Prosthesis (i.e. – artificial body members) – parts thereof – or ai – Eye prosthesis – Corneal implant
Patent
1998-07-21
2000-08-22
Willse, David H.
Prosthesis (i.e., artificial body members), parts thereof, or ai
Eye prosthesis
Corneal implant
623 513, A61F 214
Patent
active
061065528
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a corneal prosthesis device.
More precisely, the invention relates to an optical prosthesis which can be put into place by making a central incision in the cornea of the eye when the cornea can no longer perform its function of transparency. Such optical prostheses are sometimes also known as artificial corneas.
Some kinds of blindness are caused by the optical properties of the cornea becoming opaque or spoilt. In some cases, it is possible to remedy that by keratoplasty, i.e. by replacing the unhealthy central portion of the cornea with a fragment of healthy and transparent cornea from a donor. Nevertheless, if the lesions to which the cornea has been subjected are too great (burning, dry syndrome, pseudo-pemphigus), it is necessary to resort to palliative surgery which consists in making an orifice or trephination in the unhealthy portion of the cornea and in putting into place a prosthesis constituting an artificial cornea, with this technique being known as keratoprosthesis.
European patent 0 469 993 describes a corneal prosthesis constituted by an opaque part of substantially cylindrical shape provided at its posterior portion with a support piece secured to the posterior end of the optical part and designed to be pressed against and fixed to the posterior face of the cornea. Various ways of fixing the assembly are envisaged, in particular using an elastic piece disposed at least temporarily at the anterior portion of the corneal prosthesis and/or means for suturing the support piece to the cornea.
This disposition does indeed ensure that the corneal prosthesis can be put into place easily and effectively, and that it is held in the cornea. Unfortunately, it turns out that between the periphery of the prosthesis and the edge of the incision made in the cornea, there is no genuine adherence, thus leaving a path for microbes to the inside of the eye. It will be understood that this situation can be very harmful in certain operations.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved corneal prosthesis device which is easy to put into place, while nevertheless providing very good sealing between the optical part of the corneal prosthesis and the periphery of the trephination formed in the central portion of the cornea.
According to the invention, to achieve this object, the corneal prosthesis device for putting into place in the cornea and which comprises an optical part made of a first transparent material of substantially cylindrical shape presenting an anterior face defining an optical surface and a posterior end, is characterized in that it further comprises an annular anterior skirt projecting from the side wall of the optical part and made of a biocompatible and biocolonizable synthetic polymer, and a posterior annular skirt projecting from the side wall of the optical part and made of said first material, the distance between the posterior face of the anterior skirt and the anterior face of the posterior skirt is substantially equal to the thickness of the cornea, thereby enabling the cornea to be clamped between the two skirts.
It will be understood that the presence of the annular anterior skirt made of biocolonizable material makes it possible, by various techniques, to cause said anterior skirt to be colonized effectively in such a manner as to provide a sealed discontinuity between the anterior face of the cornea and the optical part of the corneal prosthesis. It should also be understood that the presence of the posterior skirt pressed against the posterior or inside face of the cornea makes it possible to avoid the risk of the prosthesis being expelled under the effect of intraocular pressure.
In a first embodiment, the optical part and the posterior skirt are made of PMMA. In a variant embodiment, the optical part is made of a flexible optical material which may be a silicone gel or a hydrophilic or a non-hydrophilic acrylic.
In a preferred embodiment, the biocolonizable material is selected from those commonly used for reconstructive surgery, a
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Polack, Southern Medical Journal, 65 (9), 1118-1122. Sep. 1972.
Bos Gilles
Lacombe Emmanuel
Villain Franck
Corneal Industrie
Willse David H.
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