Abstract: There is disclosed herein an apparatus and method for curling and confining a flexible lens and for inserting and injecting the lens into the eye. The apparatus includes an insertion cartridge including a delivery envelope having a lens holder essentially in the form of an envelope or like a flower petal, a constricting sheath which is slid relative to the envelope to cause the envelope to curl within the tip of the sheath and thereby curl and confine a lens disposed in the envelope, and a reentry barrier operating in conjunction with both the envelope and the sheath for facilitaing injection and delivery of the lens into the eye and for enabling retraction of the envelope into the sheath. The tip of the envelope is configured somewhat like a flower petal to enable the lens to be curled as the sheath is moved over the envelope, and to allow the delivery envelope to "flower out" and the lens uncurl as the envelope is pushed from the sheath.

Abstract: There is disclosed herein an apparatus and method for curling and confining a flexible lens and for inserting and injecting the same into the eye. The apparatus includes an insertion cartridge including an insertion tip having a lens holder in the form of a "canoe," a constricting sleeve for causing the lens to curl within the tip, and a plunger for moving the lens out of the tip and injecting the same into the eye. The injection tip is configured in a particular manner to enable the lens to uncurl gently and thereby be gently inserted into the eye. There also is disclosed a hand held instrument for holding and manipulating the lens insertion cartridge, and a control unit and control system for controlling advancement of the lens out of the lens cartridge. Also disclosed is a lens cartridge loader which allows a physician to load an intra-ocular lens into the lens cartridge in a simple, one handed operation.