KR20220052235A - Contact lens having lacrimal damping holes and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a contact lens having lacrimal damping holes and a manufacturing method thereof. The contact lens having lacrimal damping holes comprises a plurality of through-holes formed in fitting portions outside an optical portion to be spaced apart from each other by a distance. Each of the plurality of through-holes is formed as a lacrimal damping hole having a chamfered portion at the top and a recessed portion at the bottom. The contact lens enables fine contraction of the outer periphery due to the tension of eyelids during blinking and smooth introduction and discharge of lacrimal fluid due to restoration of the shape when the lids are open, thereby providing a good sense of wearing, reducing a sense of dryness, reducing a halo effect, and lowering light flare. Optionally, the contact lens has a single tear circulation path and damping holes therein, thereby further increasing the tear circulation effect.

Description

A contact lens having a tear-damping hole and a method for manufacturing the same

The present invention relates to a contact lens having a teardrop damping hole and a method for manufacturing the same, and more particularly, has a plurality of teardrop damping holes spaced apart from each other at a predetermined distance on the outside adjacent to an optical part, and the teardrop damping hole comprises: The lower part has a curved shape and the upper part has a straight or curved cut-out structure. A contact lens having a tear-damping hole that provides a good fit by allowing the inflow and discharge of tear fluid to occur smoothly, a feeling of dryness, a small hula effect, and a small light blurring phenomenon, and a method for manufacturing the same .

Contact lenses are lenses that are worn on the corneal surface of the eye and are used for vision correction to correct refractive errors such as myopia, astigmatism, and farsightedness, for treatment to promote regeneration of damaged corneas and to relieve pain, and to change the color of the pupil. It is widely used for cosmetic purposes to change or to make the pupils appear clearer and bigger, and as a replacement for glasses during sports activities.

In the contact lens attached to the cornea with the tear layer (tear layer) in between, the tension caused by capillary action evenly and radially acts on the edge of the contact lens to attach the contact lens to the cornea, and balance it with the impact caused by blinking, etc. When the contact lens in the state of being deviates from the equilibrium position, a change occurs in the gap between the tear layers, and by this change, a restoring force is generated in the lens according to the tension caused by the non-uniform capillary action.

Contact lenses depend on various parameters such as the friction force between the eyelids and the lens according to blinking, the force caused by the acceleration of the eyelids, the thickness of the tear layer, restoring force and viscous resistance, the blinking cycle, the BC (base curve) of the lens, and the lens diameter. Its equilibrium state and movement and restoration movements are determined.

Since the cornea, the outermost part of the eye, is an avascular tissue, it does not receive oxygen from the blood, but only receives oxygen from the air through diffusion.

Contact lens materials such as HEMA (2-hydroxy-ethyl methacrylate), which are widely used in the market, deliver oxygen through the diffusion of tear fluid, so the higher the moisture content, the higher the oxygen permeability. In order to maintain the shape, the core thickness becomes relatively thick and the attachment of body materials such as proteins and fats becomes more severe, whereas materials such as silicone hydrogels, which have oxygen-transmitting power in themselves, generally have high moisture content at low moisture content. It shows oxygen permeability, and when the moisture content is too high, the tear fluid is absorbed too much, which can cause a feeling of dryness.

On the other hand, if the oxygen supply to the cornea is reduced for reasons such as severe adhesion of contact lenses to the eye or continuous wearing for a long time, it causes hypoxia in the cornea, corneal edema, corneal epithelial damage, corneal neovascularization, ulcerative keratitis, and corneal infiltration. There is a risk of causing diseases such as

In addition, since contact lenses have a certain moisture content, it may absorb tear fluid and cause a shortage of tear fluid, so that continuous wearing of contact lenses for a long time may cause dry eye syndrome and hyperemia.

Therefore, supply of fresh tear fluid to the tear layer between the contact lens and the cornea is a very important problem for contact lenses.

The following can be mentioned as typical conventionally known techniques in this regard.

US Patent Publication No. 6,010,219 A (published on Jan. 4, 2000) is composed of a central part, a tear reservoir, and a peripheral part, and penetrates the tear reservoir for the purpose of preventing corneal edema and lens adhesion by reducing the pressure of the tear fluid formed in the tear reservoir. Disclosed is a contact lens for corneal refractive correction in which a ball is formed.

