Patent ID: 7473249

Claim:
An ophthalmic surgery instrument comprising: an instrument handle; a single rigid tubular sleeve projecting from the instrument handle, the sleeve having a continuous exterior surface and a continuous interior surface that both extend along the sleeve from the instrument handle to a distal, terminal end of the sleeve, the sleeve being dimensioned for insertion of the sleeve distal, terminal end into an interior of an eye; and, an optic fiber extending through the handle and the sleeve, the optic fiber having a proximal end and an opposite distal end with a portion of the optic fiber at the optic fiber distal end having a bent configuration that is positioned in the sleeve and is held in a straight configuration by engagement with the sleeve interior surface, the optic fiber proximal end having a connector for connecting to a light source to transmit light through the optic fiber and project light from the optic fiber distal end, and the optic fiber distal end portion engaging in a sliding engagement with the sleeve interior surface and being extendable from the distal, terminal end of the sleeve to gradually bend from the straight configuration toward the bent configuration, the optic fiber distal end portion being dimensioned to bend to the bent configuration in an interior of an eye to project light from the optic fiber distal end in the interior of the eye and direct the light projected from the optic fiber distal end toward surgical sites lying in the interior of the eye.