Intraocular lens combinations -> Monitor Keywords
Fresh Patents
Monitor Patents Patent Organizer How to File a Provisional Patent Browse Inventors Browse Industry Browse Agents Browse Locations
     new ** File a Provisional Patent ** 
site info Site News  |  monitor Monitor Keywords  |  monitor archive Monitor Archive  |  organizer Organizer  |  account info Account Info  |  
05/25/06 | 3 views | #20060111776 | Prev - Next | USPTO Class 623 | About this Page  623 rss/xml feed  monitor keywords

Intraocular lens combinations

USPTO Application #: 20060111776
Title: Intraocular lens combinations
Abstract: Intraocular lens combinations are provided which include an axially movable primary intraocular lens (IOL) and a substantially fixed compensating IOL. In certain embodiments, the compensating IOL has no corrective power and serves only to inhibit or reduce the risk of posterior capsular opacification (PCO). In other embodiments, the primary IOL has higher corrective power than required by the patient's prescription in order to amplify the accommodation obtained from axial movement, and the compensating IOL has negative corrective power to compensate for the excessive diopter value of the primary IOL. In a preferred method, the primary IOL is implanted in the capsular bag of an eye, and centered about the optical axis. The compensating IOL is then implanted in the capsular bag, sulcus, or anterior chamber and axially aligned with the primary IOL. If desired, refractive measurements may be made between insertion of the primary IOL and insertion of the compensating IOL to improve refractive accuracy and outcomes. (end of abstract)
Agent: Advanced Medical Optics, Inc. - Santa Ana, CA, US
Inventors: Robert E. Glick, Daniel G. Brady
USPTO Applicaton #: 20060111776 - Class: 623006340 (USPTO)
Related Patent Categories: Prosthesis (i.e., Artificial Body Members), Parts Thereof, Or Aids And Accessories Therefor, Eye Prosthesis (e.g., Lens Or Corneal Implant, Or Artificial Eye, Etc.), Intraocular Lens, Multiple Lens, In Series Along Visual Axis
The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060111776.
Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims  monitor keywords



CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application is a Continuation-in-Part Application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/390,380, filed Sep. 3, 1999, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 60/132,085 filed Apr. 30, 1999. The disclosures of both the provisional application and the non-provisional application are incorporated in their entirety by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to intraocular lens combinations. More particularly, the invention relates to intraocular lens combinations which are adapted to provide substantial benefits, such as accommodating movement and/or inhibition of posterior capsule opacification (PCO) in the eye.

[0003] The human eye includes an anterior chamber between the cornea and iris, a posterior chamber including a capsular bag containing a crystalline lens, a ciliary muscle, a vitreous chamber behind the lens containing the vitreous humor, and a retina at the rear of this chamber. The human eye has a natural accommodation ability. The contraction and relaxation of the ciliary muscle provides the eye with near, intermediate and distant vision. This ciliary muscle action shapes the natural crystalline lens to the appropriate optical configuration for focusing light rays entering the eye on the retina.

[0004] After the natural crystalline lens is removed, for example, because of cataract or other condition, a conventional, monofocal IOL can be placed in the posterior chamber. Such a conventional IOL has very limited, if any, accommodating ability. However, the wearer of such an IOL continues to require the ability to view both near and far (distant) objects. Corrective spectacles may be employed as a useful solution. Recently, multifocal IOLs without accommodating movement have been used to provide near/far vision correction.

[0005] Attempts have been made to provide IOLs with accommodating movement along the optical axis of the eye as an alternative to shape changing. Examples of such attempts are set forth in Levy U.S. Pat. No. 4,409,691, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,674,282 and 5,496,366 to Cumming, U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,878 to Gwon et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,603 to Lang et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,406,494 to Laguette et al. The disclosure of each of these patents is incorporated herein by reference.

[0006] One problem that exists with such IOLs is that they often cannot move sufficiently to obtain the desired accommodation. The degree of accommodation has been closely related to the lens prescription of the individual patient. In addition, the presence of such lenses can result in cell growth from the capsular bag onto the optics of such lenses. Such cell growth, often referred to as posterior capsule opacification (PCO), can interfere with the clarity of the optic to the detriment of the lens wearer's vision.

