KR102523563B1 - UV irradiation device for eye treatment - Google Patents

Abstract

A main body portion having an opening formed on the front side; Discloses a UV irradiation device comprising a; and a lens unit installed in front of the main body unit.

Description

UV irradiation device for eye treatment}

The present invention relates to a UV irradiator for ophthalmic treatment.

In ophthalmology, the technique of using photosensitizers and electromagnetic radiation to change the biomechanical and biochemical properties of a tissue, eg the cornea, for therapeutic purposes has been known for over ten years.

The human eyeball is bounded by the cornea. Due to internal intraocular pressure, the cornea, which contains collagen, has an approximately spherical shape. In the posterior ocular region, the cornea is composed of the white of the eye. The cornea, which is translucent to visible light, is located in the anterior region.

Deformations of the cornea may be due to anomalous vision. For example, axial myopia, a type of myopia, can result from longitudinal swelling of the cornea and/or sclera of the eye. An oval shaped corneal surface can lead to a form of astigmatism or other higher order aberrations called “irregular corneal curvature”. Another defect of the cornea can be caused by progressive and irregular changes in corneal shape. This is commonly known as ectasia. These dilation changes are usually marked by thinning of the cornea and an increase in the anterior and/or posterior curvatures of the cornea, often resulting in high levels of myopia and astigmatism. The most common form of ectasia is keratoconus. In keratoconus, pathological softening of the cornea results in progressive thinning and cone-shaped deformation of the cornea. As swelling increases, the cornea generally becomes thinner below the center. It can rupture and scar, which can permanently reduce visual acuity. In these conditions, the corneal stroma is structurally weakened and biomechanically unstable.

Corneal cross-linking (also sometimes referred to as cross-linking, corneal collagen cross-linking, or corneal collagen cross-linking) involves the use of ultraviolet (UV) light or light in the blue spectrum and a light sensitizer to form chemical bonds in the cornea. It is a technique that strengthens and increases the degree of corneal stiffness. The stiffening effect results from the UV radiation of the photosensitizer. By UV radiation, photosensitizers are acted upon to cause corneal cross-linking. Corneal cross-linking involves the cross-linking of collagen fibers. UV light is used to cause cross-linking in the cornea, which makes the cornea stronger and more rigid. UV light absorbed by the cornea during treatment causes cross-linking. Cross-linking will occur over several days after irradiation with UV light.

In summary, corneal cross-linking can be viewed as a process in which a photosensitizer is placed on or in the cornea to stiffen the cornea, followed by exposure to UV light.

Conventional corneal collagen crosslinking removes corneal epithelium, the first layer constituting the cornea, applies Riboflavin (vitamin B), waits for 30 minutes, and then irradiates UV for 30 minutes. The ultraviolet ray used for corneal collagen cross-linking is usually 375 nm, and LED or LD (laser diode) can be used as the light source 150, and the corneal irradiation area is approximately 8 mm in diameter, irradiated for 30 minutes at an intensity of 3 mW / cm2 do. Recently, there is a tendency to use a method of reducing the irradiation time by increasing the intensity.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2011-0018295 "ultraviolet irradiation for the treatment of corneal weakness" has been proposed, which involves applying a photoinitiator to a keratoconus cornea, and exposing the cornea to ultraviolet irradiation for about 10 minutes or less. It includes steps to

One aspect of the present invention discloses a UV irradiation device for ophthalmic treatment that allows UV to be uniformly irradiated to the cornea.

The technical problem of the present invention is not limited to the technical problem mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

The UV irradiation device of the present invention includes a body portion having an opening formed on the front side; and a lens unit installed in front of the main body unit.

On the other hand, the body portion includes a pair of light sources embedded so that a laser beam is irradiated toward the opening;

The pair of light sources are disposed on the same plane inside the main body and irradiate a laser beam to the cornea at a symmetrical angle through the lens unit,

The body unit may further include an aperture installed between the plurality of light sources and the lens unit.

In addition, the main body portion is installed on the same plane as the plurality of light sources, a fixing portion for outputting visible light; and an installation plate formed in a disk shape having a predetermined thickness, the fixing part being installed at a central point, and the pair of light sources being installed in a point-symmetrical form with respect to the fixing part.

According to one aspect of the present invention described above, it is possible to increase the accuracy and convenience of the procedure.

1 to 3 are views showing a UV irradiation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view showing an example of an installation plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Advantages and features of the present invention, and methods of achieving them, will become clear with reference to the detailed description of the following embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but will be implemented in various different forms, only these embodiments make the disclosure of the present invention complete, and common knowledge in the art to which the present invention belongs. It is provided to fully inform the holder of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numbers designate like elements throughout the specification.

Terminology used herein is for describing the embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. In this specification, singular forms also include plural forms unless specifically stated otherwise in a phrase. As used herein, “comprises” and/or “comprising” do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other components, steps, and operations to the stated components, steps, and operations.

1 to 3 are views showing a UV irradiation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , a UV irradiation device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a body part 100 and a lens part 200 .

