Eye drop aid

Abstract

To provide an instillation auxiliary tool capable of achieving, easily, relative to prior arts, administration of an instillation without applying a burden to a patient.SOLUTION: There is provided an instillation auxiliary tool to which a bottle for an instillation is fitted, and which is used for administering the instillation filled in the bottle for the instillation to the eye of a patient. The instillation auxiliary tool comprises: a holding member which tightly contacts the surrounding of a discharge hole of the bottle for instillation stored in the container, in a state of arranging a tip having a discharge hole of the instillation of the bottle for the instillation, on a lower side; and an injection mechanism part for sucking the instillation from the discharge hole of the bottle for the instillation held by the holding member, then injecting the sucked medical liquid, in a misty state from a nozzle arranged at an outside of the container. The bottle for the instillation is stored in the container, in a state of tightly contacting at least one position of the tip, to a hole of the holding member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an eye drop assisting tool used when dropping eye drops.

Background Art

[0002] Eye drops are filled in a small eye drop bottle made of resin, and the person receiving the eye drops holds the eye drop bottle by hand and drops the eye drops into the eye from directly above the eye. This eye drop dropping operation requires a posture with the eyes looking upward, the eyes being wide open to avoid the eyelids and eyelashes, and ensuring that the drops are surely dropped into the eyes, which cannot be said to be an easy operation. Also, regarding the amount of eye drops dropped, since it corresponds to the strength of pressing the eye drop bottle by hand, if the strength of pressing the eye drop bottle is strong, a large amount will be dropped, and there is also a problem that the chemical solution is wasted.

[0003] Thus, various problems have been raised regarding eye drops, and conventionally, those that can perform eye drops better have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 describes an eye drop spraying supply device that atomizes eye drops in an atomizing section into mist-like chemical solution particles and sprays and supplies them toward the surface of the patient's eyeball. According to the eye drop spraying supply device described in Patent Document 1, by spraying and supplying eye drops toward the surface of the patient's eyeball, it is possible to administer eye drops to the patient more easily than before.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the eye drop spraying device described in Patent Document 1 atomizes the eye drops using an ultrasonic transducer, and requires a drive source to vibrate the ultrasonic transducer, resulting in a very large and complex device configuration. While eye drop bottles filled with eye drops are typically disposable to prevent contamination by bacteria, the eye drop spraying device described in Patent Document 1 is expensive because it requires an ultrasonic transducer and its drive source, and is intended for repeated use. Therefore, since cleaning is necessary for repeated use, it is intended for use in medical institutions and is not something that patients can easily use on a daily basis.

[0006] The present invention aims to provide an eye drop assist device that enables the administration of eye drops with a simpler configuration than conventional methods, without burdening the patient. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The eye drop assist device of the present invention is equipped with an eye drop bottle having an eye drop dispensing port attached to the tip of the cap attachment part, and is used to administer eye drops filled in the eye drop bottle to the patient's eye. In terms of structure, It can accommodate an eye drop bottle inside. The interior can be opened and closed by a lid to which a protruding member is attached. Container and It is made of a flexible material and has a conical hole, the widest part of which is the diameter to accommodate the cap attachment part of an eye drop bottle, and with the tip of the eye drop bottle having the eye drop dispensing nozzle positioned downwards, a holding member that tightly holds the area around the dispensing nozzle of the eye drop bottle housed inside the container is located midway through the hole, and a liquid suction tube connected to the hole of the holding member, It is equipped with a nozzle that sprays the liquid medicine drawn up by the liquid medicine suction tube in a mist, The nozzle is positioned on the side of the projection member, protrusionThe system uses the change in air pressure in the drug suction tube, caused by the manual up-and-down movement of the component, to draw up eye drops from the outlet of the eye drop bottle held by the holding component. The drawn-up drug solution is then sprayed in a mist from a nozzle located on the outside of the container. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, eye drops can be easily sprayed into a patient's eye simply by housing an eye drop bottle and operating the spraying mechanism, allowing for comfortable administration of eye drops. In this case, since the eye drop aid of the present invention houses an eye drop bottle inside the container, there is no need to transfer the eye drops from the bottle, and the eye drops can be easily sprayed into the patient's eye with a relatively simple structure, making it possible to use it as a disposable item. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a front view of an eye drop assist device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the use of an eye drop aid according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, an eye drop assist device according to one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "this example") will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

[0011] The figure is a front view showing the eye drop assist device 100 in this example. The eye drop assist device 100 consists of a container 110 that can house an eye drop bottle 200 inside, a lid 120 that can be opened and closed and attached to the top of the container 110, and a spray mechanism 140 attached to the lid 120.

