Continuous Iris-Expanding Ring for Phacoemulsification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ophthalmic surgical procedures, such as phacoemulsification, face challenges in safely extending the pupil due to potential damage caused by using plastic hooks to pull back the iris, which can harm iris tissue.
Innovation Solution
A continuous iris-expanding ring with multiple loops is implanted in the eye, transitioning from a collapsed to an expanded configuration to maintain the pupil in an extended position, allowing for a wide view during procedures like phacoemulsification without causing tissue damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If plastic hooks are used to pull back the iris to extend the pupil, then the pupil extension is achieved, but the iris tissue is damaged
Solution Approach 1:
A ring structure with multiple loops is introduced as an intermediary device between the iris and the surgical field. The loops engage with the iris tissue to gently pull it back, extending the pupil without causing damage. This mediator distributes the pulling force across multiple engagement points rather than concentrating it on single hook points, thereby protecting the iris tissue.
Solution Approach 2:
The ring is divided into multiple loops (at least three loops) that can independently engage with different portions of the iris tissue. This segmentation allows the force to be distributed across multiple attachment points, reducing stress on any single point of iris tissue and preventing damage while achieving effective pupil extension.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a ring with multiple loops is used to extend the pupil, then the iris tissue is protected from damage, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ring structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it extends the pupil, protects iris tissue through distributed force application, and provides a stable platform for surgical access. The same multi-loop structure that protects the iris also creates the necessary space and visibility for the surgical procedure, making the device universally applicable for anterior segment surgery requiring pupil extension.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of implanting a continuous iris-expanding ring in an eye involves ejecting the continuous iris-expanding ring from a distal end of a cannula toward an iris of the eye, securing a distal portion of the continuous iris-expanding ring device ring to the iris of the eye, and securing a proximal portion of the continuous iris-expanding ring to the iris of the eye. The continuous iris-expanding ring is in a collapsed configuration in the cannula prior to being ejected and in an expanded configuration when the proximal portion and the distal portion of the continuous iris-expanding ring are secured to the iris of the eye and extend across the pupil.