Claims
- 1. A medical tack comprising:
a shaft having a point end and a base end; an attachment point formed near said point end; an attachment point formed near said base end; and means for varying a position of one of said attachment points.
- 2. The medical tack according to claim 1, wherein said means for varying said position is a nut.
- 3. The medical tack according to claim 1, wherein said means for varying said position is an elastomer.
- 4. The medical tack according to claim 1, wherein said means for varying said position is a spring.
- 5. The medical tack according to claim 4, further comprising a flange near said base end for seating said spring.
- 6. The medical tack according to claim 5, wherein said spring is a coil spring formed around said shaft.
- 7. The medical tack according to claim 4, wherein said spring is a dome spring.
- 8. The medical tack according to claim 4, wherein said spring is a leaf spring.
- 9. The medical tack according to claim 4, wherein said spring is a plurality of leaf springs of varying length.
- 10. The medical tack according to claim 6, further comprising a washer adjacent to said spring.
- 11. A retinal tack for attaching a retinal device comprising:
a shaft having a point end and a base end; an attachment point formed near said point end; an attachment point formed near said base end; and means for varying a position of one of said attachment points.
- 12. The retinal tack according to claim 11, wherein said means for varying said attachment point is a nut.
- 13. The retinal tack according to claim 11, wherein said means for varying said attachment point is a spring.
- 14. The retinal tack according to claim 11, wherein said shaft is sized such that said tack will pierce said retinal device, a retina and a sclera such that said attachment point formed near said point end abuts a back side of the sclera and tends to prevent the tack from being withdrawn.
- 15. The retinal tack according to claim 13, further comprising a flange near said base end for seating said spring.
- 16. The retinal tack according to claim 13, wherein said spring is a coil spring formed around said shaft.
- 17. The retinal tack according to claim 13, wherein said spring is a dome spring.
- 18. The retinal tack according to claim 13, wherein said spring is a leaf spring.
- 19. The retinal tack according to claim 13, wherein said spring is a plurality of leaf springs of varying length.
- 20. The retinal tack according to claim 16, further comprising a washer adjacent to said spring.
- 21. The retinal tack according to claim 13, wherein said spring exerts less than 0.2 g/mm2 across the surface of a retinal device.
- 22. A retinal tack for attaching a retinal device comprising:
a shaft having a point end and a base end; a barb formed near said point end; a flange formed near said base end; a coil spring, having one end affixed to said flange and circling around said shaft; and a washer affixed to an end or said spring, opposite to said one end, wherein said shaft is sized such that said tack will pierce said retinal device, a retina and a sclera such that said barb abuts a back side of the sclera and tends to prevent the tack from being withdrawn, and said washer abuts said retinal device exerting less that 0.2 g/mm2 across the surface of a retinal device.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application is related to U.S. Pat. No. 6,165,192, Method and Apparatus for Intraocular Retinal Tack Inserter and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/783,236, Implantable Retinal Electrode Array Configuration for Minimal Retinal Damage and Method of Reducing Retinal Stress, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Government Interests
[0002] This invention was made with government support under grant No. R24EY12893-01, awarded by the National Institutes of Health. The government has certain rights in the invention.