Device and method for marking the cornea

Abstract

A device and method for marking corneal tissue. The device includes an ink reservoir portion and an ink resist portion. The ink reservoir portion is annular in shape and the ink resist portion occupies a central area within the annular shape. The ink reservoir portion and the ink resist portion are sized and structured to interface with the central cornea and to apply ink to the corneal tissue. The method includes applying ink to the cornea in an annular pattern.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . The method of compensating for refractive error; comprising:
 obtaining corneal tissue for a corneal graft;   applying surgical ink to a central portion of the corneal graft in an annular pattern surrounding a central uninked portion;   wherein the annular pattern and the central uninked portion have a center point;   surgically implanting the corneal graft in a cornea; and   positioning the center point of the annular pattern and the central unlinked portion proximate a visual axis of the eye.   
     
     
         3 . The method as claimed in  claim 2 , further comprising selecting the corneal tissue for the corneal graft to be autologous. 
     
     
         4 . The method as claimed in  claim 2 , further comprising locating the center point on the visual axis of the eye. 
     
     
         5 . The method as claimed in  claim 2 , further comprising locating the center point along an axis coinciding with a center of the pupil of the eye. 
     
     
         6 . The method as claimed in  claim 2 , further comprising applying the surgical ink such that the central uninked portion has a diameter of between 1.0 and 2.2 millimeters. 
     
     
         7 . The method as claimed in  claim 2 , further comprising applying the surgical ink such that the central uninked portion has a diameter of 1.6 millimeters. 
     
     
         8 . The method as claimed in  claim 2 , further comprising applying the surgical ink such that the annular pattern has an outside diameter of between 3.2 and 4.4 millimeters. 
     
     
         9 . The method as claimed in  claim 2 , further comprising applying the surgical ink such that the annular pattern has an outside diameter of 3.6 millimeters. 
     
     
         10 . The method as claimed in  claim 2 , further comprising applying the surgical ink to an anterior surface of a corneal epithelium. 
     
     
         11 . The method as claimed in  claim 2 , further comprising selecting the corneal graft to be a lenticle that has been surgically removed from the cornea. 
     
     
         12 . The method as claimed in  claim 3 , further comprising reinserting the corneal graft to which surgical ink has been applied into the cornea from which the corneal graft was removed. 
     
     
         13 . The method as claimed in  claim 2 , further comprising storing the corneal graft for a period of time and reinserting the corneal graft into the cornea at a later time.