OCULAR IMPLANTS WITH ASYMMETRIC FLEXIBILITY

• US 20150223983A1
• Filed: 04/20/2015
• Published: 08/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Andrew T. Schieber, Charles L. Euteneuer
• Inventors: SCHIEBER, Andrew T., EUTENEUER, Charles L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,610,196 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/14 Eye parts, e.g. lenses, corneal implants; Implanting instruments specially adapted therefor; Artificial eyes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/15 Implant having one or more holes, e.g. for nutrient transport, for facilitating handling
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0008 Fixation appliances for connecting prostheses to the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0067 Means for introducing or releasing pharmaceutical products into the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00781 Apparatus for modifying intraocular pressure, e.g. for glaucoma treatment drainage implants in general A61M27/002
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 27/02 Ophthalmic agents

Abstract

An ocular implant having an inlet portion and a Schlemm'"'"'s canal portion distal to the inlet portion, the inlet portion being disposed at a proximal end of the implant and sized and configured to be placed within an anterior chamber of a human eye, the Schlemm'"'"'s canal portion being arranged and configured to be disposed within Schlemm'"'"'s canal of the eye when the inlet portion is disposed in the anterior chamber.

Claims

1. An ocular implant adapted to reside at least partially in a portion of Schlemm'"'"'s canal of a human eye, the implant comprising:

a body configured to extend within Schlemm'"'"'s canal in a curved volume having a large radius side and a short radius side, the body having a circumferential extent within the curved volume that varies along the length of the body between sections having a lesser circumferential extent and sections having a greater circumferential extent, one of the sections of lesser circumferential extent being disposed at a distal end of the body, the body defining a channel extending longitudinally through the body to and through the distal end of the body, the channel having a substantially open side disposed on the large radius side at one of the sections of lesser circumferential extent and an adjacent section of greater circumferential extent and a plurality of openings along the length of the body on the short radius side, the openings being in fluid communication with the channel; and

an inlet portion configured to be disposed in an anterior chamber of the eye when the body is in Schlemm'"'"'s canal, the inlet portion disposed on a proximal end of the body in fluid communication with the channel, the inlet portion defining one or more openings adapted to be in fluid communication with the anterior chamber of the eye when the body is disposed in Schlemm'"'"'s canal.

2. The ocular implant of claim 1 wherein each section of greater circumferential extent comprises a pair of struts, the sections of greater circumferential extent being separated by the sections of lesser circumferential extent comprising spine sections, the struts and spine sections defining the channel.

3. The ocular implant of claim 2 wherein each of the plurality of openings is disposed between a pair of the struts.

4. The ocular implant of claim 1 wherein the plurality of openings are disposed generally opposite the open side of the channel.

5. The ocular implant of claim 1 wherein the plurality of openings are disposed 140°

-150°

from the open side of the open channel.

6. The ocular implant of claim 1 wherein the Schlemm'"'"'s canal portion of the implant is adapted to extend at least about 60°

around a circle formed by Schlemm'"'"'s canal.

7. The ocular implant of claim 1 wherein the plurality of openings and the open side of the channel extend over more than 50% of a hypothetical surface covering the body portion of the implant adapted to lie within Schlemm'"'"'s canal.

8. The ocular implant of claim 1 wherein the ocular implant provides a material coverage of Schlemm'"'"'s canal of less than 50% over 90% of the ocular implant'"'"'s length.

9. The ocular implant of claim 1 wherein the ocular implant has a generally curved resting shape.

10. The ocular implant of claim 9 wherein the resting shape forms an arc of a circle, the inlet portion lying along the arc.

11. The ocular implant of claim 1 wherein the inlet portion defines one or more openings having a total cross sectional area greater than the cross sectional area defined by the channel in fluid communication with the anterior chamber of the eye.

12. The ocular implant of claim 1 wherein the inlet portion defines an open channel along at least a portion of its length in fluid communication with the anterior chamber of the eye.

13. The ocular implant of claim 1 further comprising a distally facing sloped surface at a distal end of the body formed by edges of the section of lesser circumferential extent at the distal end of the body and edges of a section of greater circumferential extent proximal to the section of lesser circumferential extent at the distal end of the body.