Intrascleral shunt placement
Glaucoma can be treated by implanting an intraocular shunt into an eye. The eye has an anterior chamber and sclera. A shunt can be placed into the eye to establish fluid communication from the anterior chamber of the eye through the sclera, and a pharmaceutical or biological agent can be administered to the eye.
1. A method comprising inserting an implant through a cornea, in an eye having (i) an anterior chamber and (ii) a sclera, to form a channel through the sclera and thereby establish fluid communication between the anterior chamber and the channel, and administering a pharmaceutical or biological agent to the eye.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the implant comprises the pharmaceutical or biological agent, and the administering comprises permitting the agent to diffuse into the eye.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the pharmaceutical or biological agent comprises a coating on a surface of the implant.
4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the pharmaceutical or biological agent comprises a coating on an exterior surface of the implant.
5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the pharmaceutical or biological agent comprises a coating on an interior surface of the implant.
6. The method of claim 2 , wherein a portion of the implant is impregnated with the pharmaceutical or biological agent.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the administering comprises injecting the pharmaceutical or biological agent into the eye.
8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the pharmaceutical or biological agent comprises a time-release pharmaceutical or biological agent.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pharmaceutical or biological agent comprises an anti-mitotic pharmaceutical.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pharmaceutical or biological agent comprises Mitomycin-C, 5-Fluorouracil, an anti-VEGF, a VEGF, or a steroid.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the implant comprises an intraocular shunt and the eye comprises a cornea, and wherein the inserting comprises inserting the intraocular shunt through the cornea and into the anterior chamber.
12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, from within the anterior chamber, piercing the sclera with a hollow shaft such that a distal tip of the shaft enters the sclera to form the channel.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inserting comprises positioning an outlet end of the implant between layers of sclera for providing fluid communication from the anterior chamber to a space between the layers.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the channel comprises a scleral exit, and the inserting comprises positioning an outlet end of the implant approximately more than 500 μm behind the scleral exit to permit the channel to close completely around the scleral exit with no backpressure and open to allow aqueous humor to seep out when intraocular pressure of fluid in the anterior chamber rises.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the channel terminates in the sclera.
16. A method comprising inserting an intraocular shunt through a cornea of an eye, positioning an outlet end of the shunt in a channel formed within sclera and an inlet end of the shunt in an anterior chamber of the eye, and administering a pharmaceutical or biological agent to the eye.
17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising forming the channel in the sclera using a hollow shaft of a deployment mechanism.
18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising, from within the anterior chamber, forming a slit in sclera.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the positioning comprises positioning the outlet end in the slit.
20. The method of claim 16 , wherein the positioning comprises positioning the shunt outlet end in the sclera between deep and superficial layers of sclera.
21. The method of claim 16 , wherein the shunt comprises the pharmaceutical or biological agent, and the administering comprises permitting the agent to diffuse into the eye.
22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the pharmaceutical or biological agent comprises a coating on a surface of the shunt.
23. The method according to claim 22 , wherein the pharmaceutical or biological agent comprises a coating on an exterior surface of the shunt.
24. The method according to claim 22 , wherein the pharmaceutical or biological agent comprises a coating on an interior surface of the shunt.
25. The method of claim 21 , wherein a portion of the shunt is impregnated with the pharmaceutical or biological agent.
26. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the administering comprises injecting the pharmaceutical or biological agent into the eye.
27. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the pharmaceutical or biological agent comprises a time-release pharmaceutical or biological agent.
28. The method of claim 16 , wherein the pharmaceutical or biological agent comprises an anti-mitotic pharmaceutical.
29. The method of claim 16 , wherein the pharmaceutical or biological agent comprises Mitomycin-C, 5-Fluorouracil, an anti-VEGF, a VEGF, or a steroid.
30. The method of claim 16 , wherein the channel comprises a scleral exit, and the positioning comprises positioning the outlet end of the shunt approximately more than 500 μm behind the scleral exit to permit the channel to close completely around the scleral exit with no backpressure and open to allow aqueous humor to seep out when intraocular pressure of fluid in the anterior chamber rises.
31. The method of claim 16 , wherein the channel terminates in the sclera.