Glaucoma drainage tube and process for making same

Abstract

A glaucoma drainage tube and its manufacturing process are disclosed, relating to the field of ophthalmic medical device technology. The tube is manufactured using a drainage tube manufacturing device, which includes a negative electrode, a positive electrode, and a power source. The negative electrode comprises a middle section and a terminal section, with the outer surface of the terminal section being trumpet-shaped. The negative electrode consists of two interlocking parts. The distance between the central axis of the middle section and the positive electrode is 0.3–2 cm. The positive and negative terminals of the power source are connected to the negative and positive electrodes, respectively. The manufacturing process includes the following steps: providing an acidic electrolyte; placing the working electrode and the positive electrode in the electrolyte for an electrochemical reaction to form a collagen film on the circumferential surface of the working electrode, obtaining a preliminary product; cross-linking the preliminary product; and then extracting the two parts of the negative electrode from within the collagen film towards the terminal section, respectively, to obtain the glaucoma drainage tube. This method can produce a glaucoma drainage tube with trumpet-shaped ends, improving the problem of easy displacement of existing glaucoma drainage tubes after implantation into the eye.

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