WO2012168964A1

WO2012168964A1 - Contact lens-packaging container

Info

Publication number: WO2012168964A1
Application number: PCT/JP2011/003206
Authority: WO
Inventors: 章廣安田
Original assignee: 株式会社メニコン
Priority date: 2011-06-07
Filing date: 2011-06-07
Publication date: 2012-12-13
Also published as: JP5676760B2; JPWO2012168964A1

Abstract

The purpose of the invention is to provide a contact lens-packaging container of a novel structure that can reduce the volume of storing solution poured into the contact lens-holding area while stably maintaining the positioning of the held contact lens and, when the seal is opened, allowing the contact lens to be taken out easily with one hand. A convex spherical crown-shaped lens-supporting surface (28) of a base plate (20) and a concave spherical crown-shaped lens-covering surface (36) of a cover plate (22) are superposed and a contact lens (18) and storing solution (16) are accommodated in the holding area formed between the opposing surfaces thereof. A flat part (44) is formed on the lens-supporting surface (28) to provide a gap (46) between the superposed surfaces of the flat part (44) and the contact lens (18).

Description

Contact lens packaging container

The present invention relates to a contact lens packaging container that contains a contact lens together with a preservation solution, and more particularly to a contact lens packaging container that is suitably used when providing a soft contact lens to the market.

Contact lenses are provided to the market in a sealed state accommodated in a packaging container, and particularly hydrous soft contact lenses are generally provided in a contact lens packaging container together with a storage solution. As such a contact lens packaging container, conventionally, a blister package described in JP-A-7-322911 (Patent Document 1) and US Pat. No. 4,691,820 (Patent Document 2) has been adopted. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, this blister package has a structure in which a storage liquid 4 and a contact lens 5 are accommodated in a recess 3 formed in a container body 2 made of a hard resin and sealed with a cover film 6. It is said that.

However, such a blister package having a conventional structure is one in which the contact lens 5 is housed in the storage solution 4 stored in the depression 3 in a floating state and held in an equilibrium state (a state in which there is no deformation due to external force). . Therefore, it is necessary to form the recess 3 with a sufficient depth and volume, and since a large amount of the storage solution 4 is accommodated in the recess 3, the lens user may have difficulty in disposing the storage solution 4 when opening the package. there were.

In addition, since the contact lens 5 is accommodated in the recess 3 that opens upward with the concave lens rear surface 7 facing upward, handling when the lens user wears the contact lens 5 is troublesome. There was a problem that various germs were easily attached. That is, as shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B, the fingertip 8 of one hand is overlapped with the lens rear surface 7 of the contact lens 5 and is extracted while being slidably contacted with the inner surface of the recess 3. As shown in FIG. 16 (c), the contact lens 5 had to be transferred to the fingertip 9 of the other hand before being worn on the eye. As described above, it is necessary to transfer the contact lens 5 between both hands, and the contact lens 5 easily folds and sticks to a finger during the transfer. In addition, since the fingertip 8 directly touches the lens rear surface 7 superimposed on the cornea at the time of wearing, there is also a problem that adverse effects on the eyes such as bacteria adhering to the contact lens 5 from the fingertip 8 are likely to increase.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-313928 (Patent Document 3) discloses a contact lens housing container in which a spherical convex portion is provided on the bottom surface of a recess and the concave surface of the contact lens is placed on the convex portion. Proposed. However, since a large-capacity storage portion is formed around the convex portion by a curved peripheral wall that expands upward, a large amount of storage solution is required, and processing of the storage solution at the time of opening becomes a problem. It will not change. In addition, since the concave surface of the contact lens is placed in close contact with the spherical convex portion, the contact lens is attracted to the convex portion, and it is difficult to take out the contact lens with a fingertip. In addition, since the convex portion is accommodated in a large-capacity storage portion formed around and does not protrude outward from the storage portion, let's pick up the contact lens placed on the convex portion with a fingertip However, there was also a problem that the fingertips did not enter the storage unit and the work was difficult.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-322911 US Pat. No. 4,691,820 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-313928

The present invention has been made in the background of the above-mentioned circumstances, and the problem to be solved is that it is possible to reduce the amount of storage liquid injected into the contact lens storage area and to stabilize the contact lens in the storage state. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a contact lens packaging container having a novel structure in which the contact lens can be easily taken out with one hand at the time of opening while being positioned and held.

A feature of the present invention is that the lid side plate is overlaid on the upper surface of the base side plate, and a contact lens in which a contact lens is accommodated together with a storage solution in an accommodation area formed between the overlapping surfaces of the two plates. In the lens packaging container, the formation surface of the accommodation region in the base side plate is a lens support surface having a convex spherical crown shape, and the formation surface of the accommodation region in the lid side plate is a concave spherical crown A concave lens rear surface of the contact lens is superimposed on the lens support surface and accommodated in the accommodating area, and at least one flat portion is provided on the lens support surface. The gap is formed between the overlapping surfaces of the flat portion and the contact lens.

