Device for removing cataracts

• US 6,322,557 B1
• Filed: 12/10/1998
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Andreev Jury Vladislavovich, Belikov Andrei Vyacheslavovich, Erofeev Andrei Viktorovich, Fedorov Svyatoslav Nikolaevich, Kopaeva Valentina Grigorievna
• Original Assignee: Andreev Jury Vladislavovich, Belikov Andrei Vyacheslavovich, Erofeev Andrei Viktorovich, Fedorov Svyatoslav Nikolaevich, Kopaeva Valentina Grigorievna
• Inventors: Vladislavovich, Andreev Jury, Nikolaevich, Fedorov Svyatoslav, Grigorievna, Kopaeva Valentina, Viktorovich, Erofeev Andrei, Vyacheslavovich, Belikov Andrei
• Primary Examiner(s): Dvorak, Linda C. M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Farah, Ahmed M.
• Application Number:
  US09/209,402
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• Field of Search: 606/4-6, 606/10-12, 607/88, 607/89
• US Class Current: 606/6
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/0087 Lens
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00887 Cataract
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/008 using laser

Abstract

A device for removing cataracts comprises a source of pulse laser radiation, including a laser tip, and means for irrigation-aspiration provided with a tip. The tips serve for insertion into an eye cavity through first and second cuts and have a working part serving for placement in the anterior section of the eye when a cataract-changed lens is being removed. The laser tip is placed at an angle which is within the range of from 1 to 180 degrees relative to the tip of the means for irrigation-aspiration. Means for concentrating an acoustic wave is made in the form of at least one hollow body, the walls of which are made of a material, the light absorption factor of which at the wavelength of laser radiation is within the range of from 0.001 cm⁻¹ to 10 000 cm⁻¹, and the ratio of the length of which to the internal diameter is within the range of from 1 to 100. The means for concentrating the acoustic wave on the cataract-changed lens of an eye is placed coaxially either with the laser tip or with the tip for irrigation-aspiration or on an additional tip.

Claims

1. A device for removing cataracts comprising

a source of pulse laser radiation with a laser tip intended for insertion into the cavity of an eye through a first cut and having a working part intended for placement in the anterior section of the eye during removal of a cataract-changed lens,

an irrigator/aspirator provided with a tip intended for insertion into the cavity of the eye through a second cut and having a working part intended for placement in the anterior section of the eye during removal of a cataract-changed lens,

said laser tip is placed at an angle within the range of from 1 to 180 degrees relative to said irrigator/aspirator tip,

a concentrator for concentrating on a cataract-changed lens of an eye or in direct proximity thereto an acoustic wave induced by pulse laser radiation from said source of pulse laser radiation impinging on the lens of an eye, the concentrator being made in the form of at least one hollow body, the walls of which are made of a material, whose light absorption factor at the wavelength of laser radiation is within the range of from 0.001 to 10 000 cm⁻

1 selected from the group consisting of fluorite, sapphire, quartz and phosphate glass, and the ratio of the length of which to its inner diameter is within the range of from 1 to 100,

said concentrator placed coaxially with said irrigator/aspirator tip.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the concentrator comprises a hollow rod having a circular, elliptical or rectangular shape in cross section.

3. A device for removing cataracts according to claim 1, further comprising an additional tip which is placed in a third aperture in the anterior section of the eye during removal of a cataract-changed lens at an angle to the irrigator/aspirator tip which is within the range of from 1 to 180 degrees, and the concentrator placed in said additional tip.

4. A device according to claim 1, which comprises

a converter for converting at least ¼ part of the laser radiation into an acoustic wave positioned in the path of the laser beam and made of a material, the light absorption factor of which at the wavelength of laser radiation is greater than the light absorption factor at the wavelength of laser radiation of said material of the concentrator,

wherein the converter is in the form of a solid body or film or particles and is placed on a member selected from the group consisting of the laser tip, the irrigator-aspirator tip, an additional tip, and the concentrator, or in the body of the concentrator.

5. A device according to claim 4, wherein said converter is made of a material selected from the group consisting of silver, gold, platinum, aluminum, carbon, and titanium oxide.

6. A device according to claim 4, wherein a layer of material, the acoustic resistance of which is less than 100 Pa·

s/m³, is placed between said concentrator and said converter.

7. A device according to claim 1, wherein the wavelength of the source of laser radiation is within the range of from 1.06 to 2.94 micrometers.

8. A device according to claim 1, further comprising a modulator for converting the time structure of the laser pulse so that the modulation frequency of the laser pulse is equal to or a multiple of the resonance frequency of the means for concentrating the acoustic wave.

9. A device according to claim 1, wherein the roughness factor (Rz) of the inner surface of the irrigator-aspiration tip is less than 0.05.

10. A device for removing cataracts comprising

a source of pulse laser radiation with a laser tip intended for insertion into the cavity of an eye through a first cut and having a working part intended for placement in the anterior section of the eye during removal of a cataract-changed lens,

an irrigator/aspirator provided with a tip intended for insertion into the cavity of the eye through a second cut and having a working part intended for placement in the anterior section of the eye during removal of a cataract-changed lens,

said laser tip is placed at an angle within the range of from 1 to 180 degrees relative to said irrigator/aspirator,

a concentrator for concentrating on a cataract-changed lens of an eye or in direct proximity thereto an acoustic wave induced by pulse laser radiation from said source of pulse laser radiation impinging on the lens of an eye, the concentrator being made in the form of at least one hollow body, the walls of which are made of a material whose light absorption factor at the wavelength of laser radiation is within the range of from 0.001 to 10 000 cm⁻

1, and the ratio of the length of which to its inner diameter is within the range of from 1 to 100,

said concentrator placed coaxially with said laser tip.

11. A device for removing cataracts comprising

a source of pulse laser radiation with a laser tip intended for insertion into the cavity of an eye through a first cut and having a working part intended for placement in the anterior section of the eye during removal of a cataract-changed lens,

an irrigator/aspirator for irrigation-aspiration provided with a tip intended for insertion into the cavity of the eye through a second cut and having a working part intended for placement in the anterior section of the eye during removal of a cataract-changed lens,

said laser tip is placed at an angle within the range of from 1 to 180 degrees relative to said irrigator-aspirator tip,

a concentrator for concentrating on a cataract-changed lens of an eye or in direct proximity thereto an acoustic wave induced by pulse laser radiation from said source of pulse laser radiation impinging on the lens of an eye, the concentrator being made in the form of at least one hollow body, the walls of which are made of a material whose light absorption factor at the wavelength of laser radiation is within the range of from 0.001 to 10 000 cm⁻

1, and the ratio of the length of which to its inner diameter is within the range of from 1 to 100,

said concentrator placed coaxially with said irrigator-aspirator tip,

means for preventing the sucking of the rear wall of the crystalline capsule towards the aspiration channel, the means for preventing the sucking being made in the form of a scapula of polymeric material and fixed to said working part of said irrigator-aspirator tip.

12. A device according to claim 11, wherein the irrigator-aspirator tip has an inner surface having a roughness factor (Rz) of less than 0.05.