Bausch-lomb Incorporated

Bausch & Lomb Surgical, Inc.

Chiron Vision Corporation

Alcon, Inc.

Alcon Laboratories, Inc.

Thomas Michael Heyman

Edward Vaquero

Martin P Schooping

Philip L Bryan

Aaron M Torp

Brian D Rathert

Alok Nigam

George A Clark

Kyle Brown

Dennis Figueroa

Henry W Oviatt, Jr

David Anthony Downer

Gary A Richardson

William J Seyboth

Bradley S Stone

Jon P Cullen

Robert J Egan

Lauren L Kanner

Charles Sherwood

Dennis Alexander Figueroa

A preloaded intraocular lens injection device includes a retainer for releasably holding an IOL in an unstressed state. The retainer and IOL are removably attached to an injector body and are sealed in the same package for delivery to a surgeon. In an alternate embodiment, the retainer and IOL are coupled together and sealed in one package and the injector body is sealed in a separate package with the surgeon attaching the retainer to the injector body at the time of surgery. To deliver the IOL through the injector body, the retainer is removed from the injector body causing the IOL to release from the retainer and become located in an unstressed state in the injector body. A compressor is moved to the closed position to compress the IOL, the injector tip is inserted through a small incision in an eye and a plunger is advanced to push the IOL through and out the injector body tip and into an eye.

Preloaded IOL injector

A method of folding a multiple element IOL comprising folding the first lens element and second lens element such that the second lens element at least partially surrounds the first lens element and such that, after folding, both the first lens element and the second lens element are substantially aligned along the optical axis. A hinged apparatus such as a cartridge may be used to cause the second lens element to be folded. A method of loading a multielement IOL comprising folding the haptics such that a portion of the haptics contacts an exterior side of one of the first lens element and the second lens element.

Method of inserting an intraocular lens

A device for injecting an intraocular lens (IOL) into an eye, the device having an injector body including a lumen and an open tip wherethrough the IOL is expressed from the device. An IOL loading bay is located in the passageway wherein the IOL is positioned and compressed. The injector tip is dimensioned to allow the surgeon to choose an insertion depth between first, second and third transition points defined on the tip, the first and second transition points having a larger diameter than the third transition point which is located closer to the open tend of the tip. If the surgeon wishes to insert through a very small incision size (e.g., about 2.4 mm), the surgeon will insert the tip only up to the third transition point. The injector is stable during delivery of the IOL therethrough due to a spreading of the tip within the eye which effectively anchors the tip during IOL delivery.

IOL injector

A preloaded intraocular lens injection device includes a retainer for releasably holding an IOL in an unstressed state. The retainer and IOL are removably attached to an injector body and are sealed in the same package for delivery to a surgeon. In an alternate embodiment, the retainer and IOL are coupled together and sealed in one package and the injector body is sealed in a separate package with the surgeon attaching the retainer to the injector body at the time of surgery. To deliver the IOL through the injector body, the retainer is removed from the injector body causing the IOL to release from the retainer and become located in an unstressed state in the injector body.

A lens delivery system having a plunger, an injector body and a nozzle portion connected to the injector body, the nozzle portion having a hinged lid and a hollow body with a lens holding platform formed beneath the hinged lid. The cartridge has an elongated nozzle tube or tip with a bore, the bore communicating with the lens holding platform. The bottom of the bore is rounded, which causes the edges of the lens between the lens haptics to fold upwardly as the lens is pushed down the bore from the platform by the plunger. A removable pin fits into the lid and prevents the lens from moving down the bore of the tip during shipment and storage.

Lens delivery system

This invention is a device for inserting a flexible intraocular lens ( ) into an eye comprising a tubular member ( ) and a plunger ( ). The tubular member includes a staging area ( ), a lumen, and an open distal end ( ). The staging area supports unstressed state prior to engagement by the plunger. In the unstressed state, the optic ( ) of the lens is suspended in a pocket to avoid any substantial contact with interior portions of the tubular member. The plunger includes a slot ( ) in its distal tip fo receiving and gripping the lens. With this construction, the lens can be inserted into the eye in one continuous motion. Further, the plunger holds the lens when the lens is moved out of the tubular member.

Device for inserting a flexible intraocular lens

An instrument for inserting a flexible intraocular lens or other flexible membrane into an eye which includes a compressor for laterally compressing the lens into a small cross-sectional configuration to pass the lens through a narrow incision. The compressor includes retainers along the interior of the inserter to maintain the side edges of the lens in a substantially planar orientation during compression. The retainers preferably extend through the inserter to hold the lens during advancement toward the eye to prevent an uncontrolled rotation of the lens. A haptic guide may be placed through the distal end of the inserter to properly position the leading loop haptic of the lens.

Method and apparatus for inserting a flexible membrane into an eye

A device for inserting a flexible membrane into an eye which includes a tubular member with an passage and a plunger movably received in the passage. The passage has an open distal end adapted to be received into an eye for implantation of a lens, and a staging area for initially receiving the lens into the passage. The tubular member includes an opening to permit loading of a lens into the staging area, and a cover movable between an open position to expose the staging area and a closed position to enclose the staging area. The distal end of the plunger has a visual indicator which provides a contrasting image as compared to the staging area. The visual indicator enables the surgeon to easily see whether the distal tip of the plunger is improperly positioned in the staging area before loading the lens.

An intraocular lens insertion device having a tubular member for receiving the lens and a plunger for pushing the lens into the eye. The lens is held in a suspended position by its haptics so that the optic portion of the lens does not contact the interior of the tubular member. The plunger tip is provided with a slot for holding the lens after it is expelled from the tubular member into the eye in order to alleviate the risks associated with uncontrolled unfolding of the lens or uncontrolled expulsion of the lens from the inserter into the eye.

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.

Asymmetric intraocular lens injection cartridge

A tip formation for an instrument for inserting a flexible membrane into an eye is formed at the distal end of a cannula. The cannula has a lumen which directs the flexible membrane through an incision and into the eye. The distal end is beveled so as to provide ease of entry into the incision and to orient the discharge opening for the flexible membrane at an inclination to the longitudinal axis of the lumen. The cannula walls about the beveled end are tapered to form a smaller sized end without impeding the advance of the membrane.

Tip formation for inserting a flexible membrane into an eye

An instrument for inserting a flexible intraocular lens or other flexible membrane into an eye which includes a compressor for laterally compressing the lens into a small cross-sectional configuration to pass the lens through a narrow incision. The compressor includes retainers along the interior of the inserter to maintain the side edges of the lens in a substantially planar orientation during compression. The retainers preferably extend through the inserter to hold the lens during advancement toward the eye to prevent an uncontrolled rotation of the lens.

A device for inserting a flexible intraocular lens into an eye comprising a tubular member and a plunger. The tubular member includes a staging area, a lumen and an open distal end. The staging area supports the lens in an unstressed state prior to engagement by the plunger. In the unstressed state, the optic of the lens is suspended in a pocket to avoid any substantial contact with interior portions of the tubular member. The plunger includes a slot in its distal tip for receiving and gripping the lens. With this construction, the lens can be inserted into the eye in one continuous motion. Further, the plunger holds the lens when the lens is moved out of the tubular member.

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Chino Hills, CA, United States of America

Thomas Michael Heyman