Cutting apparatus for the cutting of a round corneal disc

A cutting apparatus for the excision of a corneal disc from a human eye, said apparatus including:

• a hollow cylindrical cutting knife having a longitudinal central cylinder axis;
• an exterior cylinder having a central bore extending to its end adjacent to the cornea during excision of a corneal disc;
• a clip ring guidingly situated in a rear end portion of said exterior cylinder for holding said cutting knife by a frictional fit;
• feed apparatus held on said cylinder by said clip ring, said feed apparatus including:
• a stopper having a central bore and held to rotate in said exterior cylinder;
• a rotatable guide cylinder fixedly retained in the central bore of the stopper, said guide cylinder bearing upon an inner wall of the cutting knife and having a projecting end with exterior threading;
• a turning ring threadedly engaged on said exterior threading;
• a glide ring supported to freely rotate in a groove in an exterior wall of the turning ring;
• and
• means connecting said glide ring to rotate with the clip ring;
• whereby said feed apparatus operates to permit rotational as well as axial movement of said cutting knife relative to said cylinder, said rotational movement and said axial movement being performed by separate and independent manipulations of said feed apparatus.

A cutting apparatus for the excision of a corneal disc from a human eye, said apparatus comprising:

• a hollow cylindrical cutting knife having a longitudinal central cylinder axis;
• an exterior cylinder including on its end adjacent to the cornea during excision of a corneal disc a planar connection plate having a bore therethrough, said connection plate extending perpendicular to said cylinder axis;
• a clip ring guidingly situated in a rear end portion of said cylinder for holding said cutting knife by a frictional fit;
• means for rotating said cutting knife operatively connected to said clip ring, said means for rotating including a rotatable stopper having a central bore therethrough and guide cylinder fixed in said central bore of said stopper, said guide cylinder having a handwheel on an exposed outer end thereof adapted for manipulation by an operator;
• and
• means for axially moving said cutting knife operatively connected to said clip ring, said means for axially moving comprising first means threadedly engaged with said guide cylinder for axially adjusting the position of said cutting knife relative to said means for rotating,
• whereby manipulation of said handwheel causes rotation of said cutting knife and separate manipulation of said first means causes axial movement of said cutting knife.

A cutting apparatus for the excision of a corneal disc from a human eye, said apparatus comprising:

• a hollow cylindrical cutting knife having a longitudinal central cylinder axis;
• an exterior cylinder including on its end adjacent to the cornea during excision of a corneal disc a planar connection plate having a bore therethrough, said connection plate extending perpendicular to said cylinder axis;
• a clip ring guidingly situated in a rear end portion of said cylinder for holding said cutting knife by a frictional fit, said clip ring having a slit in the wall thereof extending in a direction of the axial length of the clip ring;
• means for rotating said cutting knife operatively connected to said clip ring, said means for rotating including a rotatable stopper having a central bore therethrough and a guide cylinder fixed in said central bore, said guide cylinder having a handwheel on an exposed outer end thereof adapted for manipulation by an operator;
• and
• means for axially moving said cutting knife operatively connected to said clip ring, said means for axially moving comprising first means threadedly engaged with said guide cylinder for axially adjusting the position of said cutting knife relative to said means for rotating,
• whereby manipulation of said handwheel causes rotation of said cutting knife and separate manipulation of said first means causes axial movement of said cutting knife.

A cutting apparatus for the excision of a corneal disc from an eye, said apparatus comprising:

• a hollow cylindrical cutting knife having a longitudinal central cylinder axis;
• an exterior cylinder including on its end adjacent to the cornea during excision of a corneal disc a planar connection plate having a bore therethrough, said connection plate extending perpendicular to said cylinder axis;
• means situated in said cylinder for holding said cutting knife;
• means for rotating said cutting knife operatively connected to said means for holding said cutting knife;
• and
• means for axially moving said cutting knife operatively connected to said means for holding said cutting knife, said means for axially moving comprising first means threadedly engaged with said means for rotating for axially adjusting the position of said cutting knife relative to said means for rotating, said means for axially moving further comprising second means for connecting said first means to said means for holding, said second means being supported to rotate with and axially move relative to said means for rotating, wherein said means for holding, said means for rotating, and said means for axially moving are arranged coaxially with said central cylinder axis;
• whereby manipulation of said means for rotating causes rotation of said cutting knife and separate manipulation of said first means causes axial movement of said cutting knife and, during a corneal disc excision operation, said means for rotating and said first means are at all times and in all positions accessible and independently manipulatable by an operator.

