Rotary device for removing ophthalmic lens

A method for reducing an ophthalmic lens within the lens capsule within a mammalian eye, said method comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a lens-reducing device which comprises:
• i) a tubular sheath having a distal end;
• ii) an elongate drive shaft extending longitudinally through said tubular sheath and having a distal end;
• iii) a rotating lens-reducing head positioned on the distal end of said drive shaft;
• and
• iv) said sheath being configured and positioned, during operation of said device, such that the distal end of the sheath will shield one side of the lens-reducing head, while allowing an unshielded portion of the lens-reducing head to remain sufficiently unshielded to contact and reduce lens matter within the lens capsule;
• b) inserting said device into the eye such that the distal end of the sheath is positioned at a non-centered location within the lens capsule;
• c) positioning the sheath to cause the shielded side of the lens-reducing head to be located adjacent a selected portion of the lens capsule;
• d) rotationally driving the drive shaft and lens-reducing head to effect reduction of the ophthalmic lens.

A rotary ophthalmic lens-reducing device for in situ reduction of the ophthalmic lens of a mammalian eye, said device comprising:

• a handpiece portion which is sized and configured to be grasped by the human hand;
• and
• an elongate probe portion which extends distally from said handpiece portion, said probe portion comprising:
• i) an elongate tubular sheath having a distal end;
• ii) a rotatable drive shaft extending longitudinally through said elongate tubular sheath, said drive shaft having a distal end and an outer surface;
• iii) a rotatable lens-reducing head member positioned on the distal end of said drive shaft;
• said tubular sheath having a distal end portion which is configured such that a first side of said distal end portion is longer than an opposite second side of said distal end portion;
• said tubular sheath being alternately moveable back and forth between:
• i) a first position wherein both the first and second sides of the distal end portion of the sheath extend beyond the distal end of the rotatable lens-reducing head, thereby shielding the entire lens-reducing head;
• and
• ii) a second position wherein only the first side of said tubular sheath extends beyond the distal end of the rotatable lens-reducing head, thereby allowing the portion of the head which is next to the second side of the sheath to be sufficiently unshielded to contact and reduce lens matter.