Keratoscopic surgical instrument for making radial and arcuate corneal incisions
OwnerAlan D. Smithinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An incision guide instrument for radial keratotomy has a lens positionable over a cornea, containing an incision guide slot adjacent to which is disposed two mirror surfaces within the lens. The mirrors are angled to allow a surgeon to observe and control the blade depth penetration into the cornea. The slotted, mirrored lens is rotatable and has clip and notch means to locate any of sixteen different radial incision positions. Transverse arcuate cuts are also allowed by the rotatable lens, and a stop means prevents the transverse cuts from contacting the radial cuts. An annular cone disposed over the sclera defines a vacuum chamber for holding the eye in position relative to the lens.
Claims18
A scalpel for performing corneal surgery, said scalpel comprising:
- a) a knife housing substantially cylindrical in shape for easy gripping by a surgeon, said knife housing having a first end, a second end, a central axis, and an axial bore passing therethrough, said first end being externally threaded along an axial extent thereof,
- b) an actuator rod guided concentrically within said knife housing axial bore, said actuator rod having a first end, a second end, and an axial bore passing therethrough, with said first end flared out in the shape of a cone,
- c) a surgical blade and holding means for securing said surgical blade in said second end of said actuator rod,
- d) a cable extending along said knife housing central axis through said actuator rod axial bore from said actuator rod first end to a point in said actuator rod axial bore adjacent said actuator rod second end,
- e) an adjustment bushing surrounding a portion of said cable, said adjustment bushing being externally threaded, and
- f) thimble means for adjusting an axial position of said actuator rod relative to said knife housing, wherein said thimble means has a radially inner cylindrical portion having an axial bore therethrough and internal threads, a radially outer overhanging portion bounding an axially extending annular groove in said thimble means, said annular groove receiving the first end of the knife housing therein and said inner cylindrical portion threadedly engaged with said adjustment bushing and flared radially inwardly towards a central axis of said thimble means at an end of said thimble means which matingly receives the cone-shaped end of the actuator rod.
A hand-held device for adjustably positioning a surgical blade, wherein said device comprises:
- a) a main housing shaped for comfortable gripping by a surgeon, said main housing having a first end, a second end, a central axis, and an axial bore passing therethrough, said first end being externally threaded along an axial extent thereof,
- b) an actuator rod guided concentrically and non-rotatably within said main housing axial bore and having a first end, a second end and an axial bore passing therethrough, with said first end flared out in the shape of a cone,
- c) holding means for securing the surgical blade in said second end of said actuator rod,
- d) a cable extending along said main housing central axis through said actuator rod axial bore from said actuator rod first end to a point in said actuator rod axial bore adjacent said actuator rod second end,
- e) an adjustment bushing concentric with and surrounding a portion of said cable, friction means for maintaining said adjustment bushing in fixed relationship with said cable, said adjustment bushing being externally threaded,
- f) thimble means for adjusting an axial position of said actuator rod relative to said main housing, said thimble means having an axial bore, a first internally threaded portion along said axial bore engaged with the adjustment bushing external threads, a second internally threaded portion spaced radially outwardly from said first internally threaded portion and engaged with said main housing external threads, and an inwardly projecting annular shoulder at one end of said thimble means axial bore for slidably engaging the cone-shaped first end of the actuator rod,
- g) a thimble housing substantially cylindrical in shape, fixed to an outer periphery of said main housing adjacent said threaded extent of said main housing first end, said thimble housing surrounding said thimble means and having radial openings therethrough for providing access to said thimble means, and
- h) power means for controllably rotating said cable.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.