Injector for inserting an intraocular lens, and packaging comprising the injector
Patent Information
- Application Number
- EP2023764597
- Authority / Receiving Office
- EP · EP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-09-09
- Filing Date
- 2023-08-29
- Publication Date
- 2025-07-16
AI Technical Summary
Conventional packaging for intraocular lens injectors generates a large amount of waste due to its design, which is not optimized for minimal surface area and volume ratio, leading to inefficient use of materials.
The design incorporates a two-piece piston system where the second piston is arranged outside the injector body in a storage state, forming a bayonet lock or latching mechanism, allowing for a smaller packaging surface area while maintaining the same volume, with the second piston being reusable and the injector body and first piston being disposable, reducing waste.
This configuration reduces waste generation by minimizing the packaging surface area while ensuring the injector's functionality, allowing for efficient storage and use of materials, and enabling the reuse of the second piston, thus addressing the inefficiencies of conventional packaging.
Smart Images
Figure 1.1
Abstract
Description
[0001] Injector for inserting an intraocular lens and packaging with the injector
[0002] The invention relates to a package with an injector for introducing an intraocular lens into the capsular bag of an eye. US 2010 / 0 204 705 A1 describes an automated intraocular lens injection device.
[0003] During cataract treatment, a small incision is traditionally made in the cornea, large enough to allow the tip of an injector to be inserted into the eye. After the incision is made in the cornea, the lens of the eye is typically crushed using phacoemulsification and then suctioned out of the capsular bag.
[0004] An intraocular lens is then inserted into the eye using the injector. The injector is typically delivered in sterile packaging, which should only be opened shortly before cataract treatment. The packaging must be disposed of afterward. However, this process generates a large amount of waste.
[0005] The object of the invention is therefore to provide an injector for inserting an intraocular lens into the capsular bag of an eye and a packaging with the injector which generates only a small amount of waste.
[0006] The invention relates to an injector for inserting an intraocular lens into the capsular bag of an eye. The injector has an injector body, a first piston, and a second piston. The injector body has a tip with a tip opening, a proximal end facing away from the tip opening, an injector body opening facing away from the tip opening, and an insertion direction oriented from the proximal end to the tip opening. The first piston is arranged in the injector body so as to be longitudinally displaceable in the insertion direction, and the second piston is configured to be inserted into the injector body via the injector body opening and to be brought into a coupling state of the first piston and the second piston, in which the first piston and the second piston are rigidly coupled to one another in the insertion direction.The injector has a storage condition in which the second piston is arranged completely outside the injector body next to the injector body.
[0007] By arranging the second piston next to the injector body, a package in which the injector is to be arranged in its stored state can be provided with a different surface to volume ratio than in a conventional package with a conventional injector having a one-piece piston. For example, in a case where the volume of the package is equal to the volume of the conventional package, the surface of the package can be made smaller than the surface of the conventional package. In a comparative example, the package and the conventional package can each have the shape of a cuboid, wherein a height of the cuboid is oriented in the insertion direction, a width of the cuboid is oriented in the first direction transverse to the insertion direction, and a depth of the cuboid is oriented perpendicular to the height and perpendicular to the width. In the comparative example, the height for the conventional package is 5 wE(arbitrary units), width 2 wE, and depth 1 wE. For a packaging volume equal to that of conventional packaging, the height of the packaging is 3.5 wE, the width 2 / 0.7^2.86 wE, and the depth 1 wE. In this comparative example, the surface area of the packaging is 96% of the surface area of the conventional packaging.
[0008] Preferably, in the storage state, the second piston is arranged next to the injector body in a first direction which is arranged transversely to the insertion direction.
[0009] The first piston and the second piston preferably together form a bayonet catch, by means of which the first piston and the second piston can be brought into the coupled state. The second piston preferably has a projection which forms the bayonet catch. Particularly preferably, the projection projects outwards from the remaining second piston. The first piston preferably has a longitudinal recess which is accessible to the projection in the insertion direction. The first piston preferably has a transverse recess which, starting from the longitudinal end of the longitudinal recess arranged in the insertion direction, extends in a second direction transverse to the insertion direction. In particular, the second piston is designed such that the projection can slide in the transverse recess as a result of a pivoting movement of the second piston relative to the first piston and around the insertion direction.