In the contact lens packaging container structured according to the present invention, the contact lens housing region has a substantially dome shape between the opposing surfaces of the convex spherical crown-shaped lens support surface and the concave spherical crown-shaped lens cover surface. It is formed. Therefore, such a storage area can be made to correspond to a spherical crown-shaped contact lens, and the volume of the storage area and thus the amount of the storage liquid stored can be sufficiently reduced to facilitate the processing of the storage liquid at the time of opening. It becomes possible.

Further, in the storage area, the rear surface of the contact lens having a concave spherical crown shape is superimposed on the lens support surface having a convex spherical crown shape, and therefore, the storage lens is disposed in close proximity to each other. An adsorption action is generated between the lens support surface and the rear surface of the contact lens. As a result, the contact lens can be held in a stable position on the lens support surface during transportation or carrying before opening, and deformation and damage of the contact lens can be effectively prevented.

On the other hand, when taking out the contact lens by opening it, the contact between the lens support surface and the rear surface of the contact lens is reduced by pressing the portion of the contact lens that overlaps the flat portion of the lens support surface with a fingertip. Or, the contact lens can be easily taken out by picking it with fingers. That is, since the gap between the lens support surface and the contact lens is partially increased by the flat portion, the contact lens is partially pressed on the flat portion by pressing the contact lens on the flat portion. While being pressed and deformed, the preserving liquid filled in the gap between the flat portion and the contact lens is pushed out toward the outer peripheral side. As a result, the contact lens can be easily detached from the lens support surface by raising the contact lens from the lens support surface and reducing the attractive force.

In addition, the contact lens placed on the lens support surface having a convex spherical crown shape can be picked up with the fingertip of one hand and used as it is without being held in the other hand. Therefore, the operation from opening the contact lens packaging container to wearing the contact lens can be performed easily and quickly, and contact of the fingertip with the rear surface of the contact lens can be avoided as much as possible.

By the way, in the contact lens packaging container of the present invention as described above, the following various aspects can be appropriately combined and employed as necessary.

That is, in the contact lens packaging container of the present invention, an aspect in which one of the flat portions is located at the top of the lens support surface and is formed in parallel with the tangential plane can be employed. In this aspect, since the gap due to the flat portion is provided near the top of the contact lens, when removing the contact lens, the vicinity of the top of the contact lens is pressed with a fingertip so that the storage solution in the gap is placed on the outer peripheral side of the contact lens. The contact lens can be easily and efficiently moved, and the operation of taking out the contact lens becomes easier. In addition, since the gap is formed at the top where external force is easily applied due to falling or hitting other members, the contact lens is supported by the lens even when external force is applied via the lid side plate. It can be easily deformed to the surface side and escape, and the action of a large external force that adversely affects the contact lens can be effectively avoided.

In the contact lens packaging container of the present invention, an aspect in which at least one of the flat portions is formed at a central portion that does not reach the outer peripheral edge of the contact lens that is superimposed on the lens support surface may be employed. . In this aspect, since the flat portion is formed in the center portion of the contact lens support region on the lens support surface, the gap between the flat portion and the contact lens is narrowed around the contact portion, and this gap is the contact. A large opening at the outer peripheral edge of the lens can be avoided. Therefore, when the contact lens covering the flat portion is pressed with a fingertip, the storage solution in the gap is efficiently pushed out toward the entire periphery, and the contact lens is easily lifted, and the contact lens The work of picking up with fingers is easier.

Furthermore, in the contact lens packaging container of the present invention, a mode in which the radius of curvature of the lens support surface is larger than the radius of curvature of the rear surface of the contact lens can be adopted. In this aspect, the gap can be more efficiently formed between the lens support surface and the lens support surface in the central portion of the contact lens under the contact lens support state by the lens support surface. In addition, since the contact of the rear center portion of the contact lens with the lens support surface is suppressed, and the contact lens is supported by being contacted with the lens support surface at the outer peripheral edge portion, the contact lens is locally located within the accommodation region. It becomes possible to support the positioning more stably while suppressing the global deformation.

Furthermore, in the contact lens packaging container of the present invention, a mode in which the radius of curvature of the lens cover surface is larger than the radius of curvature of the front surface of the contact lens can be employed. In this aspect, even when the front surface of the contact lens is in contact with the lens cover surface, since the contact area is suppressed by suppressing partial contact, the contact lens surface is closely attached to or adhered to the lens cover surface. Is prevented. Therefore, when opening the lid side plate away from the base side plate, the contact lens is prevented from sticking to the lid side plate, and the opening on the lens support surface is more stable. Can be realized.

