US 10,206,814 B2Granted

System and method for the delivery of medications or fluids to the eye

OwnerDavid R. Hardten, Richard L. Lindstrominventors

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A method for delivering fluids, drugs, or medications to a patient's eye, and a system or apparatus for implementing the method, is disclosed. The system and method comprises the use of a corneal sponge to be deposited onto the cornea of the patient's eye while the patient's eyelids are maintained in open positions, and a scleral contact lens is disposed onto the sponge. The scleral lens has an irrigation fluid supply tube fluidically connected thereto for supplying a fluid, drug, or medication to the sponge which is saturated with the fluid, drug, or medication. Once the sponge and lens are inserted onto the corneal region of the eye, the patient's eyelids are closed thereby trapping and maintaining the sponge and lens upon the corneal region of the eye so as to permit the fluid, drug, or medication to be continuously supplied and applied to the corneal region of the eye.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A system for delivering a fluid, a drug, or a medication to a corneal region of a human eye so as to treat the corneal region of the human eye with the fluid, the drug, or the medication, comprising:

a corneal sponge able to be disposed over the corneal region of the human eye, wherein said corneal sponge has a first surface defining a surface area which is substantially the same as the surface area of the corneal region of the human eye, the first surface having a curvature substantially the same as a curvature of the human eye for directly contacting the corneal region of the human eye, and a second surface substantially parallel to the first surface;
and
an irrigation fluid supply tube having a substantially constant outer diameter along its entire length and being connected directly to said second surface of said corneal sponge able to be disposed over the corneal region of the human eye so as to continuously deliver the fluid, the drug, or the medication to said corneal sponge whereby said corneal sponge will be continuously saturated with the fluid, the drug, or the medication such that the corneal region of the human eye is continuously treated with the fluid, the drug, or the medication.

A method for delivering a fluid, a drug, or a medication to a corneal region of a human eye so as to treat the corneal region of the human eye with the fluid, the drug, or the medication, comprising the steps of:

disposing a corneal sponge over the corneal region of the human eye, wherein said corneal sponge has a first surface defining a surface area which is substantially the same as the surface area of the corneal region of the human eye, the first surface having a curvature substantially the same as a curvature of the human eye and directly contacting the corneal region of the human eye, and a second surface substantially parallel to the first surface;
and
conducting the fluid, the drug, or the medication through an irrigation fluid supply tube having a substantially constant outer diameter along its entire length and which is connected directly to said second surface of said corneal sponge disposed over the corneal region of the human eye so as to continuously deliver the fluid, the drug, or the medication to said corneal sponge whereby said corneal sponge will be continuously saturated with the fluid, the drug, or the medication such that the corneal region of the human eye is continuously treated with the fluid, the drug, or the medication.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.