Intraocular Pressure Sensor Implantation via Needle Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for monitoring intraocular pressure (IOP) in glaucoma patients are inaccurate and invasive, often requiring frequent clinic visits and may not capture dynamic changes in IOP, leading to inappropriate diagnosis and treatment, while existing implantable devices are bulky, risky, and prone to complications.
Innovation Solution
An ultra-miniature IOP sensor is implanted within the vitreous body of the eye using a needle injection method, with anchoring members to secure the sensor and prevent movement, allowing for continuous, accurate monitoring without major surgery, and enabling long-term stable IOP measurement profiles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If non-invasive tonometry is used for IOP measurement, then the measurement is easy and non-invasive, but the accuracy is reduced due to indirect measurement and inability to capture dynamic changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical external tonometry system with a microelectromechanical pressure sensor that directly measures intraocular pressure through a minimal scleral penetration. The MEMS sensor converts pressure into electrical signals, substituting indirect mechanical measurement with direct electronic sensing, thereby achieving both accuracy and ease of use.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a tiny penetration interface (canal) through the sclera as an intermediary between the external world and the intraocular space. This minimal opening allows the pressure sensor to access internal pressure while maintaining most of the eye's structural integrity, balancing non-invasiveness with measurement accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If implantable IOP devices are used for continuous monitoring, then continuous accurate measurement is achieved, but the device size becomes bulky and implantation becomes invasive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the implantable device into two separate components: a tiny pressure sensor implanted within the eye through minimal scleral penetration, and an external housing containing the battery and electronics. This segmentation allows the intraocular component to be extremely small and non-bulky, while the larger components remain outside the eye, reducing overall invasiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions the bulk of the device components from the three-dimensional intraocular space to the external dimension. By placing the battery and electronics housing outside the eye and connecting through a minimal canal, the device achieves continuous monitoring capability without occupying significant space within the eye, thus avoiding bulkiness.
3Measurement precision
If multiple components are implanted in different structures of the eye, then the IOP monitoring function is achieved, but the surgical complexity and patient risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions (pressure sensing, signal processing, power supply, and data transmission) into a single integrated pressure sensor implant that resides in one location within the eye. The sensor includes integrated electronics and communicates wirelessly, eliminating the need to implant separate components in multiple ocular structures, thereby reducing surgical complexity and patient risk.
4Measurement precision
If frequent clinic visits are required for IOP measurement, then more data points are obtained, but the convenience for patients is reduced and time is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous IOP monitoring through the implanted sensor that operates continuously between charging sessions, providing uninterrupted pressure data. This eliminates the discrete, intermittent nature of clinic-based measurements, allowing patients to maintain normal activities without repeated hospital visits while still achieving frequent measurement data points.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables the device to recharge itself wirelessly through the scleral canal when the eye closes during sleep, eliminating the need for manual intervention or clinic visits for recharging. This self-service charging mechanism allows continuous operation without patient time investment, making the system convenient for long-term use.
Data Source
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AI summary
Methods and devices for implanting an intra-ocular pressure sensor within an eye of a patient are provided herein. Methods include penetrating a conjunctiva and sclera with a distal tip of a fluid-filled syringe and positioning the pressure sensor within a vitreous body of the eye by injecting the sensor device through the distal tip. The sensor device may be stabilized by one or more anchoring members engaged with the sclera so that the pressure sensor of the sensor device remains within the vitreous body. Methods further include advancing a sensor device having a distal penetrating tip through at least a portion of the sclera to position the sensor within the vitreous body and extracting of the sensor devices described herein by proximally retracting the sensor device using an extraction feature of the sensor device.