Posterior capsulotomy knife

Claim 1

An ophthalmic surgical knife for performing dicission of the posterior capsule of a human eye, comprising: a curved shaft having a first end and a second end, said first end comprising a blade portion adapted for cutting the posterior capsule upon reciprocal rotation of said curved shaft along its longitudinal axis, said blade portion including a flat, imperforate surface facing toward the center of curvature of the curved shaft and two opposed cutting edges which converge to form a sharp tip at said first end; and an elongated, cylindrical handle attached to the second end of said curved shaft such that the longitudinal axis of the handle is disposed substantially tangentially with respect to the outer periphery of said curved shaft; wherein said curved shaft has a circular cross-section from said second end to said blade portion and is continuously tapered from said second end to said blade portion, thereby allowing the shaft to enter the eye in a self-sealing, fluid tight manner which limits the trauma to the eye and prevents the loss of vitreous fluids from the eye.