Surgical instrument and method for cutting the lens of an eye

Claim 1

An ophthalmic surgical instrument for cutting the lens of an eye comprising: a handle adapted for support in a hand of a user; a rod having first and second ends, said first end thereof being attached to said handle; an elongated tubular member disposed adjacent to said rod and having first and second ends, said first end thereof being attached to said handle, said elongated tubular member being shorter than said rod; actuator means mounted to said handle for movement between a forward position and a rearward position with respect to said handle; a flexible elongated wire having first and second ends and partially disposed within said elongated tubular member, said first end thereof being attached to said second end of said rod and said second end thereof being attached to said actuator means such that movement of said actuator means to said forward position causes said flexible elongated wire not disposed within said elongated tubular member to bow outwardly to partially encircle the lens of the eye thereby positioning the lens between said flexible elongated wire and said rod, and movement of said actuator means to said rearward position causes said flexible elongated wire to retract within said elongated tubular member and move generally parallel to said rod to cut the lens.

Claim 19

A method for cutting a lens of an eye having an anterior chamber and a posterior chamber, divided by the iris of the eye, the lens being normally disposed in the posterior chamber, comprising the steps of: inserting into the anterior chamber of the eye a surgical instrument having a handle supported by the user, a rod having first and second ends, the first end of the rod being attached to the handle, a tubular member disposed adjacent to the rod and having first and second ends, the first end thereof being attached to the handle and the second end terminating in an arcuate portion, the tubular member being shorter than the rod, an actuator mounted to the handle, and a flexible wire having first and second ends, the flexible wire being partially disposed within the tubular member, the first end of the flexible wire being attached to the second end of the rod and the second end of the flexible wire being attached to the actuator; moving the actuator to a rearward position with respect to the handle, such that the flexible wire is disposed adjacent to the rod during insertion of the instrument into the anterior chamber of the eye; moving the actuator to a forward position, after the rod and tubular member have been inserted into the anterior chamber of the eye to cause the flexible wire to bow outwardly from the rod in a plane parallel to the plane of the lens of the eye in the posterior chamber of the eye; maintaining the lens in the posterior of the eye by positioning the rod to block movement of the lens from the posterior chamber into the anterior chamber; positioning in the posterior chamber of the eye the bowed flexible wire around a portion of the lens of the eye by rotating the handle of the surgical instrument such that the bowed flexible wire lies in a plane perpendicular to the plane to the lens and the lens lies between the flexible wire and the rod within the posterior chamber of the eye; and moving the actuator to the rearward position with respect to the handle of the surgical instrument to retract the flexible wire into the tubular member while the lens lies between the flexible wire and the rod within the posterior of the eye, thereby cutting the lens of the eye with the flexible wire within the posterior chamber of the eye.

Claim 20

A method for cutting a lens of an eye having an anterior chamber and a posterior chamber, divided by the iris of the eye, the lens being normally disposed in the posterior chamber, comprising the steps of: inserting into the anterior chamber of the eye a surgical instrument having a handle supported by the user, a rod having first and second ends, the first end of the rod being attached to the handle, a tubular member disposed adjacent to the rod and having first and second ends, the first end thereof being attached to the handle and the second end terminating in an arcuate portion, the tubular member being shorter than the rod, an actuator mounted to the handle, and a flexible wire having first and second ends, the flexible wire being partially disposed within the tubular member, the first end of the flexible wire being attached to the second end of the rod and the second end of the flexible wire being attached to the actuator; moving the actuator to a rearward position with respect to the handle, such that the flexible wire is disposed adjacent to the rod during insertion of the instrument into the anterior chamber of the eye; moving the actuator to a forward position, after the rod and tubular member have been inserted into the anterior chamber of the eye to cause the flexible wire to bow outwardly from the rod in a plane parallel to the plane of the lens of the eye in the posterior chamber of the eye; maintaining the lens in the posterior of the eye by positioning the rod to block movement of the lens from the posterior chamber into the anterior chamber; positioning in the posterior chamber of the eye the bowed flexible wire around a portion of the lens of the eye by rotating the handle of the surgical instrument such that the bowed flexible wire lies in a plane perpendicular to the plane to the lens and the lens lies between the flexible wire and the rod within the posterior chamber of the eye; and moving the actuator to the rearward position with respect to the handle of the surgical instrument to retract the flexible wire into the tubular member while the lens lies between the flexible wire and the rod within the posterior of the eye, thereby cutting the lens of the eye with the flexible wire within the posterior chamber of the eye.