Further, in the contact lens packaging container of the present invention, the lid side plate can be separated from the base side plate, and the accommodation region is opened by the separation of the two plates, and the base A mode in which a state in which the side plate is on the lower side and the lid side plate is on the upper side indicating the normal state at the time of opening can be adopted. In this aspect, it is possible to prevent an unfamiliar lens user from performing an erroneous opening operation, and the effects of the invention as described above can be enjoyed effectively.

In the contact lens packaging container of the present invention, a base-side flange-like portion that extends outward from the outer peripheral edge portion of the lens support surface is formed on the base-side plate, and the lens-covering surface is formed on the lid-side plate. A lid-side flange-like portion extending outward from the outer peripheral edge of the housing region is formed, and the base-side flange-like portion and the lid-side flange-like portion are welded over the entire circumference on the outer circumference side of the housing region. A mode in which the accommodation region is sealed can be adopted. In this aspect, operations such as opening and holding can be easily performed by picking and holding each flange-like portion in the base side plate and the lid side plate with fingers. Also, by welding the overlapping parts of both flange-like parts on the base side plate and lid side plate, the welding area and welding pressure can be secured easily and efficiently, and the fluid tightness of the contained fluid is highly reliable. It can be easily obtained.

Furthermore, in the contact lens packaging container of the present invention, the lens supporting surface forming portion of the base side plate and the lens covering surface forming portion of the lid side plate are both in an inverted bowl shape that opens downward. The aspect made into the wall part may be employ | adopted. In this aspect, it is possible to form the base side plate and the lid side plate with a plate structure having a substantially constant thickness, and while maintaining the intended function, the weight of the contact lens packaging container and the resin used A reduction in the amount can be realized.

Further, in the contact lens packaging container of the present invention, an embodiment in which both the base side plate and the lid side plate are a laminate material in which a thermoplastic synthetic resin film is laminated on a metal foil can be employed. In this aspect, by adopting the laminate material, it is possible to further improve the reduction in thickness and weight and softness of the contact lens packaging container while ensuring high gas barrier performance, evaporation prevention performance of the preservation solution, and the like.

Further, in the contact lens packaging container of the present invention, a mode in which the lens cover surface is provided with irregularities can be adopted. Furthermore, in the contact lens packaging container of the present invention, a mode in which plasma processing is applied to the lens support surface can be adopted. In each of these aspects, the contact lens adheres to and adheres to the lens cover surface due to the presence of unevenness and / or plasma processing, thereby preventing the contact lens from sticking to the lid side plate when opened. obtain.

As is clear from the above description, in the contact lens packaging container having the structure according to the present invention, the amount of the storage liquid can be reduced to facilitate the processing of the storage liquid at the time of opening, and the contact lens can be accommodated. Under the condition, the contact lens can be stably adsorbed and held on the lens support surface, the contact lens can be easily detached from the lens support surface when opened, and can be quickly mounted without touching the lens rear surface. It can be done.

The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the contact lens packaging container as 1st embodiment of this invention. The front view of the base side plate which comprises the contact lens packaging container shown by FIG. The top view of the base side plate shown by FIG. Front explanatory drawing of the base side plate which shows the mounting state of a contact lens. The longitudinal cross-sectional explanatory drawing for demonstrating opening operation of the contact lens packaging container shown by FIG. The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the example of an aspect which employ | adopted the lid side plate of another shape in the contact lens packaging container shown by FIG. Front explanatory drawing for demonstrating taking-out operation of the contact lens from the contact lens packaging container shown by FIG. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating operation for wearing the contact lens performed following extraction operation shown by FIG. The front view of the base side plate which comprises the contact lens packaging container as 2nd embodiment of this invention. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the base side plate shown in FIG. 9. The front view of the base side plate which comprises the contact lens packaging container as 3rd embodiment of this invention. The top view of the base side plate shown by FIG. The front view of the base side plate which comprises the contact lens packaging container as 4th embodiment of this invention. FIG. 14 is a plan view of the base side plate shown in FIG. 13. The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the blister package of a conventional structure. (A)-(c) is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the operation | work which takes out and attaches a contact lens from the blister package of a conventional structure.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a contact lens packaging container 10 as a first embodiment of the present invention. The contact lens packaging container 10 includes a container body 14 that forms a housing structure 12 having a hollow structure. The storage region 12 is filled with a storage solution 16 and a soft type contact lens 18 is immersed in the storage solution 16 and stored therein. In the following description, the vertical direction refers to the vertical direction in FIG. 1 that is the vertical direction when opened.

More specifically, the container body 14 is composed of a base side plate 20 and a lid side plate 22, and the base side plate 20 and the lid side plate 22 are overlapped with each other in the vertical direction that is the plate thickness direction.

First, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the base side plate 20 is provided with a lens support portion 24 formed by a reverse circular bowl-shaped or inverted bowl-shaped wall portion that opens downward. ing. In addition, a flat base-side flange-shaped portion 26 that extends toward the outer peripheral side is integrally formed at the opening peripheral edge of the lower end of the lens support portion 24. And the convex side surface of the lens support part 24 is made into the lens support surface 28 which has a convex spherical crown shape as a whole. A knob 30 that can be gripped with fingers is integrally formed on the outer peripheral edge of the base-side flange-like portion 26 so as to protrude outwardly for the purpose of improving operability at the time of opening.

The lid-side plate 22 has a shape in which a flat plate-shaped central portion of the lid-side plate 22 bulges upward, substantially like the base-side plate 20. That is, a lens cover 32 formed by a reverse circular bowl-shaped or reverse bowl-shaped wall opening downward is provided at the center of the lid-side plate 22. A flat-plate-shaped lid-side flange-shaped portion 34 that extends from the peripheral edge of the opening at the lower end to the outer peripheral side is integrally formed. The concave surface of the lens cover 32 is a lens cover 36 having a concave spherical crown shape as a whole.

Further, as compared with the lens support surface 28, the lens cover surface 36 has a larger curvature and protrudes greatly upward. Further, the inner diameter of the opening of the lens cover surface 36 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the opening of the lens support surface 28.

Then, the lid side plate 22 is overlaid on the upper surface of the base side plate 20, so that the lid side flange-like portion 34 is closely overlapped with the base-side flange-like portion 26. Further, the inner peripheral surface of the opening portion of the lens cover surface 36 is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the opening portion of the lens support surface 28, and the lens cover surface 36 is spaced upward from the lens support surface 28 and is opposed to the lens support surface 28. The accommodation region 12 is defined between the lens support surface 28 and the lens cover surface 36. In the present embodiment, the accommodation area 12 has a generally circular dome shape as a whole, and the internal dimension in the normal direction of the accommodation area 12 gradually increases toward the lower outer peripheral portion serving as the skirt. It has been made smaller.

Further, the base side plate 20 and the lid side plate 22 that are superposed in the vertical direction are positioned so as to surround the outer periphery of the lens support surface 28 and the lens cover surface 36 as the formation surface of the accommodation region 12 over the entire circumference. The plate 20 and the lid side plate 22 are fixed to each other at the overlapping portion. Thereby, it is set as the sealed structure where the storage area | region 12 was interrupted | blocked with respect to external space. The

plates

20 and 22 may be fixed as long as the fluid tightness is maintained, and may be realized by welding or the like in addition to adhesion by an adhesive or mechanical fitting by uneven fitting.

In particular, in this embodiment, the base side plate 20 and the lid side plate 22 are made of a thermoplastic resin at least on the overlapping surface, and the

plates

20 and 22 are pressed and heated in the overlapping direction to each other. It is fixed by welding. The base-side plate 20 and the lid-side plate 22 whose overlapping surfaces are formed of a thermoplastic resin can be obtained, for example, by injection molding of a thermoplastic resin. In addition, it is also possible to obtain a plate previously formed into a flat plate shape by bulging and forming the lens support portion 24 and the lens cover portion 32 by press molding. At that time, as the base side plate 20 and the lid side plate 22, those formed entirely of a synthetic resin material such as nylon, polyester, polyolefin, etc. are adopted, metal foil such as aluminum foil, polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, etc. It is also possible to use a laminate sheet or the like on which a thermoplastic synthetic resin layer or the like is laminated.

In particular, as a laminate sheet of an aluminum foil and a synthetic resin layer, considering corrosion resistance performance, strength resistance performance to external force, etc., for example, from a multilayer of three or more layers such as nylon, aluminum alloy and polypropylene. Thus, the total thickness including the aluminum foil having a thickness of 50 to 200 μm is desirably 80 to 250 μm, and more preferably the total thickness including the aluminum foil having a thickness of 80 to 150 μm is 120 to 200 μm. If the total thickness exceeds 250 μm, the strength becomes too large, which may hinder the opening operation and the like, and becomes bulky at the time of disposal. As a synthetic resin sheet, there is an advantage that it is easy to ensure transparency. However, in consideration of gas barrier performance, steam barrier performance after high-pressure steam sterilization, and strength resistance performance, for example, nylon, ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer resin, and polypropylene The total thickness is preferably from 100 to 250 μm, and more preferably from 150 to 200 μm.

Preferably, the base side plate 20 and the lid side plate 22 have a transparent structure in which at least one of the lens support portion 24 and the lens cover portion 32 that define the accommodation region 12 transmits visible light. Is done. Thereby, the accommodation state of the contact lens 18 and the preservation | save liquid 16 in the accommodation area | region 12 can be visually confirmed from the exterior, without opening.