[0012] The container 110 is made of, for example, transparent resin, and has a spiral groove 111 on the top for attaching the lid 120. The lid 120 can be attached to the container 110 by screwing it into the groove 111. When the lid 120 is attached to the container 110, the inside of the container 110 becomes tightly sealed. The configuration in which the lid 120 is attached to the container 110 by screwing it on is just one example; the lid 120 may be attached in other ways. Also, the container 110 is made of transparent resin as one example; it may be made of opaque resin. Furthermore, the surface of the container 110 may have a recess that fits the user's hand when holding the eye drop aid 100.

[0013] A spray mechanism 140 is attached to the top of the lid 120 (outside the container 110). The spray mechanism 140's base 141 is attached to the central mounting hole 121 of the lid 120 by screwing it in or the like. The base portion 141 of this spraying mechanism 140 has a projection member 142 having a nozzle 143 on its side. When the upper end 142a of the projection member 142 is pushed downward (in the direction of arrow M), eye drops are drawn up from the eye drop bottle 200 installed in the container 110, and the drawn-up eye drops are sprayed in a mist from the nozzle 143. The projection member 142 can be rotated, and the position of the nozzle 143 can be adjusted by rotating the projection member 142.

[0014] The eye drop bottle 200, which is fitted inside the container 110, has a cylindrical liquid medicine storage section 210 with a diameter of approximately 1.5 cm to 2 cm, above (below in Figure 1) a cap attachment section 220 with a narrower diameter, as shown by dashed lines in Figure 1. Furthermore, an eye drop nozzle 230 is attached to the tip of the cap attachment section 220. The eye drops are then dispensed through the pores 231 formed in the dropper opening 230. Figure 1 shows the eye drop bottle 200 inverted. Note that there are various sizes and shapes of eye drop bottles 200, and the size shown in Figure 1 is just one example. As shown in FIG. 1, the eye drop bottle 200 with such a configuration is inserted into the holes 132 and 133 of the resin member 130, which is a holding member, with the eye drop opening 230 of the cap attachment portion 220 facing downward.

[0015] The resin member 130 is formed of a flexible material such as silicon and has a cylindrical hole 132 and a conical hole 133 continuous with the cylindrical hole 132. Further, at the narrowest portion of the conical hole 133, there is a fine hole 134 connected to the conical hole 133. Around the fine hole 134, there is a stepped portion 131 where the diameter of the resin member 130 becomes thinner, and one end portion 112a of the pipe 112 is connected to the stepped portion 131. Note that the resin member 130 only needs to be made of a flexible material at least around the holes 132 and 133, and the other portions may be formed of a hard resin or the like.

[0016] The cylindrical hole 132 of the resin member 130 and the conical hole 133 continuous with the cylindrical hole 132 are sized to have a diameter of about 2 cm at the widest portion so that the cap attachment portion 220 of the eye drop bottle 200 can enter. Also, the narrow portion (the portion in contact with the fine hole 134) of the diameter of the conical hole 133 is made very thin so that it can contact the tip of the eye drop opening 230 of the eye drop bottle 200.

[0017] By configuring the resin member 130 in this way, as shown in FIG. 1, the eye drop opening 230 side of the eye drop bottle 200 can be fitted into the holes 132 and 133 of the resin member 130. In the example of FIG. 1, the cap attachment portion 220 of the eye drop bottle 200 contacts the cylindrical hole 132, and due to the flexibility of the resin member 130 itself, it becomes possible to hold the eye drop bottle 200 in close contact.

[0018] However, as shown in FIG. 1, the contact between the cap attachment portion 220 and the cylindrical hole 132 is just an example. When the diameter of the eye drop bottle 200 is small, the eye drop opening 230 of the cap attachment portion 220 may contact one of the holes 132 and 133. By arranging the resin member 130 in this example, the resin member 130 can tightly hold eye drop bottles 200 of various sizes.

[0019] As shown in Figure 1, the stepped portion 131 of the resin member 130 is connected to one end 112a of the pipe 112. The pipe 112 is placed inside the container 110, and its other end 112b is connected to the tip of a liquid suction tube 144 that extends from a spray mechanism 140 attached to the lid 120. In Figure 1, the resin member 130 and the spray mechanism 140 are connected by bending the pipe 112 into a U-shape midway through, but the shape shown in Figure 1 is just one example, and the pipe 112 may be placed inside the container 110 in other shapes.

[0020] The drug suction tube 144 generates a change in air pressure when the projection member 142 is pushed downward. This change in air pressure draws out the drug solution from the eye drop bottle 200 connected to the pipe 112 via the drug suction tube 144, and the drawn-out drug solution is sprayed out in a mist from the nozzle 143. The projection member 142 is pushed upward by the action of a spring (not shown) located inside it, but when the patient pushes down the upper end 142a of the projection member 142 against the force of the spring, the liquid medicine (eye drops) from the nozzle 143 is sprayed in a mist. Although not shown in the illustration, the liquid medicine suction tube 144 is equipped with a member that prevents the liquid medicine drawn up into the liquid medicine suction tube 144 from flowing back into the pipe 112.

