MXPA01008678A - Asymmetric intraocular lens injection cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

A lens injector cartridge having an asymmetric bore. The asymmetric bore initiates the folding of the lens on one side only, thereby reducing the amount of energy imparted to the lens and the potential for damage to the lens. The gentle folding of the lens also assists in positioning the travel of the haptics down the bore, thereby reducing the potential for damage to the haptics.

Description

INJECTION CARTRIDGE OF ASYMMETRIC INTRAOCULAR LENS This invention relates to intraocular lenses (IO s = Intraocular Lenses) and more particularly to cartridges used to inject IOLs into an eye. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The human eye in terms of its simplest form, functions to provide 'vision by transmitting and refracting light through a clear outer portion called the cornea and also focusing the image by the lens on the retina in the back the eye. The quality of the focused image depends on many factors including the size, shape and length of the eye, and the shape and transparency of the cornea and the lens. When a trauma, age or illness causes the lens to become less transparent, vision deteriorates due to diminished light that can be transmitted to the retina. This deficiency in the lens of the eye is medically known as cataract. The treatment of this condition is surgical removal of the lens and implantation of an artificial lens or IOL. While the previous IOLs were made of hard plastic, such as polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), soft folding IOLs made of silicone, soft acrylics and hydrogels, they have become increasingly popular due to the ability to bend or roll these soft lenses and insert them through a smaller incision. Various methods are used to wind or fold the lenses. A popular method is an injection cartridge that bends the lens and provides a relatively small diameter lumen through which the lens can be pushed into the eye, usually by a soft tip plunger. The most commonly used injector cartridge design is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,102 (Bartell), all of the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference and include a longitudinally divided hinged cartridge. Similar designs are illustrated in US Patents. Nos. 5,494,484 and 5,499,987 (Feingold) and 5,616,148 and 5,620,450 (Egales, et al.), All the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. In an attempt to avoid the claims of U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,102, several solid cartridges have been investigated, see for example U.S. Pat.

No. 5,275,604 (Rheinish, et al.) And 5,653,715 (Reich, and collaborators), all the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. These prior art cartridges all have a smooth, round or elliptical perforation that is symmetrical about the longitudinal axis. While a smooth round perforation works well with elastic materials such as silicones and hydrogel, viscoelastic materials such as soft acrylics do not curl or bend as easily, and are preferably rolled or folded more gradually to help avoid damage to the optic and / or haptic. Accordingly, there continues to be a need for an IOL injector cartridge that gently bends the IOL. BRIEF COMPENDI OF THE INVENTION The present invention improves upon prior art nozzle cartridges by providing a cartridge having an asymmetric perforation. Asymmetric perforation initiates the bending of the lens only on one side, thereby reducing the amount of energy imparted to the lens and the potential for lens damage. The slight bending of the lens also helps in placing the haptic's path through the perforation, thus reducing the potential for damage to the haptic. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a lens injector cartridge having an asymmetric perforation. A further objective of the present invention is to provide a lens injector cartridge that generally bends the lens.