In the storage area 12 of the sealed structure formed in this way, the storage solution 16 is stored in a substantially filled state, and the contact lens 18 is immersed and stored in the storage solution 16. The storage solution 16 is stored in the storage region 12 by, for example, injecting a predetermined amount of the storage solution 16 into the lens cover 32 having the lid-side plate 22 turned upside down and opened upward, and then turned upside down. This can be realized by, for example, adhering the two flange-

like portions

26 and 34 that are overlapped with each other in a state where the side plates 20 are overlapped and the lens support portion 24 of the base side plate 20 is fitted in the lens cover portion 32. According to such a method, it is possible to store the storage liquid 16 and the contact lens 18 in the storage area 12 at the same time as the storage area 12 is hermetically formed.

The storage area 12 secures a sufficient amount of storage solution to keep the contact lens 18 immersed in the storage solution 16 until the contact lens packaging container 10 is opened. It is required to set a predetermined volume of the preservation solution 16 so as not to be troubled by the processing. On the other hand, the accommodated contact lens 18 is maintained in a substantially balanced state where a large pressing force is not applied, and even if vibration or impact is applied from the outside, the accommodated contact lens 18 is not reversed or bent inside. Size and shape are set. Preferably, the volume of the storage area 12 (injection amount of the preservation solution 16) is 0.10 to 0.40 mL, and more preferably 0.20 to 0.30 mL. In addition, the size of the accommodation region 12 is a substantially circular dome shape with a size of a hemisphere or less as a whole, and the maximum value of the inner normal dimension (depth dimension) in the normal direction is 5 mm or less, more preferably 1 -3 mm.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the radius of curvature of the lens support surface 28 is made larger than the radius of curvature of the concave lens rear surface 38 that is the base curve of the contact lens 18, and the radius of curvature of the lens cover surface 36 is the contact radius. The radius of curvature of the convex lens front surface 40 of the lens 18 is made larger. As a result, the contact lens 18 is placed on the lens support 24 so that the lens rear surface 38 is superimposed on the lens support surface 28, so that the spherical crown-shaped contact lens 18 has an outer peripheral edge of the lens rear surface 38. The lens is in contact with the lens support surface 28 in the vicinity of the edge portion 42, and is supported in a state where the central portion of the lens rear surface 38 is spaced upward from the lens support surface 28. Further, in the central portion of the contact lens 18 that is spaced upward from the lens support surface 28, the lens front surface 40 is also spaced from the lens cover surface 36. Accordingly, the contact lens 18 accommodated and disposed in the accommodating region 12 can be held in a stable shape in a substantially balanced state without being subjected to unnecessary external force by the inner surface of the accommodating region 12.

Specifically, the contact lens 18 generally has a BC (base curve) of 8.4 to 8.7 mm and a DIA (lens outer diameter) of 13.5 to 14.5 mm. 28 is preferably formed with a radius of curvature of about 11 to 13 mm. On the other hand, it is desirable that the lens covering surface 36 has an inner diameter near the opening at the lower end of about 16 to 20 mm and a radius of curvature of about 9 to 11 mm. Accordingly, for example, when the inner diameter dimension of the lower end of the lens cover surface 36 is 19 mm, the radius of curvature of the lens support surface 28 is 12 mm, and the radius of curvature of the lens cover surface 36 is 10 mm, the maximum inner dimension (depth Can be set to approximately 2 mm. The contact lens 18 has a CT (center portion thickness) of about 0.05 to 0.1 mm and is easily deformed along the lens support surface 28 by the action of the surface tension of the storage liquid 16. In consideration of the above, the contact lens 18 can be maintained in a substantially balanced state by setting the depth dimension of the housing region 12 to 1 to 3 mm.

It should be noted that the contact lens 18 to be accommodated is not particularly limited with respect to its material and optical characteristics as long as it can be elastically deformed. For example, in addition to the HEMA ionic high water content soft contact lens, a contact lens made of a material having a relatively high viscosity such as a silicone hydrogel soft contact lens having a silicone component may be used.

Further, although a gap is easily formed between the lens rear surface 38 of the contact lens 18 and the lens support surface 28 due to the difference in curvature radius between the lens rear surface 38 of the contact lens 18 and the lens support surface 28, the outer peripheral edge of the contact lens 18. The area is narrowed. In addition, the contact lens 18 may overlap with the lens support surface 28 due to the deformation. Therefore, the contact lens 18 placed on the lens support surface 28 is affected by the surface tension of the storage solution 16 interposed between the lens support surface 28 and the lens support surface 28 in addition to the frictional resistance at the contact portion. It can be stably positioned and held at a predetermined position on the surface 28.

In order to more effectively obtain a holding force for positioning the geometric center of the contact lens 18 at a substantially vertex on the lens support surface 28, for example, by changing the radius of curvature of the lens support surface 28, the contact lens 18 You may enlarge the curvature radius of the part located below a mounting area | region. Alternatively, when the contact lens 18 is displaced on the lens support surface 28, the base-side flange-like portion is controlled such that the outer peripheral edge portion of the contact lens 18 abuts against the base-side flange-like portion 26. The amount of projection of the lens support surface 28 from 26 may be set according to the size of the contact lens 18 to be placed.