However, this prior art has a problem in that when the tear storage portion is located on the outer periphery of the lens and a through hole is formed therein, the negative pressure adsorption force is lowered, the myopia correction effect is reduced, and the hula phenomenon is easy to occur.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-08881725 (registered on January 28, 2009) discloses a contact lens including a tear circulation path and a through hole forming a concave surface to store and circulate tears along the circumferential direction of the inner surface, which is curved to be in contact with the cornea. In the above, the tear circulation path forming the concave surface is formed to overlap the tip of the iris, and has a width of 0.8 mm to 1 mm toward the center of the contact lens, and a constant width and a convex surface in the circumferential direction of the tear circulation path Presenting a contact lens in which a tear circulation path is formed so as to enhance the osmotic function formed by forming a corneal contact portion that is divided into two or more in the cornea direction to form a tear circulation space and a protruding corneal contact portion is formed in the tear circulation space, and the through hole is formed in the tear circulation space are doing

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1978909 (registered on May 14, 2019) discloses a contact lens comprising an inner surface that is curved to be in contact with the cornea and an outer surface that is not in contact with the cornea, wherein tears are stored and stored in the circumferential direction of the inner surface. a tear circulation unit formed to circulate; at least one inlet provided in the tear circulation unit, through which the inner and outer surfaces are penetrated to allow tears to flow into the tear circulation unit; and a discharge unit formed on the inner surface and connected to the tear circulation unit for discharging tears in the tear circulation unit to the outside of the contact lens, wherein the tear circulation unit is at least formed in a groove along the circumferential direction on the inner surface A jig capable of manufacturing a contact lens including one tear circulation path, so that tears can be smoothly supplied and discharged to the cornea, is proposed.

On the other hand, Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2061813 (registered on December 26, 2019) discloses a contact lens that is formed in a curved surface and includes an inner surface in contact with the cornea and an outer surface not in contact with the cornea, in the circumferential direction of the inner surface. at least one tear circulation path formed in a ring shape, through which tears are supplied and circulated along the path; It is formed on the inner surface, and it communicates with the tear circulation path and includes at least one discharge groove for transporting and discharging tears to the outside, wherein the tear circulation path or the discharge groove is contracted when the eye is closed and formed on the outer surface of the lens by restoring the eye opening. At least one suction hole is formed to introduce the generated tears, the discharge groove is formed so as not to open the inner surface, and a discharge hole through which tears are discharged is formed on one side of a contact lens having a suction function, and there is.

However, all of the above prior arts have at least two mutually communicating columnar tear circulation paths and have a structure in which a through hole or a suction hole and an inlet hole are formed. The lower edge of the tear circulation path where the suction hole and the inlet hole are formed is sharply formed, so that more sensory nerves are distributed than the fingertips when wearing contact lenses, which stimulates the very sensitive corneal surface to feel a foreign body In addition to the problem of causing inflammation, the inflow and discharge of tear fluid due to contraction and restoration by the tension of the eyelid during blinking is not satisfactory because the upper part of the through hole or the suction hole and the inflow hole are formed without chamfering. has a problem.

US Patent Publication No. 6,010,219 A (published on 01.04. 2000) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-08881725 (Registered on January 28, 2009) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1978909 (Registered on May 14, 2019) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2061813 (Registered on Dec. 26, 2019)

The first object of the present invention is to provide a good feeling of wearing and dryness by allowing the inflow and discharge of tear fluid by fine contraction (in the case of the closed eye) and restoration (in the case of open eyes) of the outer periphery due to the tension of the eyelids when blinking. An object of the present invention is to provide a contact lens having a tear-damping hole that has a small tear, a small hula phenomenon, and a small light blurring phenomenon.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a contact lens having a tear duct damping hole in which the tear circulation effect is enhanced by selectively forming a single tear circulation path and providing a damping hole therein.

A third object of the present invention is to provide an effective method for manufacturing a contact lens having a tear-damping hole according to the above object.