A further objective of the present invention is to provide a lens injector cartridge that minimizes the potential for damage to optical and / or haptic component. Other objectives, characteristics and Advantages of the present invention will be apparent with reference to the drawings and the following description of the drawings and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the first embodiment of the intraocular lens injection cartridge of the present invention. FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of a first intraocular lens injection cartridge embodiment of the present invention. FIGURE 3 is a rear elevation view of a first embodiment of the intraocular lens injection cartridge of the present invention. FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of a first embodiment of the intraocular lens injection cartridge of the present invention. FIGURE 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the intraocular lens injection cartridge of the present invention taken on line 5-5 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the intraocular lens injection cartridge of the present invention, similar to FIGURE 5 illustrating a partially folded intraocular lens. FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the intraocular lens injection cartridge of the present invention taken on line 7-7 in FIGURE 6. FIGURE 8 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the intraocular lens injection cartridge of the present invention similar to FIGURES 5 and 6 illustrating the initial folding of one side of an intraocular lens. FIGURE 9 is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the intraocular lens injection cartridge of the present invention similar to FIGURE 7, but taken on line 9-9 in FIGURE 8. FIGURE 10 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the intraocular lens injection cartridge of the present invention similar to FIGS. 5, 6 and 8, illustrating the initial position of an intraocular lens in the perforation. FIGURE 11 is a rear elevation view of a first embodiment of the intraocular lens injection cartridge of the present invention similar to FIGURE 3, but illustrating the initial position of an intraocular lens in the perforation. FIGURE 12 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the intraocular lens injection cartridge of the present invention showing perforation in dotted lines. FIGURE 13 is a cross-sectional view of the perforation that can be employed with the present invention, which is taken on line 13-13 in FIGURE 12. FIGURE 14 is a cross-sectional view of the perforation that can be used with The present invention is taken on line 14-14 in FIGURE 12. FIGURE 15 is a cross-sectional view of the perforation that can be employed with the present invention taken on line 15-15 in FIGURE 12. FIGURE 16 is a cross-sectional view of the perforation that can be employed with the present invention taken on line 16-16 in FIGURE 12. FIGURE 17 is a cross-sectional view of the perforation that can be employed with the present invention which is taken on line 17-17 in FIGURE 12.

FIGURE 18 is a top plan view of a third embodiment of the intraocular lens injection cartridge of the present invention. FIGURE 19 is a rear elevation view of the third embodiment of the intraocular lens injection cartridge of the present invention illustrated in FIGURE 18. FIGURE 20 is a side elevational view of the third embodiment of the intraocular lens injection cartridge of the present invention. FIGURE 21 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the fourth embodiment of the intraocular lens injection cartridge of the present invention. FIGURE 22 is a side longitudinal cross-sectional view of the fourth embodiment of the intraocular lens injection cartridge of the present invention. FIGURE 23 is a cross-sectional view of the perforation that can be employed with the present invention taken on line 23-23 in FIGURE 21. FIGURE 24 is a cross-sectional view of the perforation that can be employed with the present invention taken on line 24-24 in FIGURE 21. FIGURE 25 is a cross-sectional view of the perforation that can be employed with the present invention taken on line 25-25 in FIGURE 21.