[0010] Alternatively or in addition to the ba onet closure, the first piston and the second piston can form a locking mechanism by means of which the first piston and the second piston can be brought into the coupling state.
[0011] According to the invention, the injector has a lock which has a locking state, in which the lock locks the position of the first piston in the insertion direction, and an unlocking state, in which the first piston is longitudinally displaceable in the injector body. For example, the lock can engage in the transverse recess in the locking state and be disengaged from the transverse recess in the unlocking state. In this case, the projection is preferably designed to move the lock out of engagement with the transverse recess by displacement in the transverse recess in the second direction transverse to the insertion direction.
[0012] The first piston preferably has a piston cavity in which the second piston is arranged in the coupling state.
[0013] It is preferred that the first piston is configured to contact the intraocular lens and to convey it out of the tip opening by displacing the first piston in the insertion direction.
[0014] It is preferred that the injector has the intraocular lens arranged between the first piston and the tip opening in the insertion direction. Alternatively, it is preferred that the injector body has a receptacle configured to receive a cartridge containing the intraocular lens. This allows the intraocular lens to be placed in the injector after the injector has been removed from the packaging.
[0015] The second piston is preferably a reusable component. This allows the amount of waste to be further reduced. The injector body and the first piston, for example, can each be disposable components.
[0016] In the packaging according to the invention, the injector is arranged in the storage state of the injector.
[0017] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the attached schematic drawings.
[0018] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an injector at three different times,
[0019] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the injector at two different times and
[0020] Figure 3 is a plan view of a package with a third embodiment of the injector.
[0021] Figures 1 to 3 show that an injector 10 for inserting an intraocular lens into the capsular bag of an eye has an injector body 11 which has a tip 14 with a tip opening 17 (see Figure 3), a proximal end 18 facing away from the tip opening 17, an injector body opening 19 facing away from the tip opening 17 and an insertion direction 16 which is oriented from the proximal end 18 to the tip opening 17. In addition, the injector 10 has a first piston 21, which is arranged in the injector body 11 so as to be longitudinally displaceable in the insertion direction 16, and a second piston 22, which is designed to be inserted into the injector body 11 via the injector body opening 19 and to be brought into a coupling state of the first piston 21 and the second piston 22, in which the first piston 21 and the second piston 22 are rigidly coupled to one another in the insertion direction 16.Figure 3 shows the injector 10 in a storage state of the injector 10, in which the second piston 22 is arranged completely outside the injector body 11, next to the injector body 11. In particular, the second piston 22 can be arranged at a distance from the injector body 11 in the storage state.
[0022] Because the first piston 21 and the second piston 22 are rigidly coupled to one another in the insertion direction 16 in the coupled state, the first piston 21 and the second piston 22 can be longitudinally displaced together. The storage state of the injector 10 and the coupling state of the first piston 21 and the second piston 22 are mutually exclusive. In the storage state, the second piston 22 can be arranged next to the injector body 11 in a first direction that is arranged transversely to the insertion direction 16.
[0023] Figure 3 shows that the injector 10 can be arranged in the stored state in a packaging 1. The packaging 1 can have a base 2 which has a first recess 3, in which the injector body 11 is arranged, and a second recess 4, in which the second piston 22 is arranged. The first recess 3 and the second recess 4 can be arranged separately from one another. The packaging 1 can also have a lid 5 which, together with the base 2, delimits an interior space 7 of the packaging 1, wherein the injector 10 is arranged in the interior space 7. The base 2 and the lid 5 can contact each other in a completely circumferential sealing surface 6, so that the interior space 7 is hermetically sealed. The lid 5 can be transparent, as is shown in Figure 3, for example.
[0024] Figure 3 shows that the second piston 22 can be arranged in the insertion direction 16 in a region in which the injector body 11 is also arranged. In particular, the second piston 22 can be arranged entirely in a region that extends in the insertion direction 16 from the tip opening 17 to the proximal end 18.
