WO1992005754A1 - Device for storage and insertion of contact lenses - Google Patents

Abstract

A device (10) for storage and insertion of contact lenses comprises a generally cylindrical container assembly formed from a plurality of container parts arranged in coaxial relationship. The container includes the first container portion (22) which is elongate and receives a suction head (24) with a bulb type squeeze portion (26) and a cap (27) for screw threaded sealing of the container for storage of the suction head within a storage liquid. The second and the third container (11) comprises storage elements each are respective one of the pair of contact lenses and each is screw fastened to an underside of the next adjacent container to form again a sealed compartment for storage of the lens within liquid. A flanged base member (41) is screwed into the under side of the lower most one of the containers. The suction head includes a concave suction face with ribs supporting the lens away from the end face so that the suction from a central opening in the end face is communicated to the lens by a liquid passing from the opening between the ribs. Each of the lens containers includes a convex support element (19) for supporting the lens in an orientation with the convex surface upper most.

Description

DEVICE FOR STORAGE AND INSERTION OF CONTACT LENSES

This invention relates to a device for storage and insertion of contact lenses. As is well known contact lenses have achieved many advances in the past 25 years which have led to widespread use for correction of various sight defects. Soft lenses have particularly increased in popularity in view of their increased comfort and ability to provide extended wear characteristics. Such soft lenses tend to be larger in diameter than hard lenses having an outside diameter approximately equal to or slightly greater than the iris of the eye. This makes them much more difficult to apply to the eye even by experienced users and this difficulty can prevent new users from continuing to use the lenses. In addition the flexibility of the lenses enables them to accommodate closely to the outside shape of the eye and thus the suction forces generated between the eye and the lens can be extremely strong making it difficult to remove the lens. Removal is generally carried out by pinching the lens so that it is squeezed away from the eye thus breaking the seal and enabling the lens to be pulled away from the eye.

This is normally carried out by the fingers of the wearer which necessarily causes the lens to be handled and thus come into contact with any foreign bodies or contamination on the fingers of the wearer.

Various proposals have been made dating back to 1958 for devices to assist in storing and insertion of contact lenses and more recently to devices also for removing the lenses.

Various arrangements have been proposed for suction cups of various different types for example as shown in U.S. Patent 3,791,689 (Boone - issued February 12, 1974), U.S. Patent 4,071,272 (Drdlik - issued January 31, 1978) and U.S. Patent 4,123,098 (Shoup - issued October 31, 1978). All of these devices generally comprise a simple suction head which has a diameter of the order of the diameter of the lens with a bulb device at one end of a tube connected to the cup which can be compressed and released to generate a suction by which the lens can be picked up and applied to the eye.

However in practice this has been found not to be correct since the suction forces which adhere the lens to the eye can be sufficiently strong that the eyeball is pulled from its socket before the lens to eye seal is broken.

U.S. Patent 4,238,134 (Coint ent - issued December 9, 1980) notes the difficulty of breaking the fluid suction-bond of the lens to the eye and proposes an arrangement in which a soft rimmed cup is placed on r-he lens and the cup then manually squeezed inwardly so the edges of the cup grasp the lens and tend to pinch it off the eye in the same way as the fingers of the user are normally used.

This arrangement is however not satisfactory in that it merely provides additional surfaces separate from the finger of the user which act in the same way as the fingers of the user and thus tend to pinch the lens together. It is difficult therefore for the user to handle the lens once it has been pinched of f the eye since the user must then release the cup in order to deposit the lens into a soaking solution.

For these reasons, therefore, none of the above devices is currently available for sale and none has been successful in assisting users of contact lenses in the hygienic and effective removal, storage and application of the lenses to the eye.

It is one object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an improved device for storage and insertion of contact lenses.

According to a first aspect of the invention, therefore, there is provided a device for storage of and for application to the eye of a wearer of a pair of contact lenses, the device comprising suction means for generating a suction and a head member mounted on said suction means for transmission of suction thereto and arranged for engaging and grasping the contact lens, said head member including suction communication means arranged to transmit said suction to said lens to hold said lens on said member, container means defining a first container for receiving liquid, said first container having a base for resting on a support surface and an open top, said suction means including cap means for engaging onto and closing said open top of said first container whereby the head member is stored in the liquid, said head member being arranged such that said suction means is arranged to draw said liquid into said head member whereby said suction is communicated to said lens by contact of said liquid with said lens, said container means including a second and a third container each separate from the first container and each including means for sealingly closing the respective container such that the container is arranged for receiving and storing a lens stored separately from said first container.

