Patent ID: 6503275
Filing Date: 2003-01-07
Classification: A61F

Abstract:
An ophthalmic instrument for inserting an intraocular lens into a patient's eye through a corneal incision in the eye, said instrument comprising:a housing including a tubular portion having a relatively slender tip for insertion into the patient's eye, a bore extending axially through said tubular portion, and a lens storage chamber having opposite walls and an inward end opening laterally to said bore and an opposite outer end, a lens having an optic and oppositely extending haptics and a normally unfolded configuration, lens transfer and folding means within said chamber forming with the chamber a lens storage space within the inward end of the chamber for storing the lens in its normal unfolded configuration and operable by an instrument user to move the unfolded lens from said storage space into said bore and fold the lens to a compact folded configuration with the folded lens located in a pre-insertion position within said bore, said lens transfer and folding means comprises a ram movable through said chamber between a normal retracted position within the outer end of the chamber wherein the ram and chamber form said lens storage space and an inward extended position wherein the ram is disposed to retain the folded lens in said pre-insertion position, said ram having an arcuate end face confronting an arcuate inner wall of the tubular portion, said lens being foldable by a rolling action thereon by the ram arcuate face and the confronting arcuate wall of said housing tubular portion into the folded configuration wherein the haptics are folded over each other, said ram and said opposite walls of said storage chamber having interfitting cross-sectional configurations, the ram having laterally extending reduced wing portions and the chamber walls defining mating laterally extending slots to receive the ram wing portions and said lens haptics, whereby contact of the lens optic with chamber walls is prevented, cooperating means on said housing and said ram releasably retaining said ram in at least one of said retracted and extended positions, lens insertion means for moving the folded lens through said bore from said pre-insertion position toward and through said tip of said tubular portion for ejecting the folded lens from said tubular portion through said tip, said lens insertion means including, an insertion actuator connected with said tubular portion and engaging a plunger for operation by the instrument user to move the plunger forwardly through said bore.