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US 6,306,114 B1Granted
Valved canalicular plug for lacrimal duct occlusion
AssigneeEagle Vision, Inc.
InventorsC. Curtis Freeman, Nicholas J. Webb
Life of this patent
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AssigneeEagle Vision, Inc.
InventorsC. Curtis Freeman, Nicholas J. Webb
Estimating the term…
A canalicular plug includes a throughbore provided with a valve. Preferably, the plug has a proximal occluding head, a central shaft and a distal body portion. The throughbore is preferably stepped and includes a large proximal portion for receiving an insertion tool and a smaller distal portion. The valve is preferably integrally molded with the canalicular plug, and the plug is preferably made from a resilient biocompatible material. According to a preferred aspect of the invention, the distal body portion includes at least one slot dividing the distal portion into a plurality of resilient portions which are biased apart and coupled by a foldable curtain portion extending between the resilient portions. The resilient portions are inwardly compressible about the slot. When compressed together, the distal ends of the resilient portions together form a generally conical or frustoconical shape which facilitates insertion through the punctal opening.
A canalicular plug for insertion into or through a punctal opening of a nasal lacrimal duct to prevent the flow of tear fluid through the nasal lacrimal duct, said canalicular plug comprising:
A canalicular plug for insertion into or through a punctal opening of a nasal lacrimal duct to substantially prevent the flow of tear fluid through the nasal lacrimal duct, said canalicular plug comprising:
A canalicular plug according to claim 17, wherein:
A canalicular plug according to claim 18, wherein;
A canalicular plug according to claim 19, wherein:
A canalicular plug according to claim 21, wherein:
In a flexible punctum plug for insertion into or through a punctal opening of a nasal lacrimal duct to prevent the flow of tear fluid through the nasal lacrimal duct, the punctum plug having a first portion having a first outer diameter, and a second portion having a second outer diameter smaller than said first outer diameter and sized to be received within the punctal opening, the improvement comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.