An opening may be formed on the front side of the main body portion 100, and a light source 150 for irradiating UV toward the opening may be embedded.

For example, the light source 150 may be an LED or LD, and generates a laser beam having ultrashort pulses. Focusing a laser beam can create laser-induced optical breakthrough (LIOB) in tissues such as the cornea. The laser beam may be precisely focused to allow precise dissection in the corneal cell layers, which may reduce or avoid unnecessary destruction of other tissue.

The laser beam may have any suitable wavelength, such as a wavelength in the range of 300-1900 nanometers (nm), for example a wavelength in the range of 300-650, 650-1050, 1050-1250, or 1100-1900 nm. can The laser beam may also have a relatively small focal volume, eg, a diameter of 5 micrometers (μm) or less.

The light source 150 may be in a vacuum state.

The body unit 100 may include a control unit. The control unit may control the light source 150 according to a control program, and may control, for example, to focus pulsed laser radiation in an area of the cornea and photo-destroy at least a portion of the area.

The lens unit 200 may be installed inside the main body unit 100 so as to be located in the square of the light source 150 .

For example, an f-theta objective lens may be used as the lens unit 200, and the laser emitted from the light source 150 is positioned at a focal distance centered on an optical axis with the cornea. The beam is superimposed on the cornea and irradiated.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the main body 100 may include a plurality of light sources 150 .

The plurality of light sources 150 may be disposed on the same plane inside the body part 100 and allow the laser beam 151 to be irradiated to the cornea at a symmetrical angle through the lens part 200 . Accordingly, the laser beam 151 will be uniformly irradiated to the cornea.

For example, a plurality of light sources 150 are provided as a pair, and arranged so as to be symmetrical to each other on the installation plate, so that the laser beams 151 irradiated from each are symmetrical to each other with respect to the optical axis through the lens unit 200. to irradiate the cornea with

The body unit 100 may further include an aperture 170 installed between the light source 150 and the lens unit 200 . The aperture 170 may limit an area on which the laser beam 151 is focused on the cornea while passing through.

The body part 100 may further include a fixing part 160 .

The fixing unit 160 may output visible light 151 to fix the patient's gaze during the procedure, and may be disposed on the same plane as the light source 150 . For example, the fixing part 160 may be installed at the center of the installation plate, and the pair of lens units 200 may be arranged and installed point-symmetrically with respect to the fixing part 160 .

The fixing unit 160 can fix the patient's gaze to increase the efficiency of the procedure.

4 is a view showing an example of an installation plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the installation plate 300 may be installed inside the main body 100, and a pair of light sources 150 and a fixing part 160 may be installed.

The installation plate 300 may be formed in a disk shape having a predetermined thickness, the fixing part 160 is installed at the center point of the installation plate 300, and the pair of light sources 150 are based on the fixing part 160. Thus, it can be installed in a point-symmetrical form.

Meanwhile, the installation plate 300 may include a housing part 310 and a support part 320 .

The housing part 310 forms the outer shape of the installation plate 300 and may be formed in a circular shape.

A plurality of support parts 320 may be provided and installed inside the housing part 310 in a lattice form. For example, the support part 320 may be formed in a straight line shape and radially installed with respect to the central axis of the housing part 310 .

Support part 320 may form an elastic spring 321 at one end.

The elastic spring 321 may be formed in the form of a coil spring.

The support part 320 may form a hooking part 322 at one end of the elastic spring 321 and may be installed in the housing part 310 through the hooking part 322 .

For example, the support part 320 may be installed on the housing part 310 by welding or the like.

Such an installation plate 300 includes a plurality of support parts 320 installed inside the housing part 310, and these support parts 320 are composed of elastic springs having a tensile force to protect the housing part 310 from external impact. Absorbs the applied shock and also absorbs vibration due to internal operation so that the laser beam can be stably irradiated through the light source 150 or the fixing part 160 installed on the installation plate 300.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art can realize that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features. you will be able to understand Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not limiting.

1: UV irradiation device
100: body part
200: lens unit

Claims (3)

A main body portion having an opening formed on the front side; and
Including; a lens unit installed in front of the main body unit,
The body part,
Including; a pair of light sources embedded so that the laser beam is irradiated toward the opening,
The pair of light sources,
It is disposed on the same plane inside the body part and irradiates a laser beam to the cornea at a symmetrical angle through the lens part,
The body part,
Further comprising an aperture installed between the plurality of light sources and the lens unit,
The body part,
a fixing unit installed on the same plane as the plurality of light sources and outputting visible light; and
An installation plate formed in the shape of a disc having a predetermined thickness, the fixing part being installed at a central point, and the pair of light sources being installed in a point-symmetrical form with respect to the fixing part; further comprising,
The installation plate,
a housing portion formed in a circular shape;
A support portion formed in a straight line shape and provided with a plurality of support portions radially installed with respect to the central axis of the housing portion;
an elastic spring formed at one end of the support and absorbing an impact applied to the housing; and
A UV irradiation device including a; formed at one end of the elastic spring and installing the support part to the housing part.
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