[0025] The injector body 11 can have a handle 15 which projects outwards from the remaining injector body 11. It is conceivable that the handle 15 at its end located transversely to the insertion direction 16 and the tip opening 17 are two non-adjacent corners of an imaginary rectangle 8, wherein the rectangle 8 is arranged within the packaging 1 and one of the sides of the rectangle 8 is arranged parallel to the insertion direction 16. The second piston 22 can be arranged within the rectangle 8. As a result, the packaging 1 can be designed with a particularly small surface area, whereby the amount of waste can be reduced even further.
[0026] Figures 1 to 3 show that the first piston 21 can have a piston cavity 32 which is accessible in the insertion direction 16 for the second piston 22 and in which the second piston 22 is arranged in the coupled state. The first piston 21 and the second piston 22 can together form a bayonet closure 23 by means of which the first piston 21 and the second piston 22 can be brought into the coupled state. For this purpose, the second piston 22 can have a projection 24 which forms the bayonet closure 23 and projects outwards from the remaining second piston 22. The first piston 21 can have a longitudinal recess 25 which is accessible in the insertion direction 16 for the projection 24 when the second piston 22 is inserted into the piston cavity 32.In addition, the first piston 22 can have a transverse recess 26 which extends from the longitudinal end of the longitudinal recess 25 arranged in the insertion direction 16 in a second direction transverse to the insertion direction 16. In order to bring the first piston 21 and the second piston 22 into the coupling state, a longitudinal displacement of the second piston 22 must first be carried out in the insertion direction 16 (compare the injector 10 according to the left drawing in Figure 1), as a result of which the projection 24 moves into the longitudinal recess 25. Subsequently, a pivoting of the second piston 22 relative to the first piston 21 must be carried out, as a result of which the projection 24 is displaced in the transverse recess 26 (compare the injector 10 according to the middle drawing in Figure 1).In order to move the intraocular lens 40 out of the tip opening 17, the first piston 21 and the second piston 22 must then be moved together in the insertion direction 16 (compare the injector 10 according to the right-hand drawing in Figure 1). The longitudinal recess 25 and / or the transverse recess 26 can each be a slot, for example, compare Figures 1 to 3. The second piston 22 can have a thumb rest 27 on its longitudinal end arranged opposite to the insertion direction 16 in the coupled state, which thumb rest protrudes outwards from the remaining second piston 22.
[0027] As can be seen from Figure 2, the injector 10 can have a latch 30 which has a locked state (see the left drawing in Figure 2), in which the latch 30 engages in the transverse recess 26 and thus locks the position of the first piston 21 in the insertion direction 16, and an unlocked state (see the right drawing in Figure 2), in which the latch 30 is out of engagement with the transverse recess 26 and thus the first piston 21 is longitudinally displaceable in the injector body 11. It is conceivable that the projection 24 is designed to move the latch 30 out of engagement with the transverse recess 26 by a displacement in the transverse recess 26 in the second direction transverse to the insertion direction 16. The injector body 11 may have a bearing 31 by means of which the latch 30 is mounted. The latch 31 may be pivotably mounted by means of the bearing 31, as shown in Figure 2.Alternatively, the bolt 31 can be mounted so that it can be displaced longitudinally.
[0028] Figure 3 shows that the first piston 21 can be configured to contact the intraocular lens 40 and to convey it out of the tip opening 17 and thus out of the injector 10 by displacing the first piston 29 in the insertion direction 16. For this purpose, the first piston 21 can have a cushion 29 which forms the longitudinal end of the first piston 21 arranged in the insertion direction 16 and is configured to be squeezed when it reaches the tip 14. In addition, the first piston 21 can have a head 33 within which the piston cavity 32 is arranged. In addition, the first piston 21 can have a shaft 28, at whose longitudinal end arranged in the insertion direction 16 the cushion 29 is arranged. The shaft 28 can have a smaller cross-section in a first plane, the normal of which is parallel to the insertion direction 16, than a cross-section of the head 33 in a second plane, the normal of which is parallel to the insertion direction 16.
[0029] It is conceivable that the injector body 11 has an internal thread and the first piston 21 has an external thread that engages with the internal thread. As a result, the first piston 21 and the second piston 22 can be longitudinally displaced in the coupled state by rotating the first piston 21 and the second piston 22. Alternatively, it is conceivable that the first piston 21 and the second piston 22 can be longitudinally displaced simply by pressing the second piston 22.
