Slidable Stop Optical Fiber for Eye Surgery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing eye surgical instruments with optical fibers struggle to precisely direct light to specific locations within the eye due to fixed insertion lengths and lack of adjustability.
Innovation Solution
An eye surgical instrument featuring a slidable stop along the optical fiber, allowing for adjustable insertion length and precise light direction, with the stop engaging via friction and a flexible design to facilitate manual adjustment using tweezers or fingers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a fixed stop is used on the optical fiber, then the insertion length is predetermined and stable, but the light cannot be directed to the desired location in the eye in a precise manner
Solution Approach 1:
The stop is made slidable along the optical fiber instead of being fixed, allowing dynamic adjustment of the insertion length. The friction engagement provides controlled movement while maintaining position stability during use, enabling precise positioning at different depths within the eye.
Solution Approach 2:
The insertion length parameter can be changed by sliding the stop to different positions on the fiber. This allows the same instrument to be adapted for different surgical requirements and target locations within the eye without changing the overall instrument design.
2Reliability
If the fiber is surrounded with a sleeve to prevent light exiting, then light containment is improved, but the fiber becomes less flexible and adjustment capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The sleeve is applied selectively only to portions of the fiber where light containment is required, leaving the distal portion near the stop uncovered. This allows the fiber to maintain flexibility and adjustability in the critical region while providing light containment where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The fiber is divided into different functional zones: a proximal section with sleeve for light containment and a distal section without sleeve for flexibility and stop adjustment. This segmentation allows each zone to optimize its specific function without compromising the other.
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
Enables precise and controlled light delivery to desired locations within the eye, maintaining safety and allowing for a larger insertion part with minimal tissue disruption, reducing the need for sutures and enhancing instrument stability.
Implementation Method 1
the stop is arranged to engage the fiber by means of friction. The stop then exerts a frictional force on the fiber, such that the stop can be slid along the fiber with a pair of tweezers.
Data Source
AI summary
An eye surgical instrument, comprising at least one optical fiber for lighting of the interior of the eye, which at least one optical fiber, at a free end thereof, is provided with a light exit and with a stop situated at a distance from the free end, which stop defines an insertion part situated between the end and the stop, and at another end is connectible to a light source, while the stop forms a separate element which is arranged so as to be slidable along the at least one fiber.