[0007] It would be advantageous to provide IOLs adapted for accommodating movement, which can preferably achieve an acceptable amount of accommodation and/or a reduced risk of PCO.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] New intraocular lens combinations (ILCs) have been disclosed. The present ILCs provide distance, near and intermediate vision through position, preferably axial position, changes in the eye. The present combinations preferably enhance the degree of accommodation achieved in spite of the movement and space limitations within the eye. One advantage of the present ILCs is the ability to standardize the prescription or optical power of the moving or accommodating lens of the ILC. Thus, the required amount of movement in the eye to achieve accommodation can be substantially the same for all patients. This greatly facilitates the design of the moving or accommodating lens. Further, with at least certain of the present ILCs, inhibition of PCO is obtained. The present ILCs are relatively straightforward in construction, can be implanted or inserted into the eye using systems and procedures which are well known in the art and function effectively with little or no additional treatments or medications being required.

[0009] In one broad aspect of the present invention, intraocular lens combinations (ILCs) comprise a first optic body, second optic body and a movement assembly. The first optic body has a negative or plano optical power and is adapted to be placed in a substantially fixed position in a mammalian eye. In those cases where the first optic body has a negative optical power, it is also called the compensating optic body. The second optic body, also called the primary optic body, has a higher optical power than the first optic body. The movement assembly is coupled to the second optic body and is adapted to cooperate with the eye, for example, the zonules, ciliary muscle and capsular bag of the eye, to effect accommodating movement of the second optic body in the eye.

[0010] Advantageously, the second optic body has a high plus optical power to reduce the amount of movement, for example, axial movement, in the eye needed to provide accommodation for intermediate and near vision. The negative or minus optical power of the first optic body compensates for the excess plus or positive optical power in the first optic body. The use of such a compensating lens, that is the first optic body having a negative optical power, can allow for standardization of the optical power correction in the second optic body. In other words, the optical power of the second optic body, that is the primary or movable optic body, can be approximately equal from optic body to optic body, while the optical power of the first optic body, that is the compensating or fixed optic body, is adjusted from optic body to optic body to meet the specific vision correction needs (prescription) of each individual patient. Consequently, the required amount of movement of the second optic body in the eye can be approximately the same for all patients.

[0011] The present ILCs provide accommodation, preferably an acceptable degree of accommodation, in spite of movement and space limitations in the eye. For example, the maximum theoretical amount of axial movement for a simple disc lens having an overall diameter of 11 millimeters (mm) and an optic diameter of 5 mm that undergoes 1 mm of compression in its diameter is about 1.65 mm. The amount of axial movement required for a plus 15 diopter optic to provide 2.5 diopters of additional power in the spectacle plane is about 2.6 mm. However, a plus 30 diopter optic requires only 1.2 mm of axial movement to provide 2.5 diopters of additional power in the spectacle plane. Thus, by increasing the plus power of the second optic, which is adapted for accommodating movement, a reduced amount of movement is needed to achieve higher or enhanced degrees of accommodation. The first or fixed optic preferably has a minus power to compensate for the excess plus power in the second optic.

[0012] The present ILCs preferably include first and second optics with optical powers which provide a net plus optical power. To illustrate, assume that the patient requires a plus 15 diopter correction. The first optic body is provided with a minus 15 diopter optical power and the second optic body with a plus 30 diopter optical power. The net optical power of this ILC is approximately the sum of minus 15 diopters and plus 30 diopters or plus 15 diopters, the desired prescription for the patient in question. The powers of the first and second optics are only approximately additive since the net power of the combination also depends on other factors including, but not limited to, the separation of the two optics, the magnitude of the power of each individual optic body and its location in the eye and the like factors. Also, by adjusting the optical power of the first optic body, the net optical power of the ILC can be adjusted or controlled even though the optical power of the second optic body is standardized or remains the same, for example, at a plus 30 diopter optical power. By standardizing the optical power of the second optic body, the amount of movement in the eye required to obtain a given level of accommodation is substantially the same, and preferably well within the space limitations in the eye, from patient to patient.

