OPHTHALMIC DEVICE FOR DRUG DELIVERY
An ophthalmic implant for drug delivery. The implant includes a primary intracapsular device coupled to a secondary device, wherein, when implanted in a patient's eye, the primary intracapsular device is held in place by the patient's capsular bag and the secondary device is held in place by the primary intracapsular device. The implant may be inserted in the eye by injecting the primary intracapsular device into the eye either before or after attaching the secondary device to the primary intracapsular device, and subsequently positioning the joined secondary device and primary intracapsular device with the primary intracapsular device held in place by the patient's capsular bag and the secondary device held in place by the primary intracapsular device. The secondary device may be designed to hold a tertiary device that can be implanted and attached at the time of surgery or anytime postoperatively.
1 . An ophthalmic implant, comprising:
a primary intracapsular device selected from the group consisting of an intraocular lens (IOL) assembly, a capsular tension ring, and a capsular scaffold; coupled to
a secondary device comprising a drug delivery device,
wherein, when implanted in a patient's eye, the primary intracapsular device is held in place by a capsular bag of the patient's eye.
2 . The ophthalmic implant of claim 1 , wherein the primary intracapsular device is the IOL assembly.
3 . The ophthalmic implant of claim 2 , wherein the IOL assembly comprises one or more haptics configured to hold the primary intracapsular device in place inside the capsular bag of the patient's eye.
4 . The ophthalmic implant of claim 3 , wherein at least one of the one or more haptics extends radially outward from the lens such that said haptic is configured to hold the primary device in place within the capsular bag.
5 . The ophthalmic implant of claim 1 , wherein the drug delivery device comprises a reservoir configured to receive a solid or liquid drug.
6 . The ophthalmic implant of claim 5 , wherein the drug delivery device is configured to release the solid or liquid drug over a period of at least 6-12 months.
7 . The ophthalmic implant of claim 5 , wherein the drug delivery device is configured to tune the release rate of the solid or liquid drug by a change in the overall surface area of the drug delivery device, by having a mix of permeable and non-permeable surface areas on the drug delivery device, or both.
8 . The ophthalmic implant of claim 7 , wherein at least a portion of the surface of the drug delivery device is micro-patterned.
9 . The ophthalmic implant of claim 5 , wherein the drug delivery device is refillable.
10 . The ophthalmic implant of claim 5 , wherein the solid or liquid drug is a prostaglandin analog.
11 . The ophthalmic implant of claim 1 , wherein the primary intracapsular device comprises a hydrophobic acrylic polymer.
12 . The ophthalmic implant of claim 1 , wherein the secondary device comprises an outer shell comprising a silicone material.
13 . The ophthalmic implant of claim 3 , wherein the secondary device is coupled to the primary intracapsular device by at least one of the one or more haptics extending from the primary intracapsular device through one or more holes in the secondary device.
14 . The ophthalmic implant of claim 1 , wherein both the primary intracapsular device and the secondary device are located inside the capsular bag.
15 . The ophthalmic implant of claim 1 , wherein the secondary device is located outside the capsular bag.
16 . The ophthalmic implant of claim 15 , wherein the secondary device is located above the capsular bag and within the ciliary sulcus.
17 . The ophthalmic implant of claim 1 , wherein the secondary device is coupled to the primary intracapsular device by magnetic forces.
18 . An intraocular implant, comprising:
a multi-part IOL assembly comprising
a primary device comprising an IOL and a haptic; and
a secondary device attached to the primary device and comprising a drug delivery device,
wherein the primary device is configured to hold the intraocular implant in place in the capsular bag of a patient's eye; and
wherein the drug delivery device comprises a reservoir comprising a silicone material and a prostaglandin drug substance.
19 . A method, comprising:
injecting an intraocular implant into an eye of a patient to implant the intraocular implant into the eye of the patient,
the intraocular implant comprising:
a primary device comprising an IOL and a haptic, and
a secondary device comprising a drug delivery device,
the haptic configured to hold the intraocular implant in place within the capsular bag of the patient's eye.
20 . (canceled)