Needle guide for implanting intra-ocular lens

A needle guide for intra-ocular surgery to fixate an intra-ocular lens following cataract removal, designed for insertion through a corneal-rim incision into a temporary position spanning the anterior chamber and being thereby positioned to conduct straight surgical needles safely across the anterior chamber and past the corneal endothelium, comprising

• an elongated thin narrow substantially flat and rectangular unitary guide plate having
• an elongated needle flange inturned and downturned along each elongated edge of the guide plate to form a cylindrical needle guide chamber of substantially uniform cross section dimensioned to embrace a straight surgical needle during its endwise telescoping passage into, through and beyond the guide chamber,
• each flange having an elongated rim spaced away from the guide plate to provide an elongated inwardly-opening suture-release slot of substantially uniform width therebetween,
• each slot being too narrow to permit lateral removal of a surgical needle from the guide chamber,
• whereby the elongated narrow guide may be inserted spanning the anterior chamber, guided by trans-illumination, a pair of surgical needles secured to opposite ends of a first suture loop and forming a double armed suture interlinked with a retention loop of an intra-ocular lens may be inserted into and moved through the respective guide chambers safely passing the endothelium to exit through the sclera opposite the corneal rim incision, leaving the bight of the first suture loop protruding from the incision, and tension maintained on the first suture loop permits the needle guide to be withdrawn through the incision and detached from the first suture loop by lateral withdrawal of the first suture loop through the suture-release slots, after which the intra-ocular lens may be inserted adjacent to the iris and secured by suturing in position spanning the pupil.