The first and second objects of the present invention are formed of a main body having an inner surface that is formed to be curved in contact with the cornea and an outer surface that is spaced apart from the cornea, and the main body includes an optical unit located in the center, and the optical unit It has a fitting part positioned outside and an outer periphery positioned outside the fitting part, and a plurality of through-holes spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance are located in the fitting part outside the optical part to prevent tear fluid between the inner surface of the body and the cornea. In the contact lens formed to flow in and out, each of the plurality of through-holes is smoothly achieved by a contact lens having a teardrop damping hole, characterized in that a teardrop damping hole having an upper portion and an indentation portion formed at the lower portion can be

The indentation portion may be formed in a curved shape forming an inclination, and the plucking portion may be formed in a straight line shape or a curved shape forming an inclination.

Specifically, the thickness of the fitting part is generally 0.12 to 0.14 mm, and the tear damping holes are located 4.5 to 5.0 mm apart from the center of the body and 3, 6, or 8 equidistantly spaced apart from each other, The height of each of the plunging part and the indentation part of the tear damping hole may be 0.015 to 0.025 mm, the height of the cylindrical central part may be 0.08 to 0.10 mm, and the diameter of the cylindrical central part may be 0.115 to 0.125 mm.

Here, the indentation portion may be formed as a convex round portion of R = 2-3 mm.

In addition, optionally, the tear damping hole is located on only one tear circuit formed in a circular shape, and the bottom width of the tear circuit is 0.7 to 0.9 mm and R=2.5/1000 to 3.5/1000. .

The third object of the present invention is (A) a male mold having a plurality of penetrating pins formed as a concave round part with a lower portion of R = 2-3 mm in order to mold a contact lens having a curved surface so as to be in contact with the cornea and having a through hole formed therein; molding a contact lens by injecting and curing a resin monomer for molding a contact lens between a female mold having an annular groove for accommodating the through pin; (B) releasing the female mold from the male mold, and the dioptric power of the contact lens forming a leak damping hole by finely cutting the upper part of the through-hole at the same time as processing to form a plucking part; (C) can be smoothly achieved by a method of manufacturing a contact lens having a tear-damping hole, which includes the step of taking out the contact lens having the plucking portion formed thereon.

Alternatively, in the step of forming the contact lens, a male mold in which the plurality of through pins are formed on a hemispherical protrusion for forming a tear circulation path may be used.

A contact lens having a teardrop damping hole according to the present invention has a plurality of teardrop damping holes spaced apart from each other at a predetermined distance on the outside adjacent to the optical part, and the teardrop damping hole has a curved indentation at the bottom and a straight line at the top Or, it has a curved cut-out part so that it allows for smooth inflow and discharge of tear fluid due to fine contraction of the outer periphery due to the tension of the eyelid during closed eye caused by blinking and restoration during eye opening. It has the advantage of less hula phenomenon and less light scattering, and optionally, the tear circulation effect can be further enhanced by forming a single tear circulation path and installing a damping hole therein.

1 is a perspective view of a contact lens having a tear-damping hole according to the present invention.
2 is a cross-sectional view and a partially enlarged view of the worn state of FIG. 1 .
3 is a cross-sectional view of another worn state of FIG. 1 and a partially enlarged view.
4 is an exemplary plan dimension view of a contact lens having a tear-damping hole according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is another similar perspective view of FIG. 1 ;
6 to 8 are diagrams of questionnaire evaluation results of Test Examples 1 to 3, respectively.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view of a contact lens 1 having a teardrop damping hole according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view and partially enlarged view of the worn state of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a contact lens having a teardrop damping hole according to the present invention. (1) is an exemplary plan dimension view, and FIG. 4 is another similar perspective view of FIG. 1, which will be referred to together for convenience of description.

A contact lens (1) having a lacrimal damping hole according to the present invention has a main body (2) having an inner surface (2b) that is curved in contact with the cornea (10) and an outer surface (2a) that is spaced apart from the cornea (10) is formed with

The main body 2 has an optical part 3 positioned in the center, a fitting part 4 positioned outside the optical part 3, and an outer periphery 5 positioned outside the fitting part 4 . It is integrally formed by the, and the fitting portion (4) is formed with a leakage damping hole (6) characteristic of the present invention.

