Vitrectomy Lens Holder With Flexible Membrane and Overflow Trough
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lens holders for vitreoretinal surgeries face challenges in maintaining the position of a contact vitrectomy lens due to gravity, often requiring suturing, manual assistance, or limiting adjustability, as they rely on viscoelastic agents that can cause slippage and require frequent reapplication.
Innovation Solution
A lens holder with a transparent, flexible membrane and an overflow trough that separates the viscoelastic agent from the eye, providing higher friction and allowing for easy repositioning without additional viscoelastic application, using perforations to manage excess agent and maintain visualization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If viscoelastic is used between the cornea and contact lens to eliminate air gaps, then visualization is improved, but the lens slides easily from atop the cornea due to gravity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a support ring as an intermediary device between the contact lens and the cornea. This support ring provides mechanical stabilization to prevent lens slippage while maintaining the viscoelastic layer for optimal visualization. The support ring acts as a mediator that decouples the conflicting requirements of visualization quality and position stability.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a lens holder is sutured to the eye to reduce lens movement, then lens position stability is improved, but the opportunity to adjust the lens during surgery is eliminated
Solution Approach 1:
The support ring is designed with dynamic characteristics that allow it to be initially stable for positioning but become adjustable when needed. The ring can be securely positioned at the start of surgery to prevent slippage, then modified or removed to allow lens repositioning if surgical conditions change, providing both stability and adaptability throughout the procedure.
3Stability of the object's composition
If an assistant manually holds the lens in place during surgery, then lens position stability is improved, but the procedure becomes cumbersome and requires very steady hands
Solution Approach 1:
The support ring is designed to be self-stabilizing through its interaction with the cornea and viscoelastic layer. Once properly positioned, the ring maintains lens stability through friction and mechanical engagement with ocular structures, eliminating the need for continuous manual assistance. The device serves itself to maintain position without requiring external intervention throughout the surgical procedure.
4Illumination intensity
If additional viscoelastic is reapplied when the lens is repositioned, then visualization is maintained, but the procedure time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support ring is pre-filled with sufficient viscoelastic material during the positioning phase. This preliminary action ensures that when the lens needs to be repositioned, the viscoelastic is already in place to maintain visualization quality, eliminating the need for time-consuming reapplication during lens adjustments.
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
The lens holder maintains stable positioning of the vitrectomy lens with reduced slippage and eliminates the need for manual assistance, allowing for adjustable placement during surgery while minimizing viscoelastic contact with the eye, thus enhancing surgical precision and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a transparent, flexible membrane disposed along a bottom plane of the support ring and configured to conform to a surface feature on the eye
Implementation Method 2
The viscoelastic may have a similar refractive index as the lens and cornea to prevent reflections from occurring at their surfaces
Implementation Method 3
The overflow wall extending from the lower edge of the support ring in an upward direction tapering outwardly from the support ring so as to form an overflow trough that extends about the support ring
Data Source
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AI summary
A lens holder (104) for holding a vitrectomy lens (102) during a surgical procedure, comprising: a support ring (120) sized and shaped to receive a portion of a vitrectomy lens to provide visualization of a surgical site in an eye of a patient, the support ring being configured to rest upon the eye of the patient during a surgical treatment procedure performed on the eye; a transparent, flexible membrane (124) disposed along a bottom plane of the support ring, and configured to conform to a surface feature on the eye and to separate a wetting agent in the support ring from the eye. The support ring comprises an interior surface (130), an exterior surface (132), and at least one perforation (134) extending through a side of the support ring from the interior surface to the exterior surface. The lens holder comprises and an overflow wall (122) that extends from the lower edge (138) of the support ring in an upward direction tapering outwardly from the support ring so as to form an overflow trough (154) that extends about the ring.