Furthermore, as described above, the flat surface portion 44 is formed on the lens support surface 28 on which the contact lens 18 is placed so as to be located at the top portion. Particularly in the present embodiment, the flat portion 44 is a circular plane parallel to the tangent plane of the apex of the lens support surface 28.

And the height of the vertex of the lens support surface 28 is made small by forming such a plane part 44. As a result, the distance between the opposing surfaces of the lens supporting surface 28 and the contact lens 18 is different between the opposing surfaces, which are the overlapping surfaces of the contact lens 18 placed on the lens supporting surface 28 and the flat portion 44. A gap 46 which is larger than that of the portion is formed. In particular, in the present embodiment, the outer peripheral edge portion of the flat portion 44 is set to a region covered with the contact lens 18 over the entire periphery, and is positioned at a central portion that does not reach the outer peripheral edge portion of the contact lens 18. ing. Thus, the gap 46 is provided in the central portion of the contact lens 18 without being opened to the outer periphery of the contact lens 18.

Further, the size of the gap 46 is set by the radius of curvature R of the lens support surface 28, the size (diameter) φ of the flat portion 44, and the DIA and BC of the contact lens 18. Specifically, as illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B, when the DIA of the contact lens 18 is 14.0 mm and BC is 8.6 mm, the radius of curvature R of the lens support surface 28 is increased. Is 11 mm or 12 mm, and the size (diameter) φ of the plane portion 44 is 3 mm, 5 mm, or 8 mm, the maximum value of the gap 46 (distance on the normal passing through the apex) is 1.19 mm to 2.04 mm. Can be set in the range.

Here, the maximum value of the gap 46 is desirably set within a range of 1.2 to 3.0 mm, more preferably 1.5 to 2.5 mm, and still more preferably 1.7 to 2.3 mm. It is said. Further, when the flat portion 44 that forms the gap 46 is circular and formed independently at the apex of the lens support surface 28 as in this embodiment, the outer diameter may be set in the range of 3 to 8 mm. Desirably, it is more preferably set in the range of 4 to 6 mm.

It should be noted that if the gap 46 or the flat portion 44 is too small, it is difficult to sufficiently exhibit the effect of improving the operability when picking up the contact lens 18 described later. On the other hand, if the gap 46 or the flat portion 44 becomes too large, the contact lens 18 and the lens support surface 28 are easily separated from each other, and it is difficult to obtain a sufficient attracting force and holding force of the contact lens 18 on the lens support surface 28. Become. As a result, the holding stability of the contact lens 18 on the lens support surface 28 is lowered, and when the contact lens 18 is picked up by the fingertip and removed from the lens support surface 28, the contact lens 18 is reversed upside down. There is a risk that handling may be reduced due to breaking or sticking.

Since the gap 46 having a predetermined size is formed between the overlapping surfaces of the flat portion 44 and the contact lens 18, the contact lens 18 is placed on the lens support surface 28 in the sealed housing region 12. While making it possible to hold it stably, it is possible to easily and quickly take out the contact lens 18 by picking it with a finger when the accommodation region 12 is opened and worn.

That is, when the contact lens packaging container 10 of this embodiment is opened and the lens user takes out the contact lens and wears it, first, as shown in FIG. The fixing part is peeled off by applying a force so that the side flange-shaped part 34 is pulled apart from one another with fingers, and the lid side plate 22 is lifted from the base side plate 20 to perform an opening operation. As a result, the accommodation region 12 is opened to the atmosphere, and the contact lens 18 is exposed in a state of being placed on the lens support surface 28. In the opening operation, the storage solution 16 filled in the storage area 12 flows out. However, since the storage amount of the storage solution 16 is small, for example, it is easy to lay paper or cloth below. Can be processed.

Note that the contact lens packaging container 10 of the present embodiment is provided with a vertical display indicating that the state where the base side plate 20 is on the lower side and the lid side plate 22 is on the upper side is a normal state at the time of opening. Preferably it is. For example, characters, symbols, or the like are displayed on the upper surface of the lid-side flange-shaped portion 34 by printing, unevenness, etc., and display indicating that it is the upper surface, or on the lower surface of the base-side flange-shaped portion 26. This is realized by attaching a similar display to indicate that it is the lower surface. This prevents an unfamiliar lens user from performing an erroneous opening operation.

Further, since the contact lens 18 supported by the lens support surface 28 in the housing region 12 is spaced apart from the lens cover surface 36, the contact lens 18 is mounted on the lens support surface 28 without sticking to the lid side plate 22 when opened. It can be stably held in the standing state. However, the radius of curvature of the lens cover surface 36 is larger than the radius of curvature of the lens front surface 40 of the contact lens 18, and even if the contact lens 18 is in contact with the lens cover surface 36, the contact area can be kept sufficiently small. Therefore, adhesion of the contact lens 18 to the lens covering surface 36 can be prevented at the time of opening.

