Lenticular refractive surgery of presbyopia, other refractive errors, and cataract retardation

• US 7,655,002 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2004
• Issued: 02/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Second Sight Enterprises Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Second Sight Enterprises Incorporated
• Inventors: Myers, Raymond I.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAY, DAVID M
• Application Number:
  US10/750,789
• Publication Number:
  US 20040199149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,223 Days
• Field of Search: 606 3- 6, 606 10- 13
• US Class Current: 606/5
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/0087 Lens
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00872 Cornea
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00887 Cataract
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00895 Presbyopia
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00897 Scanning mechanisms or algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00736 Instruments for removal of intra-ocular material or intra-ocular injection, e.g. cataract instruments A61F9/008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/008 using laser
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00804 Refractive treatments
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00838 Correction of presbyopia
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/009 Auxiliary devices making contact with the eyeball and coupling in laser light, e.g. goniolenses apparatus for eye examination A61B3/0008

Abstract

Methods for the creation of microspheres treat the clear, intact crystalline lens of the eye with energy pulses, such as from lasers, for the purpose of correcting presbyopia, other refractive errors, and for the retardation and prevention of cataracts. Microsphere formation in non-contiguous patterns or in contiguous volumes works to change the flexure, mass, or shape of the crystalline lens in order to maintain or reestablish the focus of light passing through the ocular lens onto the macular area, and to maintain or reestablish fluid transport within the ocular lens.

Claims

1. A method for increasing the flexibility of the ocular lens of the eye, comprising the steps of:

a) selecting a location within the ocular lens of an eye;

b) creating a microsphere at the selected location, wherein said microsphere comprises a gas-filled bubble of generally spherical shape; and

c) repeating the steps of selecting and creating at a plurality of locations within the ocular lens so as to increase the flexibility of the lens

wherein the microspheres created in step c) remain predominantly separate until after the last microsphere has been created.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said increase in flexibility increases accommodation of the lens.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the increase in flexibility creates no significant change in the anterior to posterior thickness of the lens.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said microspheres are created with a separation in the range of about 2 μ

m to about 20 μ

m.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 further including the step of:

allowing said microspheres to collapse while maintaining said increase in flexibility.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5 wherein said collapse decreases the anterior to posterior thickness of the lens.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said increase in flexibility corrects an optical anomaly of the eye.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said optical anomaly comprises a refractive error.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said refractive error is myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia, regular astigmatism, irregular astigmatism, or aberrations.

10. The method for increasing flexibility as set forth in claim 9, wherein the step of repeating generates at least one change in the ocular lens resulting in at least one effect selected from the group consisting of:

alteration of lens surface curvature, increased lens flexibility, increased accommodation, reduced light scatter, reduced rate of increase in light scatter, and reduced rate of loss of accommodation.