According to a second aspect of the invention therefor, there is provided a method for storage of and for application to the eye of a wearer of a pair of contact lenses, the method comprising providing a first container having a base for resting on a support surface and an open top, providing a suction member including a cap for the open top, a suction bulb, a suction duct and an end face communicating with the suction duct and arranged for engaging the contact lens, storing the end face in the container immersed in a storage liquid, providing a second and a third container separate from the first container each for receiving a respective one of the pair of contact lenses and including means therein for supporting the contact lens with a convex surface of the contact lens presented upwardly for engagement with the end face, storing each of the pair of the contact lenses in a respective one of the second and third containers immersed in liquid, squeezing the bulb while the end face remains in the first container to draw a portion of said liquid into the suction duct, moving the end face into contact with the convex surface of one of the lenses, releasing the bulb to apply suction through the end face to the convex surface, communicating the suction ftom the suction duct through the end face to the convex surface through liquid carried between the convex surface and the end face, lifting the lens from the respective one of the second and third containers, transferring the lens to the eye of the wearer and forcing liquid from the suction duct to the end face to release the lens into the eye.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view through a cylindrical container for receiving the lenses and for receiving a suction bulb and head member for applying the lenses according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along the lines 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the container of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the head member of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a similar view of the head member of Figure 3 showing it in an operating condition for inserting the lens into the eye.

Figure 6 is a front elevational view of the head member of Figures 4 and 5.

Figure 7 is a side elevational view of a modified arrangement in which a finger element is added for engaging the lower eye lid in the insertion action.

Figure 8 is an end elevational view of the modified device of Figure 7.

The container for the lenses and for the head of the applicator is generally indicated at 10 and is formed from a plurality of separate pieces. Each of the pieces is generally cylindrical in shape so that the pieces can be screwed together in coaxial arrangement so as to form a generally cylindrical body constituting the container 10.

Thus the container comprises a plurality of lens receiving portions 11 of which there are two such portions shown in Figure 1 each for receiving a lens so that two such lenses can be stored thus providing a first pair. In some cases the user may require to store four such lenses in which case two of the portions 11 will be simply added by screwing into position coaxially with and axially spaced from the first two.

Each of the portions 11 comprises a base 12 upon which the contact lens can rest, a surrounding retaining wall or rim 13 for containing a fluid around the lens and an external screw thread 14 on an outer surface of the cylindrical retaining wall 13. The external screw thread 14 cooperates with an internal screw thread 15 on an underside of the next adjacent portion 11. A cover surface 16 of the next adjacent portion 11 defines a closure for the cylindrical receiving area defined by the base 12, the wall 13 and the under surface 16.

The under surface 16 is generally flat with a plurality of rings outstanding from the surface thereof so as to project downwardly to the base 12 when the portions are attached together. The rings indicated at 17 assist in preventing the lens from moving from its properly positioned location on the base 12 and from adhering to the under surface 16 defining the cover.

Upon the base 12 is a projection 18 arranged centrally of the base 12 and extending upwardly therefrom. An upper surface of the projection 18 is convex in shape of a curvature approximating that of a lens so that the concave surface of the lens can sit directly upon the projection with the convex surface of the lens projecting upwardly therefrom. The projection is formed from five legs which extend outwardly from the central uppermost portion 19 of the projection, each of the legs being indicated at 20. In between each leg and the next equidistantly angularly spaced leg is a space 21 exposing the base 12. This construction of the projection formed by the legs and having the curvature of the lens acts to locate the lens so that it is prevented from slipping off the projection even when the container is shaken or inverted and yet avoids any suction forces being generated between the lens and the projection. The lens therefore when placed in the container in the inverted condition, that is with the convex shape upwardly, remains in that condition despite any handling of the container when the container is closed by application of the cover formed by the next adjacent portion 11.

Separate from the containers for the lenses is provided a compartment 22 defined by a wail 23 which is coaxial with the outer surfaces of the portions 11 but is reduced in diameter relative thereto. The compartment 22 is of increased axial length relative to the compartments for the lenses for receiving a head member 24 of the applicator indicated generally at 25.

The applicator 25 comprises a flexible bulb 26 which is attached to a rigid plastics portion 27 defining a screw thread 28 by which the applicator can be attached to the compartment 22 to close the compartment for receiving a storage liquid.

