Glaucoma device delivery system and trans-conjunctival method of delivery

Abstract

A method for treating glaucoma with an implantable glaucoma device includes inserting a hollow elongated needle into the eye between the cornea and iris and into the anterior chamber of the eye to form a needle tract in the eye, introducing a distal end of a guidewire through the needle and into the anterior chamber, introducing a snare through a corneal incision into the anterior chamber. The snare has a sheath and a hook or loop inside the sheath and extendible therefrom. The method includes capturing a segment of the guidewire proximate the distal end of the guidewire with the snare within the anterior chamber, removing the needle from over the guidewire outside of the eye, coupling a glaucoma drainage device to a proximal end of the guidewire that extends outside of the eye, and pulling on the captured guidewire segment with the snare to pull the glaucoma drainage device into the needle tract and into the anterior chamber of the eye until the glaucoma device is located in an implanted position in the eye. The method can also possibly involve removing the snare from the eye, cutting a distal end of the glaucoma device (possibly within the anterior chamber), and removing the cut distal end of the glaucoma drainage device from the eye. An improved glaucoma drainage device and other deployment systems and methods are also described and claimed.