Laser-Created Glaucoma Drainage Channels for Precise IOP Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current glaucoma surgeries lack precise control over intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction, are invasive, and have high complication rates due to invasiveness and wound healing responses.
Innovation Solution
A glaucoma treatment apparatus using a femtosecond laser to create customized drainage channels between the anterior chamber and Schlemm's canal based on pre-operative eye anatomy, with an algorithm determining the cross-sectional area and location for precise IOP control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stress or pressure
If conventional filtration surgery is performed to increase aqueous humor outflow, then intraocular pressure is reduced, but complication rates increase due to invasiveness and wound healing responses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical surgical instruments with a laser-based system to create drainage channels. The laser delivers optical energy to ablate tissue and form channels between the anterior chamber and Schlemm's canal, eliminating the need for mechanical cuts, sutures, and external wounds that cause complications in conventional filtration surgery.
Solution Approach 2:
The laser induces phase transitions in the target tissue, converting it from a solid/liquid state to a vaporized or fragmented state through photodisruption. This creates clean channels without thermal damage to surrounding structures, avoiding the wound healing responses and scarring associated with mechanical surgery.
2Stress or pressure
If conventional filtration surgery is performed to increase aqueous humor outflow, then intraocular pressure is reduced, but precision over IOP reduction is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The laser system allows precise control of treatment parameters including wavelength, pulse duration, energy level, and spot size. By adjusting these parameters, the system can create drainage channels of specific dimensions and locations, enabling precise control over the magnitude of IOP reduction rather than relying on trial-and-error surgical outcomes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates imaging feedback to visualize the anterior segment anatomy and track channel creation in real-time. This allows the surgeon to adjust treatment parameters dynamically based on actual tissue response and anatomical variations, achieving precise IOP control tailored to each patient's unique eye structure.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If MIGS procedures are performed to reduce invasiveness, then surgical trauma is reduced, but control over outflow rate remains inadequate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the trabecular meshwork into multiple treatment zones, creating multiple discrete drainage channels at different locations and depths. This segmentation allows independent control of each channel's dimensions and flow contribution, providing granular control over total outflow rate while maintaining minimal invasiveness through laser-based precision targeting.
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
Achieves precise, long-lasting IOP reduction with minimal collateral damage and non-invasive procedures, allowing for personalized control over the magnitude and rate of aqueous humor drainage.
Implementation Method 1
A glaucoma treatment apparatus using a femtosecond laser to create customized drainage channels between the anterior chamber and Schlemm's canal
Data Source
AI summary
A glaucoma treatment apparatus including an imaging device capable of imaging the anterior segment of the eye, a treatment laser, an algorithm programmed to determine a location and a cross sectional area of a treatment based on a customized anatomy of the anterior segment of the eye including the trabecular meshwork (TM), the Schlemm's Canal (SC) and collector channels (CCS), obtained from pre-operative images of the anterior segment of the eye, a pre-operative intraocular pressure (IOP) level and a target IOP reduction as an inputs, and a processor configured to actuate the apparatus to create an outflow channel with a cross-sectional area and location or multiple outflow channels with multiple cross-sectional areas and locations from the anterior chamber (AC) to the SC across the TM, as determined by the algorithm to achieve the target intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction. Also disclosed is a method of reducing intraocular pressure in an eye.