In addition, in order to more effectively prevent the contact lens 18 from adhering to the lens covering surface 36 at the time of opening, it is also effective to give the lens covering surface 36 an embossing process or the like to give unevenness. Further, in order to further reduce the contact area when the contact lens 18 is in contact with the lens cover surface 36 and to reduce the adhesive force, for example, at the top of the lens cover surface 36 facing the top of the contact lens 18, A radius of curvature larger than the region may be set. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, the lens cover surface 36 facing the top of the contact lens 18 on the inner surface of the top of the lens cover 32 of the lid side plate 22 has a planar shape perpendicular to the normal line. Is also possible. In FIG. 6, the lens cover surface 36 has a circular shape with a smaller outer diameter than the DIA of the contact lens 18, but the lens cover surface has a polyhedral shape such as a polyhedral lens support surface (see FIGS. 9 to 14) described later. 36 may be formed. Such a lens cover portion 32 can be formed by pressing, molding, or the like, but is preferably formed with a substantially constant thickness, and is particularly shaped in consideration of the hardness and elasticity of the forming material. By setting this, it is also possible to prevent adverse effects on the contact lens 18 when an external force such as dropping is applied. Specifically, for example, when the lens cover 32 is formed of an aluminum film or the like, the top of the planar shape as shown in FIG. 6 is good in strength, while the lens cover 32 is formed of a transparent laminated resin film or the like. In this case, the top of the spherical crown as shown in FIG. 1 is preferable in terms of strength. On the other hand, for the purpose of improving the holding force of the contact lens 18 to the lens support surface 28, the surface area of the lens support surface 28 where the contact lens 18 is placed may be subjected to a surface treatment by plasma processing to improve hydrophilicity. It is valid.

The contact lens 18 exposed in the mounting state on the lens support surface 28 by the opening operation as described above is mounted with the lens front surface 40 facing upward, as shown in FIG. From the state, the lens user picks the contact lens 18 with fingers. At that time, as shown in FIG. 7, first, the belly of one finger (for example, the index finger) is superimposed on the substantially central portion of the contact lens 18 from above, and the other one finger (for example, the thumb) is placed on the outer periphery of the contact lens. The contact lens 18 is picked up with these two fingers in a superimposed manner.

In particular, the lens support surface 28 on which the contact lens 18 is placed protrudes upward from the flat plate-shaped base side plate 20 and is formed in an exposed state without being covered with the periphery. On the other hand, the fingertip can be easily overlapped from above or from the side, and the operation of picking up the contact lens 18 can be easily performed.

Here, since there is a relatively large gap 46 formed by the flat portion 44 between the center portion of the contact lens 18 and the lens support surface 28, the contact lens 18 is placed on the belly of one finger from above. By overlapping the central portion of the contact lens 18, the central portion of the contact lens 18 is pushed and moved to the lens support surface 28 side so as to crush the gap 46. When the gap 46 is crushed, the preservation solution 16 filled therein is pushed out between the lens support surface 28 and the contact lens 18 to the outer peripheral side and spreads. As a result, the pressure of the storage liquid 16 acts on a wide area of the lens rear surface 38 of the contact lens 18, and the contact lens 18 comes to float from the lens support surface 28 particularly in the outer peripheral portion. As a result, the adhesion force of the contact lens 18 to the lens support surface 28 is reduced, and the contact lens 18 can be easily picked up with fingers.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, the contact lens 18 picked up with two fingers of one hand is mounted with the rear surface 38 facing upward on the abdomen of one finger superimposed on the central portion. Can be placed. Therefore, there is no need to place the fingertip on the other hand, and the lens user can quickly wear it on his / her eye while the contact lens 18 is picked up from the lens support surface 28 and placed on the finger.

Therefore, when the contact lens packaging container 10 of the present embodiment is used, the contact lens 18 accommodated in the accommodation region 12 is supported by the lens when transported from the lens manufacturer to the store or the lens user or carried by the lens user. It can be stably held on the surface 28, avoiding bending and bending of the contact lens 18 as much as possible, and accommodated in the immersion state in the storage solution 16.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention has been explained in full detail, this invention is not limitedly interpreted by the specific description in this embodiment. For example, the planar portion 44 of the lens support surface 28 is not limited in terms of position, inclination direction, etc. in addition to its size. For example, the flat portion 44 may be formed at a position off the top of the lens support surface 28, or the flat portion 44 may be formed with a predetermined inclination angle with respect to a plane orthogonal to the normal line of the lens support surface 28. Also good.

It is also possible to form a plurality of flat portions 44 on the lens support surface 28. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a lens support surface 28 having a total of nine plane portions 44 may be employed. In addition, in the lens support surface 28 shown in FIG. 10, a total of five flat portions provided at the apex and its upper, lower, left, and right sides are not opened to the outer peripheral edge of the contact lens 18 and are formed in the central portion of the contact lens 18. It will be located and the whole surface will be covered.