A system for the excision of a disc from an cornea, said system comprising;

• a hollow cylindrical cutting knife having a longitudinal central cylinder axis;
• an exterior cylinder;
• means situated in said cylinder for holding said cutting knife;
• means for rotating said cutting knife operatively connected to said means for holding said cutting knife;
• means for axially moving said cutting knife operatively connected to said means for holding said cutting knife, said means for axially moving comprising first means threadedly engaged with said means for rotating for axially adjusting the position of said cutting knife relative to said means for rotating, whereby manipulation of said means for rotating causes rotation of said cutting knife and separate manipulation of said first means causes axial movement of said cutting knife;
• eye support structure adapted to be provided on an eye of a patient;
• donor cornea support structure adapted to receive a donor cornea;
• and
• means for releasably attaching said cylinder to either said support structure, said means for releasably attaching comprising planar connect in plate means having a central bore therethrough and carried on and projecting radially outwardly from an end of said exterior cylinder positioned closest to said cornea during excision of said disc therefrom, said means for releasably attaching immobilizing said cylinder relative to either said support structure during a cutting operation of said cutting knife on either a patient cornea or a donor cornea to thereby produce a precisely duplicated cut in both the patient cornea and the donor cornea;
• said means for releasably attaching further comprising a plurality of additional bores passing through said connection plate means for alignment with a plurality of corresponding bores provided in said donor cornea support structure, whereby at such time when said plurality of additional bores and said corresponding bores are in alignment, fastener means are inserted into the aligned bores for attaching the cylinder to the donor cornea support structure;
• said means for releasably attaching further comprising cooperating snap fastening means provided on said connection plate means and on said eye support structure, said cooperating snap fastening means comprising mating surfaces provided on both said connection plate means and said eye support structure, and a spring means carried by said cylinder for retaining said mating surfaces in mating relationship, said mating surfaces including a projection formed along a portion of a periphery of said connection plate means, an undercut provided on said eye support structure for receiving said projection, an annex formed along said periphery of said connection plate means generally opposite said projection, and a seating surface provided on said eye support structure for receiving said annex.

A system including apparatus for excision of a disc from an cornea and structure for supporting said apparatus, said system comprising;

• a cornea cutting device including an exterior cylinder having a longitudinal central axis, and a hollow cylindrical cutting knife carried within said cylinder;
• eye support structure adapted to be provided on an eye of a patient;
• donor cornea support structure adapted to receive a donor cornea;
• and
• means for releasably attaching said cylinder to either said support structure, said means for releasably attaching comprising planar connection plate means carried on and projecting radially outwardly from an end of said cylinder positioned closest to said cornea during excision of said disc therefrom, said means for releasably attaching immobilizing said cylinder relative to either said support structure during a cutting operation of said cutting knife on either a patient cornea or a donor cornea to thereby produce a precisely duplicated cut in both the patient cornea and the donor cornea;
• said means for releasably attaching further comprising cooperating snap fastening means provided on said connection plate means and on said eye support structure, said cooperating snap fastening means comprising mating surfaces provided on both said connection plate means and said eye support structure, and spring means carried by said cylinder for retaining said mating surfaces in mating relationship, said mating surfaces including a projection formed along a portion of a periphery of said connection plate means, an undercut provided on said eye support structure for receiving said projection, an annex formed along said periphery of said connection plate means generally opposite said projection, and a seating surface provided on said eye support structure for receiving said annex.

A system for excision of a disc from a cornea, said system comprising;

• an exterior cylinder having a longitudinal central cylinder axis;
• a hollow cylindrical cutting knife carried within said cylinder;
• eye support structure adapted to be provided on an eye of a patient;
• donor cornea support structure adapted to receive a donor cornea;
• means for releasably attaching said cylinder to either said support structure, said means for releasably attaching immobilizing said cylinder relative to either said support structure during a cutting operation of said cutting knife on either a patient cornea or a donor cornea to thereby produce a precisely duplicated cut in both the patient cornea and the donor cornea;
• means situated in said cylinder for holding said cutting knife;
• means for rotating said cutting knife operatively connected to said means for holding said cutting knife;
• and
• means for axially moving said cutting knife operatively connected to said means for holding said cutting knife, said means for axially moving comprising first means threadedly engaged with said means for rotating for axially adjusting the position of said cutting knife relative to said means for rotating, said means for axially moving further comprising second means for connecting said first means to said means for holding, said second means being supported to rotate with and axially move relative to said means for rotating, wherein said means for holding, said means for rotating, and said means for axially moving are arranged coaxially with said central cylinder axis;
• whereby manipulation of said means for rotating causes rotation of said cutting knife and separate manipulation of said first means causes axial movement of said cutting knife and, during a corneal disc excision operation, said means for rotating and said first means are at all times and in all positions accessible and independently manipulatable by an operator.