[0030] The injector body 11 can have a cylinder 12 and a loading chamber 13, wherein the loading chamber 13 is arranged between the cylinder 12 and the tip 14 in the insertion direction 16. The injector 10 can have the intraocular lens 40, which is arranged in the loading chamber 13 and, in the insertion direction 16, between the first piston 21 and the tip opening 17. Alternatively, it is conceivable that the intraocular lens 40 is not arranged in the injector 10, but is only inserted into the loading chamber 13 after the packaging 1 has been opened and the injector 10 has been removed from the packaging 1.
[0031] Reference symbol list
[0032] 1 packaging
[0033] 2 Base
[0034] 3 first deepening
[0035] 4 second deepening
[0036] 5 lids
[0037] 6 Sealing surface
[0038] 7 Interior
[0039] 8 Rectangle
[0040] 10 Injector
[0041] 11 In ector body
[0042] 12 cylinders
[0043] 13 Loading chamber
[0044] 14 lace
[0045] 15 Grip
[0046] 16 Insertion direction
[0047] 17 Tip opening
[0048] 18 proximal end
[0049] 19 Injector body opening
[0050] 21 first piston
[0051] 22 second piston
[0052] 23 Bayonet closure
[0053] 24 lead
[0054] 25 Longitudinal recess
[0055] 26 Cross recess
[0056] 27 Thumb rest
[0057] 28 shaft
[0058] 29 pillows
[0059] 30 bars
[0060] 31 warehouses
[0061] 32 piston cavity
[0062] 33 heads
[0063] 40 Intraocular lens
Claims
Patent claims 1. Injector for inserting an intraocular lens (40) into the capsular bag of an eye, wherein the injector (10) has an injector body (11) which has a tip (14) with a tip opening (17), a proximal end (18) facing away from the tip opening (17), an injector body opening (19) facing away from the tip opening (17), and an insertion direction (16) oriented from the proximal end (28) to the tip opening (17), a first piston (21) which is arranged in the injector body (11) so as to be longitudinally displaceable in the insertion direction (16), and a second piston (22) which is designed to be inserted into the injector body (11) via the injector body opening (19) and brought into a coupling state of the first piston (21) and the second piston (22). to be, in which the first piston (21) and the second piston (22) are rigidly coupled to each other in the insertion direction (16), wherein the injector (10) has a storage state,in which the second piston (22) is arranged completely outside the injector body (11) next to the injector body (11), wherein the injector (10) has a lock (30) which has a locking state in which the lock (30) locks the position of the first piston (21) in the insertion direction (16), and an unlocking state in which the first piston (21) is longitudinally displaceable in the injector body (11).
2. Injector according to claim 1, wherein the first piston (21) and the second piston (22) together form a bayonet closure (23) by means of which the first piston (21) and the second piston (22) can be brought into the coupling state.
3. Injector according to claim 2, wherein the second piston (22) has a projection (24) which forms the bayonet closure (23) and in particular projects outwards from the remaining second piston (22).
4. Injector according to claim 3, wherein the first piston (21) has a longitudinal recess (25) which is accessible in the insertion direction (16) for the projection (24).
5. Injector according to claim 4, wherein the first piston (22) has a transverse recess (26) which extends from the longitudinal end of the longitudinal recess (25) arranged in the insertion direction (16) in a second direction transverse to the insertion direction (16).
6. Injector according to claim 5, wherein in the locking state the latch (30) engages in the transverse recess (26) and thus locks the position of the first piston (21) in the insertion direction (16) and in the unlocking state the latch (30) is disengaged from the transverse recess (26) and thus the first piston (21) is longitudinally displaceable in the injector body (11).
7. Injector according to claim 6, wherein the projection (24) is arranged to move the latch (30) out of engagement with the transverse recess (26) by displacement in the transverse recess (26) in the second direction transverse to the insertion direction (16).
8. Injector according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first piston (21) has a piston cavity (32) in which the second piston (22) is arranged in the coupling state.
9. Injector according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first piston (21) is arranged to contact the intraocular lens (40) and to convey it out of the tip opening (17) by displacing the first piston (21) in the insertion direction (16).
10. Packaging in which an injector (10) according to one of claims 1 to 9 is arranged in the storage state of the injector (10).