Patent ID: 8668676

Claim:
An apparatus ( 10 ) for implanting an ocular implant in an eye, the apparatus comprising: a) a housing ( 40 ); b) a cannula ( 12 ) having a lumen ( 14 ) extending therethrough, the lumen having a length and a diameter and comprising an ocular implant, said implant comprising a plurality of substantially uniformly sized and substantially spherical particles ( 18 ) in a one-by-one array along the length of the lumen, wherein the apparatus includes substantially no liquid material present in the lumen with the plurality of particles, such that the particles can be delivered into the eye in a dry state; c) a push rod ( 22 ) that is slidably receivable within the lumen and movable from a first position to a second position and that terminates at its proximal end in a cone ( 49 ); d) a cam ( 70 ) disposed within the housing, wherein the end of the cam is located proximal to the cone such that rotation of the cam causes the end of the cam to engage the cone, causing translation movement of the push rod relative to the cannula and ejection of the implant from the cannula; e) a movement assembly ( 28 ) operatively coupled to the push rod and structured to move the push rod from the first position to the second position, the cannula having a slight bend incorporated into the tip in order to hold the particles within the lumen before movement of the push rod to the second position; f) the movement assembly including a lever ( 54 ) for downward movement normal to the longitudinal axis of the apparatus, wherein downward movement of the lever causes rotational movement of the cam, one end of the lever terminating in a button ( 58 ), the other end terminating in a tab ( 60 ) engageable with a latch ( 62 ) on the housing, wherein when the lever is fully depressed and the implant ejected, the tab engages the latch thereby locking the assembly into a depressed, post-ejection, condition.