Patent ID: 8377121
Filing Date: 2013-02-19
Classification: A61F

Abstract:
1. A method for correcting a refractive error of the eye comprising: (a) forming a corneal pocket having a narrow, tunnel-shaped access; (b) providing an annular intracorneal implant having a starting shape comprising a circular or elliptical ring body, said ring body comprising a rigid material having a ring width and a ring height, said ring body further comprising a plurality of starting dimensions disabling insertion of the intracorneal implant into the corneal pocket via the narrow access, said plurality of starting dimensions comprising a starting shape outer dimension selected from the group consisting of a diameter ranging from 4 mm to 12 mm and a minor axis ranging from 4 mm to 12 mm; (c) deforming the ring body from the starting shape into an intermediate shape by laterally compressing the intracorneal implant in such a way to form intermediate dimensions comprising an intermediate shape outer dimension smaller than the starting shape outer dimension to enable the insertion of the implant into the corneal pocket via the narrow access; and (d) inserting the intracorneal implant into the corneal pocket via the narrow access while the ring body is in the intermediate shape; (e) allowing an adjustment force to enable independent unfolding from the intermediate shape into an end shape, said end shape to be adopted after inserting the intracorneal implant into the corneal pocket via the narrow access, the end shape comprising ending dimensions comprising an end shape outer dimension larger than the intermediate shape outer dimension; wherein the ring body has an impressed shape memory from at least one of a material of the ring body and a geometry of the ring body such that in the starting shape the ring body is disposed in a ring level extending in first and second dimensions, in the intermediate shape a part of the ring body is deviated from the ring level into a third dimension orthogonal to at least one component of a compression force applied to the ring body to form the intermediate shape, and after inserting the intracorneal implant into the corneal pocket via the narrow access the end shape is adopted as a result of independent unfolding of the ring body caused by the adjustment force; and wherein the end shape comprises ending dimensions related to the refractive error to be corrected.