The optical part 3 is a region in which the pupil is accompanied by a change in diameter due to contraction and relaxation of the iris, and the fitting part 4 located outside the optical part 3 is radially formed by capillary action of the tear fluid. When the contact lens 1 is fixed by the applied tension and at the same time the contact lens 1 is deviating from the equilibrium position due to blinking, etc., depending on the tension caused by the capillary action, which undergoes a non-uniform change according to the gap of the tear fluid layer It is a region for restoring the contact lens 1 to the equilibrium position, and the peripheral end of the outer periphery 5 located outside the fitting portion 4 forms a lacrimal passage 5a formed to be slightly raised from the cornea 10, It functions as a passageway for the discharge and inflow of tear fluid during blinking.

Here, the tear damping hole 6 has an upper plunging portion 6b and a lower indenting portion 6a, and a cylindrical central portion positioned between the plunging portion 6b and the indenting portion 6a (reference numeral not shown). given), so that the thickness of the cylindrical central part is about 25 to 35% thinner than the thickness of the body 2, so when the fine contractile force of the outer periphery by the tension of the eyelid acts when the eye is closed by blinking Of course, by allowing the inflow and discharge of the tear fluid due to the restoring force during eye opening to be smoothly performed, it is possible to provide a good feeling of wearing with less risk of dryness.

The indentation portion 6a may be arbitrarily cut into a curved shape of a convex round shape forming an inclination, and the plucking portion 6b may be arbitrarily cut into a straight line or curved shape forming an inclination during the application process by a bite.

It is important that the indentation part 6a has a convex round shape of R=2 to 3 mm, because the cornea 10 has about 50 times more nerves than the fingertips and is very sensitive, so there is no foreign body feeling. It gives a feeling of wearing of the lens (1).

Although the dimension of the contact lens 1 according to the present invention is not strictly limited, the thickness of the body 2 including the fitting part 4 is generally 0.12 to 0.14 mm, specifically 0.125 to 0.135 mm, The outer diameter is generally 12mm to 14mm, specifically 12mm to 13mm, R=7.3±0.1, and three tear-damping holes 6 are spaced apart from the center of the body 2 by a radius of 4.5 to 5.0mm and spaced equidistant from each other. It can be set to 6 or 8 positions.

In addition, the height (vertical height of the portion in contact with the cylindrical central portion) of each of the extraction portion 6b and the indentation portion 6a of the tear fluid damping hole 6 is 0.015 to 0.025 mm, and the extraction portion 6b and the indentation portion The height of the cylindrical central part between (6a) is 0.08-0.10 mm, and the diameter of the tear fluid damping hole 6, precisely the diameter of the cylindrical central part, is generally 0.115-0.125 mm.

Meanwhile, in the present invention, optionally, a single circular lacrimal circulation path 7 may be formed on the contact lens 1, and in this case, the tear fluid damping hole 6 is a circular lacrimal fluid circulation path. (7) is located at equal intervals to each other, the bottom width of the lacrimal circulation path (7) is 0.7 ~ 0.9mm, R = 2.5/1000 ~ 3.5/1000.

Next, a method for manufacturing the contact lens 1 having a tear-damping hole according to the present invention will be described.

Since a method of forming a contact lens having a through hole formed therein by using a female mold and a male mold having a through pin formed therein is known, for a detailed description thereof, refer to the known technology mentioned in the present specification, and a brief description thereof will be made.

(A) Contact lens shaping steps:

A male mold having a plurality of penetrating pins formed as a concave round part with a lower portion of R=2 to 3 mm to mold a contact lens having a curved surface to contact the cornea and having a through hole formed therein, and a female mold having an annular groove accommodating the penetrating pin A contact lens molding resin monomer such as HEMA is injected and hardened in between to form a contact lens with an indentation at the bottom of the through hole.

(B) Formation step of the tear fluid damping hole:

The female mold is released from the male mold, and while the molded contact lens is fixed to the male mold having the through pin, the contact lens is applied and the upper part of the through hole formed with the indentation is finely cut to form the cut part. By doing so, a leak damping hole is formed.

(C) Removal of the completed tear-damping hole-forming contact lens:

By forming the extraction part, the contact lens having the tear damping hole is taken out from the male mold and packed in a container containing a solvent made of physiological saline.

Meanwhile, optionally, in the step of forming the contact lens, a male mold in which the plurality of through pins are formed on a hemispherical protrusion for forming a lacrimal circulation path may be used.

