As is well known, an intraocular lens or IOL is used to replace the natural lens of the human eye when the natural lens becomes damaged or otherwise incapable of functioning. The natural lens is removed and the IOL is inserted into the eye as a direct replacement. A typical IOL includes an optic lens and one or more fixation members or haptics for fixing the IOL in the desired position within the eye.
The IOL is implanted directly into the eye through a small incision formed in the ocular tissue of the eye, outside the normal range of sight. To fit through this small incision, modern IOLs are designed to be deformed, e.g., folded, rolled or the like, to a relatively small profile and then allowed to naturally return to an initial nondeformed shape within the eye.
Insertion of the IOL through this small incision may be accomplished through use of a surgical instrument such as a pair of insertion forceps. In this technique, the IOL is first folded together to reduce its size. The folded IOL is then inserted into the incision and placed within the eye where it can unfold.
The IOL is typically provided to the surgeon or other medical personnel, in a packaging device which securely contains the IOL. These packaging devices protect the IOL during handling and transportation to the surgery facility and may even allow for accurately folding the IOL along the optic diameter in order to reduce its size. Because of their combined functions, these packaging devices are commonly termed holding and folding devices or folding devices. Some of these devices specifically fold the IOL in preparation for grasping by the forceps or other surgical instrument. An improved form of such a holding and folding device is described in Buboltz et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,241.
A second technique for inserting an IOL into the eye includes the use of an IOL injector or cartridge, such as the IOL injector described in Bartell, U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,102. These IOL injectors include a load chamber which is connected to an injection tube. The load chamber includes an openable first lumen for receiving the IOL. Closure of this first lumen folds the IOL and maintains the IOL in a folded state. The injection tube includes a small diameter distal tip which is insertable into the incision within the eye. The IOL is transferable from the load chamber through the injection tube and into the eye. These IOL injectors simplify the placement of the IOL within the eye and reduce chances of surgeon error.
The IOL is provided to the surgeon in packaging. The IOL is removed from the packaging and placed on the open load chamber. The IOL is placed on the load chamber so that the IOL will be folded when the load chamber is closed.
The technique of removing the IOL from the packaging and transferring it to the load chamber is usually accomplished with a pair of forceps. Any covering of the packaging is removed such that the IOL is exposed. The forceps are used to physically remove the IOL and place it on the load chamber. This step requires steady hand operation of the forceps or similar device. The IOL can be dropped or may be damaged during this operation. There is thus, a need for a packaging system which simplifies the transfer of the IOL to the IOL injector.
During preparation for IOL insertion surgery, the surgeon may not know whether he or she will actually use insertion forceps, the IOL injector or another technique for insertion of the IOL. The procedure ultimately used may require that the IOL be supplied in a different packaging or require additional procedural steps such as pre-folding. It would be advantageous to provide a packaging system which is compatible with both the insertion forceps technique and the use of an IOL injector.
Accordingly, there is a need for a packaging device which can securely hold and protect an IOL during handling and transportation. There is also a need for a packaging device and method that can accurately fold an IOL in preparation for grasping by insertion forceps or alternatively can be used to directly load an IOL into the load chamber of an IOL injector. There is also a need for such a packaging device and method which is simple to use and inexpensive to manufacture.