Dry eye treatment devices and methods
AssigneeMicroOptx Inc.
InventorJ. David Brown
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Devices can be implanted in an eye to treat a dry eye condition. The devices include a body defining a lumen and having first and second ends and external and lumenal surfaces. The body has a length sufficient to provide fluid communication between the anterior chamber and tear film of the eye through the lumen when the device is implanted in the sclera. In some embodiments, the device is filterless. In some embodiments, a filter is included. The dry eye treatment devices provided herein prevent bacterial ingress, provide outflow resistance to retain a normal intraocular pressure, and provide moisture (e.g., aqueous humor) to an otherwise dry eye. Methods of treating a dry eye condition wherein the device is implanted in the sclera of an afflicted eye are also described.
Claims18
-19. (canceled)
A device for treating a dry eye condition, the device comprising:
- a body having a distal end portion, a proximal end portion, and a mid-body portion extending between the distal end portion and the proximal end portion, the body defining a lumen extending along a longitudinal axis of the body between the distal end portion and the proximal end portion, the body having external and lumenal surfaces, the body having a longitudinal length sufficient to provide fluid communication between an anterior chamber and a tear film of the eye through the lumen when the device is implanted in a sclera of the eye, the mid-body portion being laterally narrower than some portions of each the distal end portion and the proximal end portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.