Example:

The thickness of the body including the fitting part 4 is 0.13 mm, and three tear-damping holes 6 are equidistantly spaced apart from each other at a distance 4.55 mm apart from the center of the body 2, and the tear-damping holes ( 6) the height of each of the cut-out portion 6b and the indentation portion 6a is 0.02 mm, the height of the cylindrical central portion between the cut-out portion 6b and the indentation portion 6a is 0.09 mm, and the height of the cylindrical central portion The diameter is 0.12mm, the indentation (6a) is formed as a round part of R=2~3mm, and the extraction part (6b) is formed in a straight line as shown in FIGS. A contact lens having only a damping hole (diameter 12.390 mm and base curve R = 7.3) was manufactured.

Experimental Example 1:

A contact lens having a lacrimal damping hole manufactured in Example was provided, and a survey was conducted on fit, dryness, movement (hula effect), and light blur at the time of initial wearing. is shown in FIG. 6 .

As a result, it was confirmed that the conventional contact lenses having two lacrimal circulation paths and having three simple through-holes showed satisfactory results in a significant degree compared to the conventional contact lenses.

Experimental Example 2:

Following the initial wear evaluation in Experimental Example 1, a questionnaire survey was conducted on fit, dryness, movement, and light bleed after 6 hours of wearing.

The results were also confirmed to show satisfactory results to a significant degree compared to the conventional contact lenses described above.

Experimental Example 3:

Following the evaluation result after 6 hours of wearing in Experimental Example 2, a questionnaire survey was conducted on the feeling of wearing, dryness, movement, and light scattering after 2 to 3 days, and the data of those who responded are summarized and the results are shown in FIG. showed

It was confirmed that the results still showed satisfactory results to a significant degree compared to the conventional contact lenses described above.

As mentioned above, although the present invention has been described through preferred embodiments and test examples, various changes and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, but these are also within the scope of the present invention.

1: Contact lens having a tear-damping hole according to the present invention
2: body
2a: outer surface 2b: inner surface
3: optical part 4: fitting part
5: outer periphery 5a: lacrimal passage
6: Damping hole
6a: indentation 6b: indentation
7: lacrimal circuit
10: cornea

Claims (7)

It is formed of a main body having an inner surface that is curved in contact with the cornea and an outer surface that is spaced apart from the cornea, wherein the main body includes an optical part positioned in a central part, a fitting part positioned outside the optical part, and an outer side of the fitting part In a contact lens having an outer periphery positioned at
Each of the plurality of through-holes is characterized in that the tear-damping hole is formed with an upper part and a recessed part on the lower part.
Contact lenses with tear-damping holes. [2] The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the indentation portion is formed in a curved shape forming an inclination, and the indentation portion is formed in a straight line or curved shape forming an inclination. The method of claim 1, wherein the fitting portion has a thickness of 0.12 to 0.14 mm, and the tear damping holes are located 4.5 to 5.0 mm apart from the center of the body and 3, 6, or 8 equidistantly spaced apart from each other, The height of each of the draining portion and the indentation of the tear fluid damping hole is 0.015 to 0.025mm, the height of the cylindrical central portion between the extraction and the indentation is 0.08 to 0.10mm, and the diameter of the cylindrical central portion is 0.115 to 0.125mm A contact lens having a tear-damping hole. [4] The contact lens according to claim 3, wherein the indentation is formed as a round part of R=2 to 3 mm. The method according to claim 1, wherein the tear damping hole is located on only one tear circuit formed in a circular shape, and the bottom width of the tear circuit is 0.7 to 0.9 mm and R=2.5/1000 to 3.5/1000. A contact lens having a tear-damping hole characterized in that. A method of manufacturing a contact lens having a tear-damping hole comprising the steps of:
(A) A male mold having a plurality of penetrating pins formed as a concave round part with R=2 to 3 mm at the lower part to mold a contact lens having a curved surface so as to be in contact with the cornea and having a through hole formed therein, and an annular groove for accommodating the through pin molding a contact lens by injecting and curing a resin monomer for molding a contact lens between the shape molds;
(B) forming a tear fluid damping hole by releasing the female mold from the male mold and finely cutting the upper part of the through hole at the same time as the application of the contact lens;
(C) taking out the contact lens in which the plucking part is formed. [Claim 7] The method of claim 6, wherein in the forming of the contact lens, a male mold is used in which the plurality of through pins are formed on a hemispherical protrusion for forming a tear circulation path.

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