[0013] In one very useful embodiment, the movement assembly comprises a member including a proximal end region coupled to the second optic body and a distal end region extending away from the second optic body and adapted to contact a capsular bag of the eye. Such movement assembly may completely circumscribe the second optic body or may be such as to only partially circumscribe the second optic body.

[0014] The second optic body preferably is adapted to be positioned in the capsular bag of the eye.

[0015] The first optic body may be coupled to a fixation member, or a plurality of fixation members, adapted to assist in fixating the first optic body in the eye. Each fixation member preferably has a distal end portion extending away from the first optic body. In one embodiment, the distal end portion of the fixation member is adapted to be located in the capsular bag of the eye. Alternately, the distal end portion of the fixation member may be located in contact with a sulcus of the eye. As a further alternate, the distal end portion of the fixation member may be adapted to be located in an anterior chamber of the eye.

[0016] The first optic body may be located posterior in the eye relative to the second optic body or anterior in the eye relative to the second optic body. In a useful embodiment, the first optic body is adapted to be positioned in contact with the posterior wall of the capsular bag of the eye. This positioning of the first optic body provides for effective compensation of the plus or positive vision correction power of the second optic body. In addition, by having the first optic body in contact with the posterior wall of the capsular bag, cell growth from the capsular bag onto the ILC, and in particular onto the first and second optics of the ILC, is reduced. This, in turn, reduces the risk of or inhibits posterior capsule opacification (PCO).

[0017] In one embodiment, the fixation member or members and the movement assembly are secured together, preferably permanently secured together. Thus, when inserting the ILC into the eye, a single combined structure can be inserted. This reduces the need to position the first and second optics relative to each other. Put another way, this feature allows the surgeon to very effectively and conveniently position the ILC in the eye with reduced surgical trauma to the patient.

[0018] The fixation member and movement assembly may be secured, for example, fused, together at the distal end portion of the fixation member and the distal end region of the movement assembly.

[0019] In an alternate embodiment, there is no connection between the fixation member or members of the compensating lens and the movement assembly of the primary lens. That is, the compensating lens and primary lens are completely separate from and independent of one another, enabling them to be implanted consecutively, rather than simultaneously. This allows the lenses to be inserted through a smaller incision than would be possible with a combined structure. In the case of separate lenses, however, special care must be taken to axially align the two lenses in order to avoid decentration issues.

[0020] In another broad aspect of the present invention, ILCs are provided which comprise a first optic body having a posterior surface adapted to be positioned in contact with a posterior wall of the capsular bag of the eye; a second optic body adapted to focus light toward a retina of the eye; and a movement assembly coupled to the second optic body and adapted to cooperate with the eye to effect accommodating movement of the second optic body in the eye. The first optic body has a substantially plano optical power or a negative optical power. These ILCs are particularly adapted to inhibit PCO.

[0021] The first optic body of these combinations preferably is adapted to be placed in a substantially fixed position in the eye. The posterior surface of the first optic body advantageously is configured to substantially conform to a major portion, that is, at least about 50%, of the posterior wall of the capsular bag of the eye in which the combination is placed. More preferably, the posterior surface of the first optic body is configured to substantially conform to substantially all of the posterior wall of the capsular bag. Such configuration of the first optic body is very useful in inhibiting cell growth from the eye onto the first and second optics and in inhibiting PCO.

Continue reading...
Full patent description for Intraocular lens combinations

Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
Click on the above for other options relating to this Intraocular lens combinations patent application.
###
monitor keywords

How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents
1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored.
3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords.  
Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Intraocular lens combinations or other areas of interest.
###


Previous Patent Application:
Segmented scleral band for treatment of presbyopia and other eye disorders
Next Patent Application:
Wireless breach detection
Industry Class:
Prosthesis (i.e., artificial body members), parts thereof, or aids and accessories therefor

###

FreshPatents.com Support
Thank you for viewing the Intraocular lens combinations patent info.
IP-related news and info


Results in 0.18171 seconds


Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories:
Canon USA , Celera Genomics , Cephalon, Inc. , Cingular Wireless , Clorox , Colgate-Palmolive , Corning , Cymer ,