An extension portion 29 extends from the screw threaded plastics portion 27 into the compartment 22 and defines a duct 30 therein. The duct 30 communicates with the interior of the bulb 26 so that compression and release of the bulb generates suction within the duct 30 through the portion 29 for communication to the head 24. When the head 24 is positioned within the compartment 22, application of compression and release to the bulb 26 acts to draw liquid into the head so that it stores liquid inside the head and inside the duct 30 so that any suction forces are communicated hydrostatically rather than through the medium of air.

The head 24 is formed as a separate disposable item which can be simply applied to and removed from a cylindrical receptor 31 at the end of the member 29 Thus the head 24 can be thrown away after each use if required by the wearer for particularly rigorous hygiene or if required by opticians using the head for different patients. The shape and operation of the head is shown in more detail in Figures 4, 5 and 6. The head comprises an elongate tube or sleeve 32 formed of a flexible plastic or rubber material. The sleeve 32 has one open end 33 for engaging over the receptor 31 and this end is not shown in Figures 4 and 5 for convenience. The sleeve 32 is of constant diameter and constant wall thickness from the end 33 toward an outer end 34 at which is provided an end face 35 for engaging a lens 36. At the end 34, the wall thickness increases so the inside diameter of the sleeve reduces to a narrow central opening 37 through which fluid, air and/or liquid can pass from the end surface 35 into the interior of the sleeve 32. The significant difference in diameter between the opening 37 and the interior of the sleeve 32 acts to multiply the suction pressure generated at the opening 37 which is communicated through an opening to the end face 35.

The end face 35 is circular in front elevation as shown in Figure 6. The end face is also concave in transverse cross-section as best shown in Figures 4 and 5. The curvature of the concave end face is arranged to approximate to the curvature of the lens 36 without of course tailoring the head to the specific prescription of the wearer. The end face 35 includes a surrounding slightly raised rib 38 which is raised slightly out of the main concave surface of the end face. In addition the end face includes a plurality of radially extending ribs 39 which extend from a position adjacent to the central opening 37 outwardly therefrom to a position adjacent to but spaced from the peripheral rib 38. The ribs are all of the same height, raised from the main body of surface 35 and leave between each rib and the next adjacent rib a surface portion which is thus recessed relative to the upper face of the ribs themselves.

As shown some of the ribs project closely into the central opening whereas alternate ribs are spaced slightly outwardly to form a regular pattern while leaving passage ways between each' rib and the next adjacent rib communicating with the central opening 37, those passage ways allowing fluid to communicate from the central opening across the surface 35 at all positions thereon apart from the ribs and the peripheral ribs 38.

The shape of the pattern of ribs can of course be modified and the function of the ribs is of importance which is to support the lens, as shown in Figure 5, away from the surface 35 to allow fluid to be communicated from the central opening 37 into the surface portions between and around the ribs as shown by the arrows 40.

In operation, the upper most compartment defined by the wall 23 is unscrewed from the first lens storing portion 11 so as to expose the compartment within which the first lens is stored upon the base 12. The lens thus is exposed upwardly with its convex surface upper most and it is stored within the liquid in the compartment.

The portion 27 is then unscrewed from the compartment 22 so the head 24 can be removed from the liquid. Prior to removal, the bulb 26 is depressed and released to draw some of the liquid into the head and particularly into the sleeve 32 through the opening 37 so the end face 35 is fully wetted and the part of the sleeve 32 adjacent to the opening 37 is fully filled with the liquid.

Of course during this operation the container 23 is maintained in a vertical orientation with a base of the container resting upon a suitable support surface so that the liquid is maintained within the container and so that the orientation of the head is so that the end face projects downwardly.

The bulb is then slightly depressed and the head brought up to the lens in the portion 11. A slight depression of the bulb when released generates enough suction at the central opening 37 to grasp and support the lens from its storage location within the liquid. The suction is communicated across the surface 35 between the ribs and in view of the liquid within the sleeve 32 and the liquid surrounding the lens, the communication of the suction force is carried out hydrostatically by the presence of the liquid.

The lens can then be withdrawn from the portion 11, carried by the head 24 and brought up to the eye of the wearer. The lens is attached to the eye of the wearer by the suction generated by surface tension as the curvature of the lens exactly follows the curvature of the eye. The lens can then be dispensed from the head simply by a slight depression of the bulb which forces liquid through the opening 37 to expel the lens from the head by forcing liquid into the area behind the lens and between the ribs. It is not necessary therefore to press the head against the eye of the wearer since the action is simply bringing the lens closely adjacent to the eye and in slight contact with the eye and then forcing the liquid outwardly from the head causes the lens to transfer from the head to the eye without the application of compression forces.

