Claims
- 1. Method of corneal transplantation comprising the steps of:
- (a) removing a full thickness of tissue from a patient's cornea to define a bore therein, the full thickness including a cap comprising a partial, outer thickness of tissue and a plug comprising a partial, inner thickness of tissue;
- (b) placing in said bore and surgically attaching to said cornea an ocular implant sized and shaped to have substantially the same dimensions as the plug of the patient's tissue; and
- (c) placing in said bore and surgically reattaching to said cornea the cap of the patient's tissue.
- 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of marking the patient's cornea with a mark before removing the full thickness.
- 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the cornea is marked with a mark which extends from a position on said cap to a position on said cornea external of said cap to provide a means for establishing initial orientation of the cap with respect to the cornea.
- 4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of utilizing said mark to position said cap within said bore in approximately the same orientation with respect to the cornea as said initial orientation.
- 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the ocular implant comprises a donor plug including Desemet's membrane and corneal endothelium, further comprising the step of forming said donor plug from the cornea of a donor eye.
- 6. The method of claim 5 wherein the donor plug is formed to include a portion of the donor's stroma.
- 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the ocular implant comprises an ocular prosthesis, further comprising the step of forming said patient's plug to have dimensions substantially the same as those of the ocular prosthesis.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 496,633, filed Mar. 21, 1990, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,518 which is a continuation-in part of International application Ser. No. PCT/US88/03207, filed Sep. 19, 1988, and filed in the United States on Jan. 23, 1990 as Ser. No. 460,839, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,030,230, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 130,748, filed Dec. 9, 1987, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,283, which in turn was a continuation in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 864,022, filed May 16, 1986, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (4)
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
Girard, Corneal Surgery, C. V. Mosby Company, 1981, pp. 162-165. |
Continuation in Parts (4)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
496633 |
Mar 1990 |
|
Parent |
460839 |
Jan 1990 |
|
Parent |
130748 |
Dec 1987 |
|
Parent |
864022 |
May 1986 |
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