Spare parts for use in ophthalmic surgical procedures

A "spare part" designed for use by a surgeon for surgical implantation into either the residual natural capsular bag or the ciliary sulcus of a patient's eye following an extracapsular or intracapsular cataract extraction, said "spare part" comprising a body made of a biocompatible sheet material preformed into the shape of a generally ring-shaped structure, said ring-shaped structure having a circumferentially resiliently compressible split washer-like configuration with first and second separate end regions adapted for relative movement with respect to each other in the circumferential direction of said ring-shaped structure, and said ring-shaped structure, when intended for implantation into the residual natural capsular bag of the patient's eye, having a nominal outer diameter somewhat greater than the inner diameter of the residual natural capsular bag and, when intended for implantation into the ciliary sulcus of the patient's eye, having a nominal outer diameter somewhat greater than the diameter of the ciliary sulcus, wherein said first and second end regions of said ring-shaped structure are separated from one another by a circumferential gap therebetween, to permit said end regions to approach each other upon circumferential compression of said ring-shaped structure, and wherein said ring-shaped structure has a generally toroidal configuration with substantially annular anterior and posterior walls interrupted by said gap and extending from said first to said second end region and being connected to each other at their radially outwardmost peripheries, said anterior and posterior walls defining therebetween an equatorial, radially inwardly open, interior groove constituting a compartment in which an optical or mechanical or combined optical and mechanical device can be received, whereby upon circumferential compression of said ring-shaped structure by the surgeon, insertion thereof into the residual capsular bag or the ciliary sulcus, as the case may be, is facilitated, and upon release of such circumferential compression of said ring-shaped structure after insertion thereof, said ring-shaped structure exerts an outward force on the equatorial region of the residual natural capsular bag or on the ciliary sulcus, as the case may be.

A "spare part" designed for use by a surgeon for surgical implantation into either the residual natural capsular bag or the ciliary sulcus of a patient's eye following an extracapsular or intracapsular cataract extraction, said "spare part" comprising a body made of a biocompatible sheet material preformed into the shape of an artificial either anteriorly incomplete and posteriorly complete or both anteriorly and posteriorly incomplete capsular bag-like structure, said artificial capsular bag-like structure having a peripheral generally toroidally ring-shaped equatorial region and including an annular anterior wall and an either annular or circular posterior wall connected to each other at their radially outwardmost peripheries and jointly defining between said walls a channel-shaped compartment for receiving an optical, mechanical or combined optical and mechanical device, and the wall formation of said artificial capsular bag-like structure in said equatorial region thereof where said anterior and posterior walls are connected to each other being devoid of any circumferential inwardly directed fold-like portion, and said artificial capsular bag-like structure further having an interior rib located within said compartment, said rib being secured to said wall portion and extending circumferentially along and projecting radially inwardly of said generally toroidally ring-shaped equatorial region of said artificial capsular bag-like structure from said wall formation and constituting a partition dividing said compartment into two subcompartments adapted to serve as separate receptacles for respective optical or mechanical devices.

A "spare part" designed for use by a surgeon for surgical implantation into either the residual natural capsular bag or the ciliary sulcus of a patient's eye following an extra-capsular or intracapsular cataract extraction, said "spare part" comprising a body made of a biocompatible sheet material preformed into the shape of an artificial either anteriorly incomplete and posteriorly complete or both anteriorly and posteriorly incomplete capsular bag-like structure, said artificial capsular bag-like structure having a peripheral generally toroidally ring-shaped equatorial region and including an annular anterior wall and an either annular or circular posterior wall connected to each other at their radially outwardmost peripheries and jointly defining between said walls a channel-shaped compartment for receiving an optical, mechanical or combined optical and mechanical device, and said artificial capsular bag-like structure further having a plurality of circumferentially spaced stiff but flexible spines located outside said compartment and projecting generally radially outwardly from the exterior of said toroidally ring-shaped equatorial region of said artificial capsular bag-like structure, said spines by virtue of their stiffness being adapted to penetrate into the sclera in the patient's eye in the region of the ciliary sulcus and the ciliary body for fixating said artificial capsular bag-like structure to the sclera.