alternatively the tack comprises a post having a first portion of liquid drug, a hollow central portion filled with a second portion of liquid drug in fluid communication with the post and a head with an opening which allows for injection of subsequent doses of liquid drug through the head into the central portion.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. A tack for intraocular drug delivery, comprising:
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(a) a post including a drug to be administered, the post having a first end and a second end, the first end for being positioned within a vitreous region of an eye, the post having a length measured parallel to a longitudinal axis of the tack, the length being determined according to a dosage of the drug to be administered and such that obstruction of vision through a lens of the eye is minimized; (b) an anchoring region affixed to the second end of the post, the anchoring region including a width measured perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the tack, said width varying to provide the anchoring region with a configuration which anchors the tack within at least one of a sclera, a retina and a choroid; and (c) a head extending radially outwardly from the anchoring region such that upon insertion of the anchoring region and post within the eye, the head remains external to the eye and abuts a scleral surface of the eye. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A tack for intraocular drug delivery, comprising:
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(a) a post including a drug to be administered, the post having a first end and a second end, the first end for being positioned within a vitreous region of an eye, the post having a length measured parallel to a longitudinal axis of the tack, the length being determined according to a dosage of the drug to be administered and such that obstruction of vision through a lens of the eye is minimized; (b) a central portion affixed to the second end of the post, the central portion for being positioned within at least one of a retina, a choroid and a sclera; (c) a head extending radially outwardly from the central portion such that upon insertion of the central portion and post within the eye, the head remains external to the eye and abuts a scleral surface of the eye; and (d) a suture hole extending through the head for receiving a suture to anchor the head to the sclera. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A tack for intraocular drug delivery, comprising:
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(a) a post including a membrane which is at least semi-permeable forming a hollow void, the void being filled with a first portion of a liquid drug to be administered, the post having a first end and a second end, the first end for being positioned within a vitreous region of an eye, the post having a length measured parallel to a longitudinal axis of the tack, the length being determined according to a dosage of the drug to be administered and such that obstruction of vision through a lens of the eye is minimized; (b) a hollow central portion affixed to the second end of the post and being filled with a second portion of the liquid drug to be administered, the hollow central portion being in fluid communication with the void, the central portion for being positioned within at least one of a retina, a choroid and a sclera of the eye; and (c) a head extending radially outwardly from the central portion such that upon insertion of the central portion and the post within the eye, the head remains external to the eye and abuts a scleral surface of the eye, the head having an opening in fluid communication with the hollow central portion for injection of subsequent doses of the liquid drug. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A method for insertion and removal of an intraocular device for providing sustained release of a drug, comprising the steps of:
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(a) separating a portion of a conjunctival membrane of an eye from a portion of scleral tissue underlying the portion of the conjunctival membrane; (b) making an incision through the portion of scleral tissue into a vitreous region of the eye such that an opening for insertion of the device is created; (c) inserting the device into the opening such that a first portion of the device is situated in the vitreous region and a second portion of the device is positioned external to the portion of scleral tissue; (d) reattaching the portion of the conjunctival membrane to the portion of the scleral tissue underlying the portion of the conjunctival membrane; (e) maintaining the first portion of the device in the vitreous region until the first portion of the device has delivered a predetermined dosage of the drug into the vitreous region; (f) separating the portion of the conjunctival membrane from the portion of scleral tissue underlying the portion of the conjunctival membrane; (g) removing the device from the eye; and (h) reattaching the portion of the conjunctival membrane over the opening in the portion of scleral tissue. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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Specification