Multi-Channel Eye Implant for Reliable Aqueous Humor Drainage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing glaucoma implant devices face issues with blocked aqueous humor drainage due to fibrosis or foreign material mixing, leading to inconsistent intraocular pressure control and complications such as infection and eye movement disorders.
Innovation Solution
The implant device features multiple tubes with varying drainage characteristics and positions, connected by a connector with a larger cross-section than the tubes, to prevent complete insertion into the sclera and maintain drainage functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single tube is used for aqueous humor drainage, then the device size is small and surgery is minimally invasive, but the drainage function may be blocked due to fibrosis or foreign material mixing
Solution Approach 1:
The drainage system is divided into multiple separate tubes (first tube, second tube, third tube) with different drainage characteristics. Each tube has different inner diameters and drainage rates, so if one tube becomes blocked due to fibrosis or foreign material, the other tubes can continue to provide drainage function, thereby improving reliability without requiring a complex multi-component assembly
Solution Approach 2:
The tubes are designed with different parameters including different inner diameters, lengths, and drainage rates. The first tube has a larger inner diameter for high drainage rate, while the second and third tubes have smaller inner diameters for controlled drainage. This parameter variation ensures that not all tubes are equally susceptible to blockage, maintaining overall system reliability
2Reliability
If multiple tubes with different drainage characteristics are connected, then blockage from fibrosis or foreign material is prevented, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple tubes with different drainage characteristics are merged into a single integrated device through a connector that combines all tubes. The connector integrates the first tube, second tube, and third tube into one unified implantable unit, allowing them to function simultaneously while maintaining their individual drainage characteristics. This merging approach prevents blockage through redundancy while avoiding the complexity of separate implantable components
Solution Approach 2:
The connector serves multiple functions: it connects all three tubes, provides structural support, and enables simultaneous operation of tubes with different drainage rates. The universal connector design allows the device to handle various drainage requirements through a single multi-functional component rather than requiring separate mechanisms for each tube
3Reliability
If a large-sized glaucoma implant is used, then intraocular pressure control is effective, but surgery difficulty increases and side effects such as infection and eye movement disorder occur
Solution Approach 1:
The implant device is segmented into multiple thin tubes (each with inner diameter of 10-50 micrometers) rather than a single large structure. This segmentation allows the device to achieve effective drainage through multiple small channels while maintaining a small overall footprint that can be inserted through minimal incisions, thereby improving surgery ease and reducing the risk of infection and eye movement disorders associated with large-implant surgery
Solution Approach 2:
The tubes are designed as thin-walled flexible structures that can be easily manipulated and inserted through small incisions. The flexible nature of the thin tubes allows them to conform to the eye's anatomy while requiring minimal surgical trauma, achieving effective drainage without the surgical complexity and complications associated with rigid large-sized implants
Data Source
AI summary
An implant device for an eye disease to be inserted into an eyeball includes: a plurality of tubes each having one end to be inserted into an anterior chamber of the eyeball and having a hollow portion through which aqueous humor is drained; and a connector configured to couple the plurality of tubes. The connector is coupled to the plurality of tubes so that the plurality of tubes extend through the connector. The plurality of tubes are different from each other in a length, a material, a diameter of the hollow portion, whether a ripcord is inserted into a tube, and a diameter and/or a material of the ripcord inserted into the tube, and thus, are different from each other in aqueous humor drainage characteristics such as the amount of aqueous humor drainage and a drainage rate through the tubes and/or an aqueous humor drainage position through the tubes.