Injector for intraocular lens system

• US 9,498,326 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2012
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Visiogen, Inc. (Abbott Laboratories)
• Original Assignee: Visiogen, Inc. (Abbott Laboratories)
• Inventors: Tsai, George
• Primary Examiner(s): Matthews, Howie
• Application Number:
  US13/412,996
• Publication Number:
  US 20120165824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,722 Days
• Field of Search: 623/6.12, 604/57, 604/59, 604/60, 606/107, 606/108
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/1648 Multipart lenses
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/1662 Instruments for inserting intraocular lenses into the eye
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/167 with pushable plungers
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/1678 with a separate cartridge or other lens setting part for storage of a lens, e.g. preloadable for shipping

Abstract

Disclosed is an injector which comprises an injector housing having a longitudinal axis and an injection probe disposed along the longitudinal axis. The injector further comprises an intraocular lens disposed in the housing. The intraocular lens comprises first and second interconnected viewing elements, and the optical axes of the first and second viewing elements are substantially aligned. The optical axes are substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the housing. The injector further comprises a lens carrier which engages one of the viewing elements. The viewing elements are moveable in response to longitudinal movement of the lens carrier relative to the injector housing. The longitudinal movement causes both (i) the optical axes to be displaced relative to each other and (ii) the viewing elements to be disposed substantially on the longitudinal axis of the injector housing.

Claims

1. An injector for injecting an intraocular lens along an injection direction, the injector, having proximal and distal ends, comprising:

a housing, which stores the intraocular lens;

an actuator, slidably mounted on said housing, which moves the intraocular lens distally within the housing and is removable when advanced past the distal end of the injector; and

a pair of compacting members;

wherein the housing and outer edges of the compacting members have a tapered configuration such that the compacting members, with the lens situated therebetween, by the actuator, converge on the lens to compact said intraocular lens as the compacting members move along the injection direction.

2. The injector of claim 1, further comprising handles formed on the compacting members.

3. The injector of claim 1, wherein said housing further comprises an injector probe.

4. The injector claim 1, wherein each of the compacting members comprises a face in the form of a half-channel on an inner edge, and wherein the compacting members together form an injection channel once the compacting members have been fully driven forward.

5. An injector for an intraocular lens, the intraocular lens having an optical axis and including an anterior surface and a posterior surface, the injector, having proximal and distal ends, comprising:

an injector housing, which stores the intraocular lens, having a longitudinal axis and an injection probe disposed along the longitudinal axis;

a compressive element disposed in the housing, the compressive element including a pair of wedges defining opposing compressing surfaces; and

an advancer having a portion disposed outside the housing and a portion disposed in the housing, the advancer configured to engage with the compressive element and move the opposing compressive surfaces forward through the injector housing from a first position to a second position, the second position being disposed between the first position and the injector probe,

wherein the opposing compressive surfaces of the compressive element converge towards each other as they move within the housing toward the second position, the compressive surfaces separated by a first distance transverse to the longitudinal axis when in the first position and by a second distance less than the first distance when in the second position, and

further wherein the advancer is removable when moved past the distal end of the injector.

6. The injector of claim 5, wherein the compressive surfaces form an injection channel when the opposing compressive surfaces are in a forward most position.

7. The injector of claim 5, further comprising a plunger at least partially disposed outside the housing configured to be advanced within the injector probe.

8. The injector of claim 5, wherein the advancer comprises tabs that engage the opposing compressive surfaces.

9. The injector of claim 8, wherein the tabs extend through slots disposed in the housing, wherein the housing has sides, and the slots are disposed along the sides of the housing.

10. The injector of claim 5, further comprising one or more slots disposed on a bottom surface of the housing.

11. The injector of claim 10, wherein the advancer includes one or more pins that protrude through the one or more slots, the one or more pins and one or more slots configured to guide the intraocular lens within the housing.

12. The injector of claim 11, wherein the one or more pins extend from the advancer.

13. The injector of claim 5, wherein each wedge has an outer edge that engages the housing and an inner edge including a face in the form of a half-channel.

14. The injector of claim 6, wherein a cross-section dimension of the injection channel is equal to a cross-section dimension of an inner lumen of the injection probe.