Eye injection device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9750635-B2
Application number	US-201514698281-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 28, 2015
Priority date	Mar 14, 2008
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

An injection device for injecting a product into an eye, said device comprising an injection needle and a support on which the injection needle is fixed, said device being characterized in that it comprises a locating mark disposed in such a way that the latter can be placed in contact with a defined bearing region of the surface of the eye, before any contact of the injection needle with said surface, and can then be kept in contact with said bearing region during a stage of penetration of said injection needle through said surface of the eye.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electroporation device for injecting a product into a ciliary muscle of an eye having a cornea having an edge, said device comprising:
at least one injection needle to inject said product in an injection zone;
a support on which the at least one injection needle is fixed or which is able to guide a sliding movement of the at least one injection needle;
a locating mark fixed on the support and disposed, along an arc of a circle with a radius of greater than 5 mm and of less than 8 mm, in such a way that said locating mark can be placed in contact with a defined bearing region of a surface of the eye, before any contact of the at least one injection needle with said surface, and can then be kept in contact with said bearing region during a stage of penetration of said at least one injection needle through said surface of the eye, the bearing region being at least a part of the edge of the cornea of the eye, said penetration resulting from a rotation of the support about the locating mark when said at least one injection needle is fixed on the support; and
an assembly of electrodes composed of first and second sets of electrodes designed to be connected electrically to first and second terminals, respectively, of an electrical generator in such a way as to create, within the injection zone, an electrical field that promotes electroporation,
wherein, in a position of use preventing further penetration of said at least one injection needle, said at least one injection needle penetrates into the spherical envelope via a point of penetration and extends inside said spherical envelope to a depth less than 1.5 mm.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the length of said arc of a circle is less than 20 mm.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, in said position of use, said at least one injection needle extends inside said spherical envelope to a depth greater than 0.5 mm.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the support comprises an abutment face extending substantially along a spherical envelope matching the sclera of the eye.

5. The device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the at least one injection needle and a straight line intersecting the abutment face perpendicularly at its center, or “main axis of the abutment face” extend in parallel planes, and in which, in a projection in one of these planes, the direction of the at least one injection needle forms an angle of greater than 50° with the main axis of the abutment face.

6. The device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the abutment face extends laterally over an angle sector of greater than 45° and less than 135°.

7. The device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the abutment face does not extend over more than a quadrant of a hemisphere.

8. The device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the radius of curvature of said spherical envelope is greater than 9 mm, and less than 14 mm.

9. The device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the locating mark is a locating line in the shape of an arc of a circle having an axis, said axis passing through the center of said spherical envelope.

10. The device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the locating mark extends along a locating line in the shape of an arc of a circle, said at least one injection needle penetrates into the spherical envelope via a point of penetration and, in a plane passing through the center of said spherical envelope, via said point of penetration, and perpendicularly intersecting said arc of a circle, the distance between said point of penetration and the point of said arc of a circle through which said plane intersects said arc of a circle is greater than 1 mm and less than 3 mm.

11. The device as claimed in claim 4 , in which said at least one injection needle penetrates into the spherical envelope via a point of penetration and, in a plane passing through the center of said spherical envelope, via said point of penetration, and perpendicularly intersecting said arc of a circle, the distance between said point of penetration and the point of said arc of a circle through which said plane intersects said arc of a circle is greater than 1 mm and less than 3 mm, said needle extending inside said spherical envelope to a depth (Δ 1 ) greater than 0.5 mm and less than 1.5 mm.

12. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the locating mark is formed by a locating line that can match the edge of the cornea of the eye.

13. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the locating mark is designed to bear on more than 5 mm of the edge of the cornea.

14. The device as claimed in claim 1 , comprising one or more non-invasive electrodes designed to come into contact with the surface of the eye, and configured so as to match the shape of the surface of the eye.

15. The device as claimed in claim 1 , in which the support has a concave, substantially spherical surface being designed to serve as abutment means that are able to limit the movement of the support during the stage of penetration, and being covered, at least in part, by an electrically conductive cover that serves as an electrode.

16. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said first set of electrodes comprises a plurality of invasive electrodes.

17. An electroporation device according to claim 1 , comprising an invasive electrode which is able to be guided in a sliding movement on the support.

18. Method for injecting a product into a ciliary muscle of an eye using the device claimed in claim 1 , said method comprising:
a) placing the locating mark in contact with a bearing region of the surface of the eye,
b) causing the penetration of said at least one injection needle in the eye while keeping said locating mark in contact with said bearing region, said penetration being achieved by sliding the at least one injection needle relatively to the support, the support having been immobilized by being pressed on the surface of the eye,
c) injecting the product,
d) generating an electrical field between said first set of electrodes and said second set of electrodes, the electrical field being adapted to promote said electroporation.

19. An electroporation device for introducing a product into a ciliary muscle of an eye, said device comprising:
at least three invasive electrode needles, which extend parallel to each other along a direction,
a support which is able to guide a sliding movement of the at least three needles along the axis of the at least three needles until a needle abutment position, the support comprising an abutment face extending substantially along a spherical envelope matching the sclera of the eye, a non-invasive electrode extending along said spherical envelope,
a locating mark which can be placed in contact with a defined bearing region of a surface of the eye, before any contact of the needles with said surface, and can then be kept in contact with said bearing region during a stage of penetration of the needles through said surface of the eye, the bearing region being at least a part of an edge of a cornea of the eye,
at least one injection needle,

wherein, in a position of use preventing further penetration of said at least one injection needle, said at least one injection needle extends inside said spherical envelope to a depth of less than 1.5 mm.

Assignees

• Inst Nat Sante Rech Med

Inventors

• Touchard Elodie
• Kowalczuk Laura
• Behar-Cohen Francine

Classifications

• A61F9/0008 Primary

  Introducing ophthalmic products into the ocular cavity or retaining products therein (putting in contact lenses A61F9/0061; introducing or retaining media in cavities of the body in general A61M31/00) · CPC title

• A61N1/306

  Arrangements where at least part of the apparatus is introduced into the body · CPC title

• A61F9/0017 Primary

  implantable in, or in contact with, the eye, e.g. ocular inserts · CPC title

• A61N1/327

  for enhancing the absorption properties of tissue, e.g. by electroporation · CPC title

• A61F9/0026

  Ophthalmic product dispenser attachments to facilitate positioning near the eye · CPC title