JP7486143B2 - Eye protection sheet and method of use thereof - Google Patents

Description

Applicable under Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act. "Application of a sheet made from surgical gloves to lagophthalmos corneal ulcers" was presented at the 42nd Japanese Society of Facial Nerve Research held at the Shin-Osaka Washington Hotel Plaza on May 31, 2019.

The present invention relates to an eye protection sheet and a method for using the same.

For example, in the treatment of lagophthalmos, it is said to be effective to place eye ointment in direct contact with the surface of the eyeball (corneal surface) with the eyelids open and to maintain this condition for a specified period of time to keep the eye moist.

An eye patch (see, for example, Patent Document 1) is a device used to cover and protect the eyes. Such eye patches are generally breathable and liquid-permeable, but lack adhesion to the area around the eye. Therefore, even if an eye with ointment in contact with the eyeball is covered with such an eye patch, it is difficult to maintain the ointment in direct contact with the surface of the eyeball for the required time while preventing drying, due to leakage of the ointment due to gravity.

On the other hand, some people have tried using food wrap film to cover the eye after applying ointment to the eyeball. However, food wrap film is not suitable for use as is because it has not been sterilized for medical use, and it lacks elasticity and flexibility, making it difficult to fit around the eye, and it is also difficult for patients to handle.

Utility Model Registration No. 3222530

The present invention was conceived in light of the above circumstances, and its main objective is to provide an eye protection sheet that is easy to handle and suitable for maintaining an eye ointment in direct contact with the surface of the eyeball with the eyelids open for a required period of time.

To solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following technical means:

That is, the eye protection sheet provided by the first aspect of the present invention is characterized by being made of sterilized synthetic rubber of a predetermined thickness.

In a preferred embodiment, the synthetic rubber is nitrile rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, or chloroprene rubber.

In a preferred embodiment, the eye protection sheet has a thickness of 0.05 to 0.2 mm.

In a preferred embodiment, the surface of the eye protection sheet is powder-free.

The method of using the eye protection sheet provided by the second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the eye protection sheet according to the first aspect of the present invention is used to cover the eye and its surroundings via an eye ointment.

The inventors tried various sheet materials to solve the above problems, and discovered that synthetic rubber sheets, which are used to make surgical gloves and are highly hygienic because they are impermeable to air and liquid, have appropriate elasticity and flexibility, and therefore can ensure good adhesion to the surface of the eye and the skin around the eye, and are sterilized and powder-free, were optimal, leading to the invention.

The eye protective sheet having the above-mentioned configuration is a thin synthetic rubber sheet having a thickness of, for example, 0.05 to 0.2 mm, and therefore has appropriate elasticity and flexibility. In addition, this protective sheet is impermeable to gas and liquid. Therefore, when the protective sheet is applied around the eye so as to cover the eye ointment that is in direct contact with the eyeball, it seals the eye surface (the surface of the cornea and conjunctiva, the same applies below) and can be easily attached to the skin around the eye. In this state, the eye ointment is appropriately prevented from leaking, so that it remains on the eye surface and can maintain a moist state for a long time. In addition, this protective sheet, coupled with the fact that it has been sterilized, can also appropriately prevent bacteria from infiltrating into the eye ointment inside the protective sheet or the eyeball surface covered by it.

As a result, this eye protection sheet is easy to handle and suitable for maintaining the eye ointment in direct contact with the surface of the eyeball with the eyelids open for a required period of time.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an eye protection sheet according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the eye protection sheet shown in FIG. 1 in use. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 5 .

The preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 shows a plan view of an eye protection sheet A1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in Figure 1, Figure 3 shows a front view of the eye protection sheet A1 in use, and Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Figure 3.

