LASIK Eye Fixation Device with Flap Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current LASIK surgery techniques face challenges in maintaining eye centralization and stabilization, leading to potential complications such as double ablation and irregular astigmatism, which can result in suboptimal visual outcomes.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising an eye fixating portion with multiple scleral support elements and a flap protecting portion that completely covers the corneal flap, ensuring stable eye fixation and protection during LASIK surgery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional LASIK surgery is performed without enhanced fixation devices, then the surgery can be completed with simpler equipment, but eye centralization and stabilization are compromised leading to potential complications
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into distinct functional segments: a fixation ring portion that engages the sclera for eye stabilization, and a flap protection portion that shields the corneal flap. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally while maintaining overall device manageability during surgery.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixation ring acts as an intermediary structure between the surgeon's control and the eye's natural movements. By engaging the sclera through multiple contact points, it mediates eye stabilization without requiring direct manipulation of the cornea or flap, thereby improving reliability while keeping the intervention controlled and predictable.
2Reliability
If the corneal flap is left exposed during laser ablation, then the surgical procedure is simpler and faster, but accidental flap ablation and double ablation complications can occur
Solution Approach 1:
The flap protection portion serves as a physical intermediary barrier between the excimer laser beam and the corneal flap. This barrier prevents direct laser-flap interaction during ablation, eliminating the risk of accidental flap ablation while allowing the laser to safely reshape the stromal bed underneath.
Solution Approach 2:
The protection portion is designed with specific local characteristics: it is positioned to cover only the flap area while leaving the stromal bed exposed for laser treatment. This localized protection approach ensures that flap safety is enhanced without interfering with the necessary laser ablation process on the underlying tissue.
3Reliability
If multiple scleral support elements are used for eye fixation, then eye stabilization is improved, but the device becomes more complex and harder to maneuver
Solution Approach 1:
The fixation ring is designed with multiple discrete contact points (at least two, preferably three or four) distributed around the sclera. This segmentation provides stable multi-point fixation that resists eye movements from various directions, enhancing stabilization reliability while maintaining a relatively simple ring structure that can be maneuvered as a unified component.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A device (1) is configured to be used in a LASIK surgery procedure and to be put in an operational position on an operative eye after a corneal flap has been created and has been put to an opened position. In particular, the device (1) comprises the following components: an eye fixating portion (20) configured to engage on the sclera around the cornea and to thereby perform a fixating action on the eye while enabling free access to the cornea when the device (1) is in the operational position on the eye, a flap protecting portion (30) configured to completely cover the corneal flap in the opened position thereof when the device (1) is in the operational position on the eye, and a handle portion (40). The eye fixating portion (20) comprises at least one support element (21) having a contact surface (22) for contacting the sclera.