Intraocular lens injector assembly including a shuttle and method of using same

1. An intraocular lens (IOL) injector assembly for folding an IOL, comprising:

an injector body having a plunger, a nozzle integrally formed therewith, and a shuttle reception opening that is formed into and along a length of the injector body, and is defined at least in part by a first sidewall and an opposed second sidewall; and

a shuttle that is a separate piece from the injector body and is insertable into the shuttle reception opening; the shuttle comprising a first wing including a first portion of a shuttle lumen wall and a second wing including a second portion of the shuttle lumen wall, the first wing and the second wing being coupled together by an at least one hinge, and, when in a closed state, the first portion of the shuttle lumen wall and the second portion of the shuttle lumen wall define at least a portion of an operative shuttle lumen that is sized for receiving and holding the IOL, wherein the shuttle further comprises a frame comprising a handle for facilitating insertion of the shuttle into the shuttle reception opening, the handle extending between ends of the shuttle and connecting handle attachment portions formed at the ends of the frame, the handle being disposed above and between the first and second wings to permit the wings to move between an open state and the closed state,

the shuttle, the first sidewall, and the opposed second sidewall are sized and shaped such that the first wing and the second wing interfere with the first sidewall and the opposed second sidewall, respectively, as the shuttle is inserted into the shuttle reception opening, wherein the shuttle is in the closed state prior to the interference between the wings and the side walls,

and wherein, as the shuttle is inserted into the shuttle reception opening, the closed state of the shuttle is attained.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a third portion of the operative shuttle lumen, the first portion of the first wing coupled to the third portion by the first hinge of said at least one hinge and the second portion of the second wing being coupled to the third portion by a second hinge.

3. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the open state in which the IOL is configured to be maintained in the shuttle in a substantially unstressed state.

4. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the shuttle, the first sidewall, and the opposed second sidewall comprises at least one interference feature.

5. The assembly of claim 4 , wherein at least one interference feature is a ramp.

6. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second wings and each of the first sidewall and the opposed second sidewall comprises at least one interference feature.

7. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first wing comprises a first interference feature, the second wing comprises a second interference feature, the first sidewall comprises a third interference feature and the opposed second sidewall comprises a fourth interference feature.

8. The assembly of claim 7 , wherein each of said first, second, third, and forth interference features is a ramp.

9. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the shuttle comprises a locking feature to maintain the shuttle in the closed state.

10. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle comprises a nozzle lumen, and wherein the IOL injector assembly is capable of achieving a state in which the operative shuttle lumen is aligned with the nozzle lumen.