This protective sheet A1 is made of a synthetic rubber sheet with a thickness of 0.05 to 0.2 mm, preferably 0.05 to 0.1 mm, and is cut into a roughly rectangular shape, for example, 4 to 5 cm wide and 3 to 4 cm long. As the synthetic rubber, for example, nitrile rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, or chloroprene rubber is selected, and natural rubber is not used due to the risk of leakage of natural harmful substances during use. The surface of this protective sheet A1 is smooth and does not allow powder to adhere to it, making it a so-called powder-free surface. Furthermore, the surface of this protective sheet A1 has been sterilized in the same manner as surgical gloves.

This protective sheet A1 can be manufactured, for example, as follows.

That is, a flat plate with a smooth surface is immersed in a flowing synthetic rubber liquid adjusted to a predetermined viscosity, and then pulled out to adhere a synthetic rubber liquid film of a predetermined thickness to the surface of the flat plate, and the synthetic rubber liquid film is dried and then peeled off from the flat plate to obtain a synthetic rubber sheet. This synthetic rubber sheet is then subjected to a predetermined sterilization process and cut to obtain the protective sheet A1 shown in Figure 1.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, this protective sheet A1 is used by contacting eye ointment b with the eyeball a of a rabbit's eye, i.e., an eye with the eyelids open, and then attaching it to cover the eye B as if to cover the eye ointment b. Since this protective sheet A1 is a thin synthetic rubber sheet, it has appropriate elasticity and flexibility, and is also impermeable to air and liquid. Therefore, when it is attached around the eye B to cover the eye ointment b that is in direct contact with the eyeball a, this protective sheet A1 can block the eye surface and easily adhere to the skin c around the eye without air getting in. In this state, the eye ointment b can be appropriately prevented from leaking out and can be retained on the eye surface, maintaining a moisturized state for a long time, and appropriately preventing the occurrence of disorders of the eye surface due to drying. Furthermore, since this protective sheet A1 is sterilized, it can also appropriately prevent bacteria from invading the eye ointment b inside the protective sheet A or the surface of the eyeball a covered by it.

For lagophthalmos patients, in order to prevent the progression of corneal ulcers, etc., it is effective to keep the cornea moist by covering it with eye ointment to prevent the intrusion of germs as much as possible in daily life. The eye protective sheet A1 of the present invention can easily create a state in which it seals the ocular surface and adheres closely to the periphery of the eye, making it possible for lagophthalmos patients to use it appropriately in daily life.

Of course, this invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and all modifications within the scope of the claims are included within the scope of the present invention.

When using the protective sheet A1 of the present invention, the protective sheet A1 attached to cover the eyes may be further covered with tape or an eye patch to prevent it from falling off.

When commercializing the product, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, a sterilized adhesive layer Aa may be formed on one side of the protective sheet A1 in the area that comes into contact with the area around the eyes, and release paper Ab may be attached to the one side including the adhesive layer Aa. It is appropriate to provide such a product A2 in a sterilized sealed bag.

When using, the protective sheet A1 is removed from the sealed bag, and the release paper is peeled off to cover the eye that has previously been contacted with the eyeball a with the eye ointment as described above. In this case, the outer peripheral area of the protective sheet A1 adheres to the skin around the eye with the adhesive layer, so that leakage of the eye ointment and the invasion of bacteria can be more reliably prevented, and the protective sheet A1 can be prevented from falling off, eliminating the need for tape or an eye patch to prevent it from falling off, making it more convenient for the patient to handle.

A1 Eye protection sheet A2 Product Aa Adhesive layer Ab Release paper B Eye a Eyeball b Eye ointment c Skin

Claims (2)

An eye protection sheet for covering the eyes and the surrounding area,
The mask is impermeable to gas and liquid, and is sterilized. The mask is made of nitrile rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, or chloroprene rubber having a thickness of 0.05 to 0.2 mm, and is thus given elasticity and flexibility that allows it to come into close contact with the skin around the eye .
This eye protection sheet is characterized by being in close contact with the skin around the eye when the eye and its surroundings are covered, and preventing leakage of eye ointment that has been brought into contact with the surface of the eyeball . The eye protection sheet according to claim 1, wherein the surface is powder-free.

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