Ocular pressure regulation

• US 9,351,873 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2014
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Transcend Medical Incorporated (Alcon Incorporated)
• Inventors: Coroneo, Minas Theodore
• Primary Examiner(s): DEAK, LESLIE R
• Application Number:
  US14/199,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20140188030A1
• Time in Patent Office: 817 Days
• Field of Search: 604/8, 604/9, 604/264, 623/4.1, 623/6.12, 606/107, 606/108
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/148 Implantation instruments specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00781 Apparatus for modifying intraocular pressure, e.g. for glaucoma treatment drainage implants in general A61M27/002

Abstract

Disclosed are devices and methods of treating an ocular disorder including forming a self-sealing incision in a cornea into an anterior chamber of an eye; introducing through the incision a fluid drainage tube having a distal end, a proximal end and a longitudinal, internal lumen extending through the fluid drainage tube, wherein at least the proximal end passes through the anterior chamber; and implanting the distal end of the fluid drainage tube in fluid communication with the suprachoroidal space such that the proximal end of the fluid drainage tube remains in fluid communication with the anterior chamber.

Claims

1. An ocular implant system for implanting an ocular device into the eye, comprising:

a fluid drainage device configured to be deployed in the eye so as to locate a first end of the fluid drainage device in communication with the suprachoroidal space, the fluid drainage device having an internal lumen wherein a first end of the lumen of the drainage device communicates with the suprachoroidal space and a second end of the lumen of the drainage device opens into the anterior chamber, and the lumen is positioned in a space between the ciliary body and the sclera when implanted in a deployed location in the eye such that the internal lumen provides a fluid passageway from the anterior chamber towards the suprachoroidal space, so as to provide aqueous pressure regulation by draining aqueous humor from the anterior chamber towards the suprachoroidal space via the internal lumen, said fluid drainage device configured to be inserted into the eye through a self-sealing incision in the cornea and wherein the fluid drainage device has a second end configured to be located inside the anterior chamber such that the second end is outside of the ciliary body and posterior of an inner surface of the cornea when in the deployed location, and wherein the fluid drainage device has a length sufficient to extend from the anterior chamber to the choroid when implanted, and wherein the first end of the device includes a round, foldable plate adapted to locate the device on the inner surface of a sclera of the eye; and

an introducer cannula that couples to the fluid drainage device, the cannula having a plunger wherein the fluid drainage device can be detached from the cannula by pressing the plunger into the introducer.