Patent Application
20080091178
Referring now to the drawings in
Once the refractive area of the cornea 17 is reshaped, conventionally the flap 15 is replaced and heals.
In
The indica 19, which employed to inscribe or otherwise imparted upon the implant 12, in a particularly preferred mode would be the patient's medical data concerning the procedure being done. However, other medical data or information or images may be imparted to the viewable surface and such is anticipated since the implant may be employed as earlier noted for animals or humans for identification, tracking, or other purposes.
The indica 19 so placed would be readable through the cornea or clear surface of the eye and would be alphanumeric in nature, or images or both. One, two, and three dimensional bar codes may also be employed. The indica 19 may also be relational information which identifies the implant 12 using means to impart viewable indicia of individual identification which identifies a file of information related to the implant 12. Also included in the indica 19 may be a remote location or file server which may be contacted to retrieve the information related to the individual identified implant 12. This will allow not only viewable information about the human or animal in which the implant 12 is placed, but also means to identify a remote file of information about the implantee based on viewable indica 19 seen by the viewer through the clear tissue of the eye. Unlike medical implants requiring a scanner and radio or other receiver to identify the presence of and identity of an implant, implantation of the disclosed device 10 may be ascertained by simply looking through the clear tissue of the eye.
A particularly preferred mode of the device 10 as noted earlier, would have at least a portion 11 of the implant 12 formed of material adapted for photo luminescence when contacted by certain light spectrums such as ultra violet light. By simply shining the appropriate light spectrum in the eye, a viewing person looking through the cornea or clear tissue 17 of the implantee's eye may ascertain the presence of the device 10 without the need for magnification. Alerting to its presence without magnification will alert the professional to take further action and viewing. This component of the implant 12 would be especially helpful to any medical or other professional alerting them to the presence of a patient identifier and medical or other records that are accessible by viewing the information on the viewing surface 21. When implanted into animals or old or forgetful patients, anyone shining the appropriate light spectrum into the eye to luminance the implant 12 will be immediately informed of its presence. Veterinarians can identify the animal without the need for special wands or receivers and can thereafter read the information directly from the implant 12 to ascertain the animal's identity and/or medical history. Doctors may do the same for patients which would be especially helpful of the patient is unable to communicate.
In the current preferred mode of the device 10, when implanted in eye surgery patients during laser surgery, indicia regarding the patient record data such as
The indica may be inscribed on the viewable surface 21 of the exterior surface of the implant 12 or within the interior of the implant 12. If the indicia is imparted to the interior body of the implant 12 by laser inscription, the viewable surface would need to be transparent so that the imparted indica 19 would be viewable by a person through viewable surface 21 and through the clear tissue of the cornea 17 in which it is implanted. Interior impartation of indicia, may be preferable to avoid later aberrations in viewing the indica and patient data should healing eye tissue cover the exterior of the implant 12. However, since such tissue is substantially clear like the surrounding tissue, viewing through it to the interior imparted data would work well.
As noted, other means for imparting indica 19 to the viewable surface 21 of the implant 12 are anticipated so long as such means places indica on the implant 12 which is viewable through the clear tissue of the eye using conventional optical means for magnification once the device 10 is implanted. Laser or ink printing, photographic, lithographic, or other means of imparting the indica 19 that would occur to those skilled in the art are anticipated in the scope of this patent.
In a slightly less preferred mode of the device, the implant 12 could house an RFID 23 or other passive electronic memory holding device which does not require electric power to hold electronic memory. RFID's are particularly attractive as they may be energized to transmit their stored records, using exterior power, and hold a lot of data. While the preferred mode of the device uses a laser, photographic, or some other means to impart readable indica on or into the implant 12, so it can be viewed in a low-tech manner by a simple microscope or other magnification means by any medical professional subsequently viewing into the eye tissue, RFID devices, while requiring software and communications abilities to receive the data stored, could also provide a means to store large amounts of medical or other data and information in the patient's eye for later retrieval thereby preventing complications from lost records and such.
