Implantable intraocular pressure drain
US8246569B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 16, 2005 |
| Grant date | Aug 21, 2012 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 16, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF16K2099/0086
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An implanted parylene tube shunt relieves intra-ocular pressure. The device is implanted with an open end in the anterior chamber of the eye, allowing excess fluid to be drained through the tube out of the eye. In one embodiment, only a first end of the tube implanted into the anterior chamber of the eye is open. Intra-ocular pressure (IOP) is then monitored, for example utilizing an implanted sensor. When IOP exceeds a critical value, a practitioner intervenes, puncturing with a laser a thinned region of the tube lying outside the eye, thereby initiating drainage of fluid and relieving pressure. In accordance with alternative embodiments, the both ends of the tube are open, and the tube includes a one-way valve configured to permit drainage where IOP exceeds the critical value. The tube may include projecting barbs to anchor the tube in the eye without the need for sutures.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.