System and method for the delivery of medications or fluids to the eye

Abstract

A method for delivering fluids, drugs, or medications to a patient's eye, and a system or apparatus for implementing the method, is disclosed. The system and method comprises the use of a corneal sponge to be deposited onto the cornea of the patient's eye while the patient's eyelids are maintained in open positions, and a scleral contact lens is disposed onto the sponge. The scleral lens has an irrigation fluid supply tube fluidically connected thereto for supplying a fluid, drug, or medication to the sponge which is saturated with the fluid, drug, or medication. Once the sponge and lens are inserted onto the corneal region of the eye, the patient's eyelids are closed thereby trapping and maintaining the sponge and lens upon the corneal region of the eye so as to permit the fluid, drug, or medication to be continuously supplied and applied to the corneal region of the eye.

1 . A system for delivering a fluid, a drug, or a medication to a corneal region of a human eye so as to treat the corneal region of the human eye with the fluid, the drug, or the medication, comprising:
 a corneal sponge able to be disposed over the corneal region of the human eye, wherein said corneal sponge has a surface area which is substantially the same as the surface area of the corneal region of the human eye;   a scleral lens disposed atop said corneal sponge for maintaining said corneal sponge in contact with the corneal region of the human eye; and   an irrigation fluid supply tube connected directly to said scleral lens so as to supply the fluid, the drug, or the medication to said scleral lens which, in turn, is fluidically connected to said corneal sponge which is adapted to be disposed over the corneal region of the human eye so as to continuously deliver the fluid, the drug, or the medication to said corneal sponge whereby said corneal sponge will be continuously saturated with the fluid, the drug, or the medication such that the corneal region of the human eye is continuously treated with the fluid, the drug, or the medication.   
     
     
         2 . (canceled) 
     
     
         3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . The system as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein:
 outer peripheral edge portions of said corneal sponge and outer peripheral edge portions of said scleral lens are able to be disposed beneath the eyelids of the human eye when the eyelids of the human eye are disposed at their closed position whereby the eyelids of the human eye effectively trap said scleral lens and said corneal sponge beneath the eyelids of the human eye such that said corneal sponge is maintained engaged with the corneal region of the human eye.   
     
     
         5 . (canceled) 
     
     
         6 . The system as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a syringe operatively connected to said irrigation fluid supply tube for forcing a predetermined volume of the fluid, the drug, or the medication through said irrigation fluid supply tube toward said scleral lens and said corneal sponge; and   a control device operatively associated with said syringe and interposed between said syringe and said irrigation fluid supply tube for controlling the volumetric amount of the fluid, the drug, or the medication passing through said irrigation fluid supply tube toward said scleral lens and said corneal sponge.   
     
     
         7 . The system as set forth in  claim 2 , wherein:
 said corneal sponge and said scleral lens comprise a one-piece integral assembly.   
     
     
         8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . The system as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein:
 said irrigation fluid supply tube is fluidically connected to an axially central portion of said scleral lens.   
     
     
         10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . The system as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein:
 said irrigation fluid supply tube has multiple irrigation fluid supply tubes operatively connected thereto wherein said multiple irrigation fluid supply tubes are operatively connected to multiple locations upon said scleral lens.   
     
     
         13 . The system as set forth in  claim 12 , wherein:
 said multiple irrigation fluid supply tubes are disposed within an equiangular circumferential pattern so as, to uniformly distribute the fluid, the drug, or the medication to equiangularly spaced regions of said scleral lens and to equiangularly spaced regions of said corneal sponge.   
     
     
         14 . A method for delivering a fluid, a drug, or a medication to a corneal region of a human eye so as to treat the corneal region of the human eye with the fluid, the drug, or the medication, comprising the steps of:
 disposing a corneal sponge over the corneal region of the human eye, wherein said corneal sponge has a surface area which is substantially the same as the surface area of the corneal region of the human eye;   disposing a scleral lens over said corneal sponge such that said scleral lens will maintain said corneal sponge in contact with the corneal region of the human eye; and   conducting the fluid, the drug, or the medication through an irrigation fluid supply tube which is connected directly to said scleral lens which, in turn, is fluidically connected to said corneal sponge disposed over the corneal region of the human eye so as to continuously deliver the fluid, the drug, or the medication to said corneal sponge whereby said corneal sponge will be continuously saturated with the fluid, the drug, or the medication such that the corneal region of the human eye is continuously treated with the fluid, the drug, or the medication.   
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . A method as set forth in  claim 14 , further comprising the steps of:
 manipulating the upper and lower eyelids of the human eye to be treated such that the upper and lower eyelids are expanded with respect to each other;   inserting said corneal sponge into the human eye so that said corneal sponge is disposed over the corneal region of the human's eye and inserting said scleral lens, having said irrigation fluid supply tube fluidically connected thereto, atop said corneal sponge; and   releasing the upper and lower eyelids of the human eye so as to effectively close the upper and lower eyelids of the human eye such that outer peripheral edge portions of said corneal sponge and outer peripheral edge portions of said scleral lens are able to be disposed beneath the eyelids of the human eye when the eyelids of the human eye are disposed at closed positions whereby the closed eyelids of the human eye will effectively trap said corneal sponge and said scleral lens beneath the eyelids of the human eye such that said corneal sponge is maintained in engagement with the corneal region of the human eye.   
     
     
         18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . The method as set forth in  claim 14 , further comprising the steps of:
 connecting first end portions of multiple irrigation fluid supply tubes to said irrigation fluid supply tube; and   connecting second end portions of said multiple irrigation fluid supply tubes to multiple locations upon said scleral lens.   
     
     
         20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . The method as set forth in  claim 19 , comprising the step of:
 disposing said multiple irrigation fluid supply tubes within an equiangular circumferential pattern so as to uniformly distribute the fluid, the drug, or the medication to equiangularly spaced regions of said scleral lens.