Corneal Tissue Holding Device with Mechanical Constraint
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for cutting and treating corneal tissue are inefficient due to inaccurate cutting planes, decreased quality with depth, limited lenticule creation, and the need for a controlled environment, as they do not mechanically constrain the cornea between its anterior and posterior surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A device with a stack of transparent plates and a locking system that applies mechanical stress to the corneal tissue, allowing precise cutting by reducing anterior-posterior displacements and enabling the use of lower laser energy, while maintaining sterility and allowing for the creation of multiple lamellae in a single cornea.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the cornea is not mechanically constrained between anterior and posterior surfaces, then the device structure is simpler and easier to operate, but cutting precision deteriorates due to anterior-posterior displacements during laser treatment
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the cornea from its natural uncontrolled state and places it within a defined treatment chamber bounded by transparent plates. This extraction allows the cornea to be positioned and constrained in a controlled environment, preventing anterior-posterior displacements during laser treatment while maintaining ease of operation through a user-friendly loading and securing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The transparent plates and peripheral seal act as intermediaries between the operator and the cornea. These components provide mechanical constraint and stability to prevent displacement, while their transparency allows visual monitoring and laser transmission. The intermediary structure resolves the contradiction by enabling both precision (through constraint) and ease of operation (through simple loading and visual feedback).
2Device complexity
If the cornea is not mechanically constrained, then the device complexity is reduced, but the quality of cutting planes deteriorates with depth due to corneal relaxation
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into distinct functional components: transparent plates for constraint, peripheral seal for positioning, and locking system for securing. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently, providing mechanical constraint to maintain cutting plane quality at all depths without requiring excessive overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The peripheral seal acts as a flexible element that adapts to the corneal shape while providing positional constraint. This flexible sealing component enables mechanical constraint to maintain cutting quality without adding significant device complexity, as the seal naturally conforms to the cornea while preventing displacement.
3Device complexity
If the receiving chamber is not enclosed, then the device structure is simpler, but the treatment environment must be controlled (microbiological safety station, clean room, operating theatre)
Solution Approach 1:
The transparent plates and peripheral seal form an enclosed chamber that acts as an intermediary barrier between the cornea and the external environment. This enclosure allows treatment to proceed in non-sterile environments by containing the sterile field within the chamber, resolving the contradiction by enabling both simpler device structure and easier operation in常规 environments.
4Manufacturing precision
If mechanical stress is applied to the corneal tissue, then cutting precision is improved by reducing displacements, but the risk of tissue damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking system applies mechanical stress with controllable parameters (force magnitude, distribution, and duration) to achieve the optimal balance between precision and safety. By adjusting these parameters, the device provides sufficient constraint to prevent displacement and ensure cutting precision while maintaining stress levels below the threshold for tissue damage.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device achieves precise and efficient cutting with improved fragment quality, increased lenticule production, and allows for sterile treatment, enabling the creation of up to 20 lamellae from a single cornea, while maintaining sterility and allowing handling in non-sterile environments.
Implementation Method 1
a locking system for the stack of elements capable of pressing the first and second plates against the corneal tissue to apply mechanical stress to the anterior and posterior surfaces of the corneal tissue
Implementation Method 2
a first plate transparent to electromagnetic radiation, a second plate transparent to electromagnetic radiation
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a device for holding human or animal corneal tissue previously removed for photon treatment thereof with electromagnetic radiation, notable in that the holding device comprises: a stack of elements along a longitudinal axis (A-A′) of the device, said stack comprising: a first plate (1) that is transparent to the electromagnetic radiation, a peripheral seal (4) positioned on the first plate (1), the peripheral seal (4) being intended to extend around the corneal tissue (6), a second plate (2) that is transparent to the electromagnetic radiation on the peripheral seal (4), an immobilizing system (51, 52) for immobilizing the stack of elements and able to press the first and second plates (1, 2) firmly against the corneal tissue in order to apply mechanical stress to the anterior and posterior faces of the corneal tissue.