“My doctor recommended I get a Jones Tube. What is a Jones Tube?”

Procedure: CDRC (Conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy)

A Jones Tube is a small pyrex glass tube that is used in the CDCR procedure to completely bypass the lacrimal drainage system when there is a severe obstruction. It is used to treat an advanced condition commonly referred to as “wet eye” for patients with severe excessive tearing. Jones Tubes are used to correct watering of the eye when the normal tear ducts become blocked or stops working and can't be restored.

The first Jones Tube was developed in 1963 by Dr. Lester T. Jones and is referred to as the ‘Jones Tube Standard’ (picture right) as it still maintains the original design. Each Jones Tube made by Gunther Weiss Scientific is custom hand-made to order for every unique patient and to this day remains the gold standard for manufacturing Jones Tubes. Glass Jones Tubes have stood the test of time while other materials such as plastic and silicone have been tried but are generally less effective and associated with greater complications. For almost 60 years, through working in conjunction with various doctors all around the world, the original design has been modified to better fit each patients specific biology (Gladstone-Putterman, Callahan-Cox, Double Flange etc.) and to combat common complications such as displacement. Your surgeon will determine the type of Jones Tube that will be the best fit for you. If you have any more questions about CDCR, DCR, or wet eye, please go to ASOPRS.org.

Weiss Glass Cannulas for Tissue Transport

Innovation is what we love most at Gunther Weiss Scientific Glassblowing. We have been providing solution for tissue transplant since our first device was created and marketed in 2012. The Straiko Glass Cannula is used to this day as an ideal way to store, ship, and implant corneal tissue. We sell directly to doctors, hospitals, and EBAA accredited eye banks. If you have an idea for a new tube, we would be happy to discuss further opportunities and possibilities, lending our expertise for the betterment of medical device safety and efficiency.

Surgery Explained…

DMEK: “(Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty) is a partial-thickness cornea transplant procedure that involves selective removal of the patient's Descemet membrane and endothelium, followed by transplantation of donor corneal endothelium and Descemet membrane without additional stromal tissue from the donor. The graft tissue is merely 10-15 microns thick. Similar to DSAEK, direct contact with the DMEK graft tissue should be avoided to prevent endothelial cell damage and graft failure. A clear corneal incision is created, the recipient endothelium and Descemet membrane are removed, and the graft is loaded into an inserter.”

DSAEK: “(Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSAEK) is a partial thickness cornea transplant procedure that involves selective removal of the patient's Descemet membrane and endothelium, followed by transplantation of donor corneal endothelium in addition to donor corneal stroma . The transplanted tissue is approximately 100-200 microns thick.”

source: https://webeye.ophth.uiowa.edu/eyeforum/tutorials/cornea-transplant-intro/5-DMEK.htm

For more information about eye banking, feel free to call or email us. If you are interested in our tube IFU (Instructions for Use), please email us at info@guntherweiss.com