[0021] The amount of eye drops dispensed when the projection member 142 is pressed down once is, for example, about 40-50 μml, and at most about 70 μml. A narrow spray angle for the eye drops from nozzle 143 is preferable, but a somewhat wider angle, such as 30°, is also acceptable. Although not shown in the illustration, various configurations already in practical use, such as those used in spray bottles, can be applied to the detailed structure of the injection mechanism 140, where a pressure change occurs when the protruding member 142 is pushed downwards.

[0022] Figure 2 shows an example of the use of the eye drop assist device 100 in this example. Patient U, receiving eye drops, holds the eye drop aid 100, which is loaded with an eye drop bottle 200, and points the nozzle 143 (see Figure 1) in front of patient U's eye e. The patient then presses down the projection member 142 to spray the eye drops in a mist. This ensures that the eye drops are properly administered to patient U's eye e. Note that Figure 2 shows the nozzle 143 rotated 90° from that in Figure 1.

[0023] For example, by pressing down the projection member 142 once, approximately 40-50 μml of eye drops is sprayed, and about 20 μml of eye drops reach the area where the eye drops are effective, such as the conjunctival sac of the eye e, thus enabling the administration of an appropriate amount of eye drops. Furthermore, even when the eye drops were administered directly to the patient's eye from a regular eye drop bottle 200 without using the eye drop aid 100 in this example, much of the eye drops would overflow from the eye, and at most about 20 μml of eye drops would remain in the conjunctival sac, etc. Therefore, it can be said that an appropriate amount is administered even when using the eye drop aid 100 in this example.

[0024] As can be seen in the example shown in Figure 2, with the eye drop assist device 100 in this example, it is not necessary to turn the patient U's face upwards, and eye drops can be administered in a comfortable position. This makes it extremely easy to administer eye drops, even to elderly people or infants. Furthermore, since the eye drop aid 100 in this example has a very simple structure, it can be manufactured relatively inexpensively and distributed to patients together with the eye drop bottle 200 at pharmacies, etc., and can be used as a disposable item, thus preventing contamination by bacteria and other contaminants from repeated use. However, if sterilization is possible, the eye drop aid 100 in this example may be reused.

[0025] In the above-described embodiment, the tip of the eye drop bottle 200 is positioned downwards within the eye drop aid 100 as shown in Figure 1. However, if it is possible to draw up the eye drop bottle 200, the pipe 112 may be made shorter by making it a straight shape, and the eye drop bottle 200 may be positioned upwards.

[0026] Furthermore, while the resin member 130 that tightly holds the eye drop bottle 200 is designed to fit eye drop bottles 200 of various shapes, multiple types with different shapes of holes 132 and 133 may be prepared to tightly hold eye drop bottles 200 of a wider range of sizes.

[0027] Furthermore, although the injection mechanism 140 is configured to be injected by pressing down the protruding member 142, it may also have other shapes. For example, a lever may be provided, and the injection may be injected by pressing the lever.

[0028] Furthermore, although the usage example shown in Figure 2 illustrates administration to a human patient, the eye drop assist device 100 described in this example can also be used when administering eye drops to non-humans. For example, the eye drop assist device 100 in this example can also be used when administering eye drops to animals such as dogs and cats. In the case of animals, it is difficult to get them to assume the posture required for conventional eye drop administration, so the use of the eye drop assist device 100 in this example is also highly effective when administering eye drops to animals. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0029] 100...Eye drop aid, 110...Container, 112...Pipe, 120...Lid, 130...Resin component, 131...Stepped section, 132,133...Hole, 134...Narrow pore, 140...Spray mechanism section, 141...Base section, 142...Protruding component, 142a...Upper end, 143...Nozzle, 144...Medication suction tube, 200...Eye drop bottle, 210...Medication storage section, 220...Cap attachment section, 230...Eye drop opening, 231...Narrow pore

Claims

[Claim 1] This is an eye drop aid in which an eye drop bottle, with an eye drop dispenser attached to the tip of the cap attachment part, is attached to administer the eye drops filled in the eye drop bottle to the patient's eye. A container capable of housing the aforementioned eye drop bottle, with a lid fitted with a protruding member that allows the interior to be opened and closed, It is made of a flexible material and has a conical hole, the widest part of the conical hole having a diameter that accommodates the cap attachment portion of the eye drop bottle, and with the tip of the eye drop bottle having the eye drop dispensing nozzle positioned downwards, a holding member is provided midway through the hole to hold in close contact with the area around the dispensing nozzle of the eye drop bottle housed inside the container, A chemical solution suction tube connected to the hole in the holding member, The system includes a nozzle that sprays the liquid drawn up by the liquid suction tube in a mist, The nozzle is positioned on the side surface of the projection member, The change in air pressure in the liquid suction tube caused by the up-and-down movement of the projection member by manual operation draws up eye drops from the outlet of the eye drop bottle held by the holding member, and the drawn-up liquid is sprayed in a mist from the nozzle. Eye drop assist device.

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