Cataract Chopper with 110-Degree Angled Needle-Head
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional choppers used in cataract operations are difficult to use for surgeons when dealing with patients who have a large nose or sunken eyes, requiring unnatural hand rotation due to an unsuitable 135° angle between the needle-head sections, leading to increased fatigue and stress.
Innovation Solution
A chopper design with an angle of about 110° between the first and second sections of the needle-head, and a triangular prismatic cutting tip rotated 60° with respect to the longitudinal symmetry axis, allowing for more comfortable operation without excessive hand rotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the angle between the first and second sections of the needle-head is 135° (conventional design), then the cutting part can be positioned along the longitudinal symmetry axis, but the surgeon must rotate the hand excessively when dealing with patients who have a large nose or sunken eyes, leading to increased fatigue and stress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the angle parameter between the first and second sections of the needle-head from the conventional 135° to approximately 110°. This parameter modification allows the cutting part to be positioned more favorably relative to the surgeon's hand, reducing excessive hand rotation when dealing with patients who have a large nose or sunken eyes, thereby improving surgeon comfort and reducing fatigue without fundamentally altering the chopper's basic structure
2Ease of operation
If the cutting part is positioned along the longitudinal symmetry axis of the second section, then the design is simple and conventional, but it requires excessive hand rotation for certain patient anatomical features
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces asymmetry in the positioning of the cutting part relative to the longitudinal symmetry axis of the second section. The cutting part is positioned at an angle of approximately 60° with respect to the longitudinal symmetry axis, rather than being aligned with it. This asymmetric positioning optimizes the operational ergonomics for surgeons when dealing with certain patient anatomical features, reducing the need for excessive hand rotation
3Ease of operation
If the angle between needle-head sections is reduced to 110°, then surgeon comfort is improved and hand rotation is minimized, but the needle-head geometry becomes less conventional
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the angular parameter between the first and second sections of the needle-head from 135° to approximately 110°. This specific parameter change is optimized to minimize hand rotation and surgeon fatigue while maintaining manufacturability. The 110° angle creates a more favorable geometric relationship between the handle and cutting part, improving ergonomics without excessively complicating the device geometry
Data Source
Figure 1~2b
Figure 3~4b
AI summary
Chopper for ophthalmic surgery, in particular cataract operations, comprising a grip handle (1') and a needle-head (3', 4', 5'), whose cutting tip, or cutting part (5'), has a cutter, or cusp, rotated an angle preferably equal to about 60°, around its longitudinal axis, with respect to a neutral position (null angle) defined by the axis (Y-Y) of the second section (4') of the needle head. Such rotation, of opposite algebraic sign depending on whether the surgeon is right-handed or left-handed, allows the surgeon to operate without rotating the hand in the case of particular facial forms of the patient. In addition, the angle (α') formed between the first section (3') and the second section (4') of the needle-head is preferably equal to about 110°, i.e. much lower than the conventional angle (α = 135°).