FIGURE 26 is a cross-sectional view of the perforation that can be employed with the present invention taken on line 26-26 in FIGURE 21. FIGURE 27 is a cross-sectional view of the perforation that can be employed with the present invention that is taken on line 27-27 in FIGURE 21. FIGURE 28 is a cross-sectional view of the perforation that can be employed with the present invention taken on line 28-28 in FIGURE 21. FIGURE 29 is a view in FIG. cross section of the perforation that can be employed with the present invention taken on line 29-29 in FIGURE 21. FIGURE 30 is a cross-sectional view of the perforation that can be employed with the present invention that is taken on the line 30-30 in FIGURE 21. FIGURE 31 is a cross-sectional view of the perforation that can be employed with the present invention taken on line 31-31 in FIGURE 21. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION see in FIGURES 1, 4, 12, 18, 20 And 21, the intraocular lens injector cartridge 10, 110, 210 and 310 of the present invention, generally has a tubular body 12, 112, 212 and 312 and injection nozzle 14, 114, 214 and 314. The cartridge 10, 110, 210 and 310 is preferably molded as a single piece to from any suitable thermoplastic such as polypropylene, and the thermoplastic may contain a lubricity enhancing agent such as those described in US Pat. No. 5,716,364, all the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Alternatively, the cartridge 10, 110, 210 and 310 can be made from stainless steel or titanium. The nozzle 14, 114, 214 and 314 is preferably of round, oval or elliptical cross section and has a cross-sectional area of between 1.5 mm2 to about 6.5 mm2. The distal tip 15, 115, 215 and 315 of the nozzle 14, 114, 214 and 314 is preferably rounded on the inside and outside. As best illustrated in FIGS. 4, 12, 18, 19 and 21, the body 12, 112, 212 and 312, preferably contain fasteners 13, 113, 213 and 313 that allow easier handling of the cartridge 10, 110, 210 and 310 and provide a mechanism for locking the cartridge 10, 110, 210 and 310 in the manual injection part (not shown). As best seen in FIGURE 4, the body 12 may contain an opening 16 that communicates with the perforation 18. The aperture 16 allows visualization of IOL 20 and haptic 22 as the IOL 20 enters the nozzle 14. Alternatively, as is illustrated in the second embodiment shown in FIGURE 12, the body 112 may be solid and not contain an aperture or, as illustrated in the third embodiment shown in FIGURE 18, the body 212 may contain a solid transparent window 224 that allows visualization In addition, the window 224 may contain the profile 226 of an IOL indicating correct orientation of the IOL in the cartridge 210. In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1, 4 and 12, the proximal end 26 and 126 of the bodies 12 and 112, respectively, may contain a pin 28 and 128 around which the haptic 22 may be wrapped, as illustrated in FIGURE 10. This orientation of the haptic 22 helps to prevent the haptic 22 from being trapped eg by the mechanism that moves the IOL 20 through the perforation 18 or 118. As best seen in FIGS. 5-17 and 19, the perforation 18, 118 and 218 is asymmetric in rounded cross section on one side 30, 130 and 230 and with ramp on the other side 32, 132 and 232 near the proximal end 26, 126 and 226, tapering in an almost oval or circular nozzle 14, 114 and 214. As best seen in FIGS. 6-11, the side with ramp 32 holds the edge 33 of the IOL 20 relatively flat as the IOL 20 is pushed down the perforation 18 while the rounded side 30 of the perforation 18 winds or bends the edge 31 of the IOL 20. Softly rounding the side with ramp 32 near the nozzle 14 allows the side 32 to wind or bend the edge 33 after the edge 31 has been rolled up, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7. This asymmetric construction slowly bends one side of the IOL 20 at a time and it is particularly advantageous when the IOL 20 is made of a viscoelastic material such as a soft acrylic, because this slight bending allows the material to circulate in the folded form with less potential for damage to the IOL 20. In addition, the asymmetric bending action of the present invention helps to prevent the haptic 22 from trap or clamp by pin inside pierce 18 by IOL 20 and get damaged. Alternatively, as seen in FIGS. 21-31, the perforation 318 may be ramp-down on one side 332, but may contain the flat ledge or shelf 334. The shelf 334 extends only partially through the perforation 318 and aids in ensure proper placement of IOL 20 during loading. In order to further facilitate the movement of IOL 20 by perforation 18, 118 and 218, the inner surface 19, 119, 219 and 319 of the perforation 18, 118, 218 and 318 can be covered with a lubricating coating such as that described in US Pat. Nos. 4,487,865, 4,500,676, 4,663,233, 4,801,475, 4,959,074, 5,023,114 and 5,037,677, all the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. The perforations 18, 118, 218 and 318 can also be coated by any commercially available medical grade viscoelastic, such as VISCOAT ™ viscoelastic available from Alcon Laboratories, Inc., Fort Worth, Texas. The inventors have also found that texturizing the inner surface 19, 119, 219 and 319 also aids in the movement of IOL 20 through perforation 18, 118, 218 and 318 by minimizing the amount of surface contact between the inner surface 19, 119, 219 or 319 and the IOL 20 and when trapping any viscoelastic agent between the inner surface 19, 119, 219 or 319 and the IOL 20. For example, a surface roughness greater than 0.45 miera RMS can be employed. This finish can be generated by a two-stage process that incorporates an initial random pattern texture by sand blasting or acid etching followed by a specific directional polishing on the longitudinal axis of the perforation 18, 118, 218 or 318 to achieve a trimmed or plate effect. While certain embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these descriptions are given for purposes of illustration and explanation. Variations, changes, modifications and separations of the systems and methods described above can be adopted without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention.

Claims (4)

1. CLAIMS 1. An intraocular lens injector cartridge, characterized in that it comprises: a) a body having a perforation, the perforation is asymmetric in cross section and has a ramp on one side and contains a shelf on the other side opposite the ramp; and b) an injection nozzle formed integrally with the body, the nozzle has a bore that communicates with the bore in the body. The cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that the asymmetric perforation has a textured interior surface. 3. The cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that the body contains a window. The cartridge according to claim 3, characterized in that the window contains an orientation profile.