Methods and apparatus for delivering ocular implants into the eye

摘要

A method of deploying an ocular implant into Schlemm's canal of a human eye including the following steps: inserting a distal tip of a delivery tool within an anterior chamber of the eye through trabecular meshwork of the eye into Schlemm's canal of the eye; and advancing an ocular implant through a curved portion and a distal opening of the delivery tool to place a body portion of the ocular implant in Schlemm's canal and an inlet portion of the ocular implant in the anterior chamber.

主权项

1. A cannula for an ocular implant delivery system comprising a member having an opening at a distal end and a lumen extending proximally within the member along a longitudinal axis from the opening, the member having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the member extending further distally on the first side than on the second side to the opening, wherein an opening surface at the distal end of the member surrounds the opening to define a tongue extending proximally from the tip on the first side of the body, wherein the tongue comprises a first region in which circumferential material coverage of the body around the lumen increases from a first point to a second point proximal to the first point, a second region in which circumferential material coverage of the body around the lumen decreases from the second point to a third point proximal to the second point, and a third region in which circumferential material coverage of the body around the lumen increases from the third point to a fourth point proximal to the third point, the member comprising:
a distal tip; a curved portion disposed proximal to the distal tip, the longitudinal axis through the curved portion defining a curve plane, the second side of the member being disposed radially inward of the first side of the member in the curved portion; a straight portion proximal to the curved portion; the distal tip being adapted to be inserted into an anterior chamber of a human subject's eye, through trabecular meshwork and into Schlemm's canal of the eye, the proximal portion of the member being adapted to extend from a location exterior to the eye when the distal tip is in Schlemm's canal of the eye, the cannula being further adapted to cooperate with an advancement mechanism to advance an ocular implant through the tubular member toward and through the opening into Schlemm's canal of the eye when the distal tip is disposed in Schlemm's canal, the curved portion of the member having a curve adapted to achieve substantially tangential entry of the ocular implant into Schlemm's canal.