Patent ID: 8287494

Claim:
An intravitreal injection device, comprising: an injection assembly adapted to selectively receive an injector containing an injectant and having a dispensing conduit and secure the injector to the injection assembly in a defined orientation, wherein the injection assembly is further adapted to selectively release the injector from the injection assembly, and wherein the injection assembly comprises: a housing adapted to be selectively grasped by a user and manipulated to position the injector adjacent to a patient's eye when the injector is secured to the injection assembly; a user actuation mechanism supported by the housing and adapted to be engaged by the user; and an activator supported by the housing, wherein responsive to the user engaging the user actuation mechanism, the activator is adapted to automatically and sequentially first, translate the injector a translation distance relative to the injection assembly and then second, dispense the injectant from the injector; and an alignment guide supported relative to the housing, wherein the alignment guide includes an eye-contacting surface oriented to extend across a region of a surface of the patient's eye when the user positions the injector adjacent to the patient's eye, and an alignment portion adapted to be aligned with a predetermined visible aspect of the patient's eye when the eye-contacting surface is engaged with the surface of the patient's eye, wherein the alignment portion is in a predetermined position relative to a predetermined injection site on the surface of the patient's eye through which the dispensing conduit of the injector will pass when the injector is received by and secured to the injection assembly and translated by the activator.