Passive to active staged drainage device

• US 9,283,115 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2013
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Novartis Ag
• Inventors: Lind, Casey Jean, Dos Santos, Cesario Pereira
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiest, Philip R
• Application Number:
  US13/975,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20150057596A1
• Time in Patent Office: 932 Days
• Field of Search: 604/8, 604/9, 606/107, 606/108, 623/4.1, 623/1.12, 424/422, 424/423
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/16 for measuring intraocular pressure, e.g. tonometers
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0002 for data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00781 Apparatus for modifying intraocular pressure, e.g. for glaucoma treatment drainage implants in general A61M27/002

Abstract

Described herein is an IOP control system for implantation in an eye of a patient, comprising a drainage device and a control device. The drainage system includes a housing including an inlet port and an outlet port, a fluid flow passageway extending from the inlet port to the outlet port to allow the flow of fluid therethrough, and at least one valve disposed within the housing. The at least one valve includes a first side and an opposing second side, and is configured to affect flow through the fluid flow passageway from the inlet port to the outlet port by moving in response to pressure differentials acting on the opposing sides. The control device comprises an actuator including an activated mode and a deactivated mode, and the actuator in the activated mode is configured to selectively adjust flow through the drainage device in response to changes in intraocular pressure.

Claims

1. An IOP control system for implantation in an eye of a patient, comprising:

a drainage device sized for implantation into the eye of the patient and comprising;

a housing including an inlet port and an outlet port;

a fluid flow passageway extending through the housing from the inlet port to the outlet port to allow the flow of fluid from the inlet port to the outlet port; and

at least one valve disposed within the drainage device, the at least one valve including a first side, an opposing second side, the at least one valve configured to affect flow through the fluid flow passageway from the inlet port to the outlet port by moving in response to pressure differentials acting on the opposing first and second sides; and

a control device comprising an actuator including an activated mode and a deactivated mode, wherein the actuator in the activated mode is configured to selectively adjust flow through the drainage device in response to changes in intraocular pressure wherein the at least one valve comprises a sealing portion attached to the housing and being shaped and configured to control flow of aqueous humor through the fluid flow passageway by deflecting in response to pressure differentials acting across the sealing portion, and wherein the at least one valve is in a closed condition when the sealing portion contacts a valve seat in the housing;

wherein the sealing portion is movable relative to the valve seat in response to pressure differentials acting on the opposing first and second sides, is movable relative to the housing in response to activation of the actuator, and includes a responsive element that is configured to interact with the actuator and move the sealing portion relative to the valve seat when the actuator is in an activated mode;

wherein the responsive element comprises a magnetic element and the actuator comprises an electromagnet configured to attract the magnetic element when the actuator is in an activated mode.

2. The IOP control system of claim 1, wherein the sealing portion is configured to move through the fluid flow passageway in the direction of the actuator when the actuator is in an activated mode.

3. The IOP control system of claim 1, wherein the sealing portion is configured to change in stiffness when the actuator is in an activated mode.

4. The IOP control system of claim 1, further including a processor in the control device, the processor being configured to selectively implement at least one of a plurality of different control algorithms for IOP control.

5. The IOP control system of claim 4, wherein the processor may be re-programmed to selectively implement at least one of a plurality of different control algorithms for IOP control.

6. The IOP control device of claim 5, further including an external controller, the external controller configured to re-program the processor.