Intraocular Lens Plunger with Protrusive Part for Safe Insertion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing intraocular lens insertion devices face challenges in minimizing incision size during cataract surgery, leading to increased elastic restoring force and slide resistance, which can damage the lens and require high precision positioning, and may result in plunger fatigue and deformation.
Innovation Solution
An intraocular lens insertion device with a plunger featuring a lens contact part and a protrusive part, where the protrusive part pushes the lens contact part toward the disposing-part bottom face, reducing the risk of lens damage and incorporating a smoothly curved convex plane and a rod-like axial member to manage deformation and minimize load on the plunger.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the incision size is minimized to reduce corneal astigmatism and infection risk, then the incision diameter is reduced, but the elastic restoring force of the intraocular lens increases and slide resistance becomes large
Solution Approach 1:
The plunger is divided into multiple functional parts: a rod portion for linear movement, a lens contact portion with a curved surface for gentle lens contact, and a groove portion that engages with the lens holder. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function optimally while reducing overall resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The lens holder acts as an intermediary component between the plunger and the intraocular lens. It provides a groove that guides the lens during ejection and distributes the pushing force, preventing direct high-stress contact between the plunger and lens while facilitating smooth movement through the minimized incision.
2Volume of moving object
If the intraocular lens is folded in a smaller size to minimize incision, then the elastic restoring force increases, but the leading end of the plunger may run on the optical part of the lens causing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The plunger's leading end features a specifically designed curved surface with a predetermined radius of curvature that matches the lens geometry. This localized geometric adaptation ensures the plunger contacts only the appropriate portion of the lens (the holder or edge) rather than running on the optical part, preventing damage while maintaining compact folding.
Solution Approach 2:
The groove portion of the plunger is pre-formed to engage with the lens holder before ejection begins. This preliminary engagement guides the lens into the correct position and maintains proper contact geometry throughout the ejection process, preventing the leading end from running on the optical part even when the lens is tightly folded.
3Measurement precision
If a plunger with a slot is used to capture the lens without load, then positioning precision is improved, but the lens may be significantly deformed and difficult to release
Solution Approach 1:
The plunger design changes the contact parameters by using a curved surface with a specific radius of curvature instead of a flat or slot-based contact. This geometric parameter change allows the plunger to maintain precise positioning while distributing force over a larger area, reducing stress concentration and preventing significant lens deformation that would make release difficult.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the plunger is designed with a circular nose part offset asymmetrically to prevent running on the lens, then lens damage is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The plunger incorporates an asymmetric design where the groove portion is positioned at a specific offset from the central axis, and the curved surface has a predetermined radius of curvature that creates an asymmetric contact pattern. This asymmetry prevents the leading end from running on the optical part of the lens while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standard machining processes.
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 effectively reduces the risk of lens damage, ensures safe and precise insertion, and prevents plunger fatigue, allowing for mass production and easy operation with reduced risk of mishandling.
Implementation Method 1
Folding an intraocular lens in a smaller size increases elastic restoring force of the intraocular lens
Data Source
AI summary
An intraocular lens insertion device which dramatically reduces the possibility that a plunger damages an intraocular lens, and which can safely and surely insert an intraocular lens into an eye is provided. An intraocular lens insertion unit comprises a lens disposing part for disposing an intraocular lens, a plunger for pushing out the intraocular lens disposed at the lens disposing part, a transition part for deforming the intraocular lens pushed out by the plunger, and a nozzle for ejecting the deformed intraocular lens. The plunger has a lens contact part for contacting the outer edge of the intraocular lens, and a protrusive part for pushing the lens contact part downward the intraocular lens by the deformation of the intraocular lens, both lens contact part and protrusive part are provided at the leading end of the plunger.