Furthermore, it is possible to make the lens support surface 28 into a polyhedral shape in which a plurality of planes are connected. Specifically, for example, from the polyhedral lens support surface 28 composed of a total of 17 plane portions 44 shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, and from the total 41 plane portions 44 shown in FIGS. A polyhedral lens support surface 28 or the like can also be used. In addition, in the lens support surface 28 composed of the 17-hedron, a total of nine flat portions 44 provided around the apex and the periphery thereof are not opened to the outer peripheral edge portion of the contact lens 18 and are located in the central portion and cover the entire surface. Will be. In addition, in the lens support surface 28 composed of the 41-hedron, a total of 21 plane portions 44 provided around the apex and the periphery thereof are not opened to the outer peripheral edge portion of the contact lens 18 and are located in the central portion and cover the entire surface. Will be.

By providing a plurality of flat portions 44 on the lens support surface 28 as described above, the central portion of the contact lens 18 is avoided while avoiding an excessive maximum value of the gap 46 between the lens support surface 28 and the contact lens 18. In this case, the volume of the gap 46 can be set large, or the gap 46 can be formed in a wide area. As a result, when the contact lens 18 is picked, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom of the position where the contact lens 18 is pressed with the fingertip, or to increase the floating amount of the outer peripheral portion when the contact lens 18 is pressed with the fingertip.

In FIGS. 9 to 14, for ease of understanding, the same reference numerals as those in the above embodiment are given to members and parts having the same structure as in the above embodiment. deep.

Furthermore, in the base side plate 20, a recess that is located on the outer peripheral side of the fixing region with the lid side plate 22 and that opens upward can be formed. By forming such a recess, the storage liquid 16 overflowing from the storage area 12 when opened can be stored to reduce or prevent spilling from the contact lens packaging container 10 to the outside.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the base side plate 20 and the lid | cover side plate 22 were comprised by the separate components mutually independent, for example, these base side plates 20 and the lid | cover side plate 22 are made into a single sheet form. It is also possible to integrally form the parts and fold them up with a hinge structure so as to overlap them.

10: contact lens packaging container, 12: storage area, 16: storage solution, 18: contact lens, 20: base side plate, 22: lid side plate, 26: base side flange-shaped part, 28: lens support surface, 34: Cover side flange-like part, 36: lens covering surface, 38: lens rear surface, 40: lens front surface, 44: flat surface part, 46: gap

Claims

In the contact lens packaging container in which the cover side plate is superimposed on the upper surface of the base side plate, and the contact lens is stored together with the storage solution in the storage area formed between the overlapping surfaces of the two plates.
The surface of the base side plate on which the housing area is formed is a lens support surface having a convex spherical crown shape, and the surface of the lid side plate on which the housing area is formed is a lens cover surface having a concave spherical crown shape. The concave lens rear surface of the contact lens is superimposed on the lens support surface and is accommodated in the accommodation region, and at least one plane portion is formed on the lens support surface, A contact lens packaging container, wherein a gap is provided between overlapping surfaces of the flat portion and the contact lens.
2. The contact lens packaging container according to claim 1, wherein one of the flat portions is located at the top of the lens support surface and is formed in parallel with the tangential plane.
3. The contact lens packaging container according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the flat portions is formed at a central portion that does not reach an outer peripheral edge portion of the contact lens superimposed on the lens support surface.
The contact lens packaging container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a radius of curvature of the lens support surface is larger than a radius of curvature of a lens rear surface of the contact lens.
The contact lens packaging container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a radius of curvature of the lens cover surface is larger than a radius of curvature of the lens front surface of the contact lens.
The lid side plate can be separated from the base side plate, and the accommodation area is opened by the separation of the two plates, and the base side plate is placed on the lower side and the lid side plate. The contact lens packaging container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein an upper and lower display is attached to indicate that the state with the upper side is the normal state at the time of opening.
The base side plate is formed with a base side flange-like portion extending outward from the outer peripheral edge portion of the lens support surface, and the lid side plate has a lid extending outward from the outer peripheral edge portion of the lens covering surface. A side flange-like portion is formed, and the base-side flange-like portion and the lid-side flange-like portion are welded over the entire circumference on the outer peripheral side of the housing region, thereby sealing the housing region. The contact lens packaging container according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
The portion of the base side plate where the lens support surface is formed and the portion of the lid side plate where the lens cover surface is formed are both inverted bowl-shaped walls that open downward. The contact lens packaging container according to any one of the above.
The contact lens packaging container according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein each of the base side plate and the lid side plate is a laminate material in which a thermoplastic synthetic resin film is laminated on a metal foil.
The contact lens packaging container according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the lens cover surface is uneven.
The contact lens packaging container according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the lens supporting surface is subjected to plasma processing.