Glaucoma implant with extending members

Abstract

A trabecular shunt and methods for treating glaucoma are disclosed. One of the methods comprises transporting fluid from the anterior chamber of an eye to Schlemm's canal through an implant, the implant extending between the anterior chamber and Schlemm's canal; sensing an intraocular pressure using a sensor incorporated into the implant; and transmitting a signal indicative of the sensed pressure to an external receiver.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 626,181, filed Jul. 24, 2003, entitled “Implant with Pressure Sensor for Glaucoma Treatment,” which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 847,523, filed May 2, 2001, and entitled “Bifurcatable Trabecular Shunt for Glaucoma Treatment,” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,666,841, the entirety of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention generally relates to medical devices and methods for reducing intraocular pressure in the animal eye. More particularly, the present invention relates to the treatment of glaucoma by permitting aqueous humor to flow out of the anterior chamber through a surgically implanted pathway. [0003] The human eye is a specialized sensory organ capable of light reception and able to receive visual images. The trabecular meshwork serves as a drainage chan...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0023] Glaucoma surgical morbidity would greatly decrease if one were to bypass the focal resistance to outflow of aqueous only at the point of resistance, and to utilize remaining, healthy aqueous outflow mechanisms. This is in part because episcleral aqueous humor exerts a backpressure that prevents intraocular pressure fro

Problems solved by technology

Glaucoma causes pathological changes in the optic nerve, visible on the optic disk, and it causes corresponding visual field loss, resulting in blindness if untreated.

Patients may suffer substantial, irreversible vision loss prior to diagnosis and treatment.

However, there are secondary open-angle glaucomas which may include edema or swelling of the trabecular spaces (e.g., from corticosteroid use), abnormal pigment dispersion, or diseases such as hyperthyroidism that produce vascular congestion.

However, these drug therapies for glaucoma are sometimes associated with significant side effects, such as headache, blurred vision, allergic reactions, death from cardiopulmonary complications, and potential interactions with other drugs.

However, long-term review of surgical results showed only limited success in adults.

In retrospect, these procedures probably failed due to cellular repair and fibrosis mechanisms and a process of “filling in.” Filling in is a detrimental effect of collapsing and

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