Method and apparatus for lowering the intraocular pressure of an eye

摘要

A method and apparatus for lowering the intraocular pressure of an eye are provided. The apparatus is a filtering implant comprising a cellulosic membrane adapted to extend from the anterior chamber of the eye through an opening in the limbus corneae to a drainage area beneath a scleral flap. In its most preferred embodiment, the cellulosic membrane consists essentially of a homopolymer of glucose units connected in a 1,4'- beta linkage. The implant is of a planar, generally rectangular shape. The method involves preparing and implanting the device within the eye such that it extends from the anterior chamber of the eye through an opening in the limbus corneae to a drainage area beneath a scleral flap.