The lens is removed from the eye by conventional practice that is by the normal squeezing process using the fingers the of wearer, is then cleaned and is then returned to the storage compartment 11 in the proper orientation with the concave side downwardly. The container is then reassembled so the lenses are properly stored in secured, closed compartments and the head 24 is similarly stored in a secure closed compartment immersed in the storage liquid.

In order to provide a neat and attractive base for the device and to enable the device to stand more effectively on a support surface, there is provided a base member 41 including a flat base surface 42 and an upstanding cylindrical engagement portion 43 which has an external screw thread 44 for cooperation with the screw thread of the compartment 11. The base surface 42 extends radially outwardly beyond the diameter of the portion 11 and is attractively chamfered as best shown in Figure 3.

Turning now to Figures 7 and 8 there is shown the insertion device described above together with a further additional element which is used in the insertion as best shown in Figure 7.* The additional element includes a collar 40 which has an internal cylindrical surface for engaging over the outer surface of the cap 27 and an end face 40B which has a circular opening 40A shaped to slide over the outer surface of the bulb 26. The inside surface of the collar 40 is thus a friction fit onto the outside of the manually graspable portion of the insertion device that is the cap 27 and the bulb 26. One side of the collar 40 includes a finger element 41 in the form of a cylindrical rod which extends forwardly from the collar and slightly outwardly to one side of the collar so that a convex or domed end 42 of the cylindrical rod 41 is positioned alongside but spaced to one side of the suction cup 34 mounted on the end of the duct 24.

The domed end 42 is thus positioned so it can be located just beneath the suction cup and particularly the end face of the suction cup which carries the contact lens, in operation, therefore, the wearer manually brings the manually graspable portion toward the eye with the finger element 41 underneath the elongate duct 24 and the suction cup 34. The finger element 41 is brought firstly into contact with the lower lid 43 of the eye of the wearer prior to the contact lens reaching the pupil area 44 of the eye of the wearer. The finger element is thus manipulated to engage the lower lid and to slightly depress the lower lid away from the eye. With the finger element in place and the domed end 42 thus in contact with the lower lid 43, the device can be gradually tilted so that the contact lens approaches the eye following which the bulb 26 is depressed to supply liquid to the suction cup thus forcing the lens onto the eye of the wearer. This additional finger element allows the wearer to use his other hand not in contact with the device to grasp the upper lid so as to open the pupil area of the eye more widely to receive the lens.

Claims

(1) A device for storage of and for application to the eye of a wearer of a pair of contact lenses, the device comprising suction means for generating a suction and a head member mounted on said suction means for transmission of suction thereto and arranged for engaging and grasping the contact lens, said head member including suction communication means arranged to transmit said suction to said lens to hold said lens on said member, container means defining a first container for receiving liquid, said first container having a base for resting on a support surface and an open top, said suction means including cap means for engaging onto and closing said open top of said first container whereby the head member is stored in the liquid, said head member being arranged such that said suction means is arranged to draw said liquid into said head member whereby said suction is communicated to said lens by contact of said liquid with said lens, said container means including a second and a third container each separate from the first container and each including means for sealingly closing the respective container such that the container is arranged for receiving and storing a lens stored separately from said first container.

(2) The device according to Claim 1 wherein said second and third containers comprise a series of coaxially arranged containers each having a base forming a cover for a next adjacent one of the containers whereby the base of each can be screw threaded onto the cover of the next adjacent to define an area there between for receiving said liquid and said lens.

(3) The device according to Claim 1 wherein each of said second and third containers includes a base for resting on a support surface and an open top, an upper surface of the base having an upstanding projection member having an upper surface defining a curvature substantially equal to that of a concave surface of said lens whereby said lens is stored with a convex surface thereof uppermost for engagement by said head member.

(4) The device according to Claim 3 wherein said projection member is formed from a plurality of legs extending radially outwardly from a central uppermost portion, each leg being separated from the next.

(5) The device according to Claim 1 wherein the first container comprises a base forming a cover for one of said second and third containers, an elongate tube extending from said base coaxially with said second and third containers, said open top being defined at an end of said tube remote from the base and means at said open top for cooperating with said cap means of said suction means for sealingly closing said first container.