If an RFID device is used to store electronic data, the implant 12 should provide indica 19 on the viewable surface 21 through the clear tissue or cornea 17 of the eye, that provides a key or password to allow such a communication with the RFID somewhat like as in
However, since imparting indica 19 is easily achieved using the same laser 14 already employed to operate upon the patient, or microprinting, or other conventional means of imprinting, and since that indica 19 would be easily read using conventional magnification means such as microscopes that are readily available in doctors' offices in industrialized nations as well as third world countries, laser or other means for directly imparting of the indica 19 to the viewable surface 21 for carrying patient record data, or photographic or imprinting means of imparting the indica 19, may be preferred as more usable in a low-tech environment and for the ability to retrieve the written information in a low-tech subsequent retrieval.
Once the human or animal patient data or other information desired for storage and easy viewing through the eye is imparted to the implant 12, or before, depending on the preference of the laser system manufacturer or whether the information will be electronically stored in addition to indicia 19, in a preferred mode of the device used during surgery, a cavity 16 is formed under the exterior cornea 17 or other clear surface area of the eye and out of the refractive field of view of the patient. The cavity 16 can be formed by the same laser 14 employed for the LASIK or similar surgery during reshaping of the cornea. The cavity 16 should as noted be formed out of the refractive area and in a current preferred mode would be located adjacent to the hinged area 13 of engagement of the flap 15. Locating the implant 12 in or adjacent to the hinged area 13 it has been determined, provides the most strength and least interference with subsequent eye surgeries if the flap 15 must be dismounted and is therefor a most preferred location; however, it is anticipated the implant 12 can be placed anywhere outside the refractive area of the cornea 17 for an operative installation such that the viewing surface 21 and or the luminescent area 11 may be seen from outside the eye.
Currently, laser equipment employed for eye surgeries is tested by focusing the laser on a test piece plastic or of other test material and uses the focused beam for test cutting. The laser also is employed to cut or shape the cornea 17 according to calculated parameters for eyesight desired. Consequently, the installed base of laser eye surgery equipment in use already can be employed with software changes to direct the laser 14 to cut eye tissue to form the properly dimensioned and positioned cavity 16 to house the implant 12. Further, placing the implant in some type of holder and directing the laser to engrave or otherwise impart the indica 19 readable from the viewable surface 21 is also achievable using current equipment with software modifications. If desirable, a separate laser might be employed adapted to the specific purpose of forming the cavity 16 during surgery and while the flap 15 is folded back, or to write the indicia 19.
As depicted in
For employment in the eye when laser surgery is not being performed, the device 10 can be deployed in a microsphere injection into the stroma or cornea 17 or other clear tissue outside the refractive zone or by insertion into the clear area in other manners during a lens replacement surgery or other eye surgery or even during an eye or medical exam. Injectional placement in the eye would allow the implant 12 with readable indica 19 on a viewable surface 21 to be placed in the eye at any time.
Subsequent to injection, with the proper viewing equipment noted above, the indica 19 may be directly read through the clear tissue of the cornea 17 and information ascertained as to the individual implant 12 and/or implantee and/or location of remote information related to the implant 12 identified viewing the indica 19 on the viewable surface through the clear eye tissue. Information as to access codes to access the information related to the identified patient and/or implant should also be visible to the person reading the viewable surface 21 of the implant through the cornea or clear tissue 17 of the eye. The injectable embodiment my have a broader scope of potential use in humans and animals as a means of identifying and tracking the implantee which may be initiated by viewing actual indica 19 on the implant itself subsequent to implantation.
In a method of injecting the implant 12, the indicia 19 would be imparted to a viewable surface 21 of the implant 12. The implant would be positioned in an injection device which allows for positioning of the viewable surface 21 toward outside of the eye where it can be read as shown in
The device and method for storage and retrieval of patient medical records in the eye as disclosed and described herein, discloses steps in a process, arrangements of elements of particular construction, and configuration for illustrating preferred embodiments of structure and method of operation of the present invention. It is to be understood, however, that elements of different construction and configuration and different steps and process procedures and other arrangements thereof, other than those illustrated and described, may be employed for providing programming updates of interrelated electronic components with the spirit of this invention.
As such, while the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modifications, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosure, and it will be appreciated that in some instance some features of the invention could be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. All such changes, alternations and modifications as would occur to those skilled in the art are considered to be within the scope of this invention as broadly defined in the appended claims.