(6) The device according to Claim 5 wherein the tube is cylindrical and wherein the base has a circular outer periphery, the tube having a smaller diameter than the outer periphery of the base.

(7) The device according to Claim 1 wherein the head member includes an end surface shaped for acting upon a convex surface of the lens, the end surface including means for communicating said liquid from the head member to the convex surface of the lens at a plurality of locations thereon.

(8) The device according to Claim 7 wherein the end surface has projecting means thereon for engaging the convex surface of the lens and surface portions thereon recessed from the projecting means for receiving liquid between the surface portions and the convex surface of the lens.

(9) The device according to Claim 8 wherein the end surface includes an opening therein through which the suction is communicated, said recessed surface portion communicating with said opening to allow liquid to move between said opening and an area located between the convex surface of the lens and the recessed surface portions.

(10) The device according to Claim 9 wherein the opening is arranged substantially centrally of the end surface and wherein the projecting means comprise a plurality of ribs extending substantially radially of the opening with said surface portions defined there between.

(11) A device for application to the eye of a wearer of a contact lens, the device comprising suction means for generating a suction and a head member mounted on said suction means for transmission of suction thereto and arranged for engaging and grasping the contact lens, said head member including suction communication means arranged to transmit said suction to said lens to hold said lens on said member, container means for receiving liquid, said first container having a base for resting on a support surface and an open top, said suction means including cap means for engaging onto and closing said open top of said first container whereby the head member is stored in the liquid, said head member being arranged such that said suction means is arranged to draw said liquid into said head member whereby said suction is communicated to said lens by contact of said liquid with said lens, wherein the head member includes an end surface shaped for acting upon a convex surface of the lens, wherein the end surface has projecting means thereon for engaging the convex surface of the lens and surface portions thereon recessed from the projecting means for receiving liquid between the surface portions and the convex surface of the lens, wherein the end surface includes an opening therein through which the suction is communicated, said recessed surface portion communicating with said opening to allow liquid to move between said opening and an area located between the convex surface of the lens and the recessed surface portions.

(12) A method for storage of and for application to the eye of a wearer of a pair of contact lenses, the method comprising providing a first container having a base for resting on a support surface and an open top, providing a suction member including a cap for the open top, a suction bulb, a suction duct and an end face communicating with the suction duct and arranged for engaging the contact lens, storing the end face in the container immersed in a storage liquid, providing a second and a third container separate from the first container each for receiving a respective one of the pair of contact lenses and including means therein for supporting the contact lens with a convex surface of the contact lens presented upwardly for engagement with the end face, storing each of the pair of the contact lenses in a respective one of the second and third containers immersed in liquid, squeezing the bulb while the end face remains in the first container to draw a portion of said liquid into the suction duct, moving the end face into contact with the convex surface of one of the lenses, releasing the bulb to apply suction through the end face to the convex surface, communicating the suction from the suction duct through the end face to the convex surface through liquid carried between the convex surface and the end face, lifting the lens from the respective one of the second and third containers, transferring the lens to the eye of the wearer and forcing liquid from the suction duct to the end face to release the lens into the eye.

(13) A device for application to the eye of a wearer of a contact lens, the device comprising a manually graspable portion including a suction bulb for generating a section, and a head member mounted on the manually graspable portion for transmission of suction to the head member, the head member having an end face directed away from the manually graspable portion for engaging and grasping the contact lens, the head member including suction communication means for communicating suction from the suction bulb to the end face, and a finger element mounted on the manually graspable portion so as to extend therefrom to an end thereof alongside but spaced to one side of the end face, the end of the finger element being arranged relative to the end face for engaging and depressing the lower eye lid of the wearer while the end face is substantially in contact with the pupil area of the eye of the wearer.

(14) The device according to claim 1 including a finger element mounted on the suction means so as to extend therefrom to a position alongside but spaced to one side of an end face of the head member, the end of the finger element being arranged relative to the end face for engaging and depressing the lower eyelid of the wearer while the end face is in substantial contact with the pupil area of the eye of the wearer.

(15) The device according to Claim 13 or 14 wherein the finger element comprises a cylindrical rod having a convex end.

(16) The device according to Claim 15 wherein the finger element includes a collar for surrounding a cylindrical body of the suction bulb with the cylindrical rod extending outwardly and forwardly from the collar to said end.