Custom Ophthalmic Shield for Full Ocular Surface Protection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional contact lenses, such as bandage and scleral lenses, are inadequate for protecting the ocular surface during surgical procedures and do not effectively address conditions like lagophthalmos, mechanical trauma, or ocular surface exposure due to their small size, lack of customization, and high cost, and require complex sterilization methods.
Innovation Solution
An ophthalmic shield designed to be larger than soft contact lenses, with customizable dimensions and materials like silicone elastomers, incorporating features for protection, drug delivery, biologic material collection, and therapeutic functions, and capable of being sterilized efficiently for repeated use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If conventional contact lenses (bandage and scleral lenses) are used for ocular protection, then they provide basic eye coverage, but they are inadequate for protecting the ocular surface during surgical procedures and do not effectively address conditions like lagophthalmos, mechanical trauma, or ocular surface exposure due to their small size
Solution Approach 1:
The ophthalmic shield is divided into multiple functional zones: a corneal zone for direct corneal coverage, a conjunctival zone for extended conjunctival protection, and a limbal zone for additional protection. This segmentation allows each zone to address specific protective needs, thereby increasing overall ocular surface coverage area and protection effectiveness compared to conventional single-zone contact lenses.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from the two-dimensional conventional contact lens design to a three-dimensional ophthalmic shield with extended vertical and horizontal dimensions. The shield extends superiorly and inferiorly beyond the corneal limbus, covering additional conjunctival areas that are not covered by standard contact lenses, thus dramatically increasing the protected ocular surface area.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional contact lenses are used for ocular protection, then they can be manufactured with standard materials, but they require complex sterilization methods and are high cost for repeated use
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the material parameters by using silicone elastomer, which has superior sterilization resistance compared to conventional hydrogel or rigid materials. This material parameter change enables simpler sterilization processes (such as autoclaving or chemical sterilants) while maintaining manufacturing feasibility, thereby reducing the complexity and cost of repeated use.
Solution Approach 2:
The ophthalmic shield employs composite material construction combining silicone elastomer with potential reinforcement layers or surface coatings. This composite approach provides both manufacturing feasibility and enhanced sterilization resistance, allowing the device to withstand repeated sterilization cycles without degradation, thus simplifying the overall system complexity for repeated use.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional contact lenses are used, then they provide basic coverage, but they lack customization options for different eye conditions and procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The ophthalmic shield incorporates adjustable and customizable parameters including variable zone dimensions, adjustable optical zones, and modifiable material properties. These dynamic customization capabilities allow the shield to be adapted to different eye conditions (e.g., lagophthalmos, dry eye, post-surgical) and procedural requirements without fundamentally redesigning the entire device, thus achieving high adaptability while managing design complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies local quality by allowing different zones of the ophthalmic shield to have customized properties: the corneal zone can have specific optical corrections, the conjunctival zone can have extended protection dimensions, and the limbal zone can have specialized material properties. This localized customization approach enables tailored solutions for different eye conditions while maintaining a unified device structure, thereby achieving versatility without excessive overall complexity.
4Area of stationary object
If the ophthalmic shield is made larger than soft contact lenses to protect the entire ocular surface, then comprehensive protection is achieved, but the device becomes more complex and harder to manufacture
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses flexible silicone elastomer material that can be formed into large, complex three-dimensional shapes while maintaining flexibility and biocompatibility. This flexible shell approach allows the ophthalmic shield to cover the entire ocular surface including the conjunctival zones, achieving comprehensive protection without requiring rigid structural components that would complicate manufacturing. The thin film nature of the elastomer enables complex geometries to be manufactured using standard contact lens fabrication techniques.
Data Source
AI summary
An ophthalmic shield to be worn on an eye is disclosed. In some embodiments, the ophthalmic shield may have a minimum horizontal dimension of 18 mm and a minimum vertical dimension of 15 mm. In some embodiments, the ophthalmic shield may have a minimum horizontal dimension of 20 mm and a minimum vertical dimension of 17 mm. In some embodiments, the ophthalmic shield may have a minimum horizontal dimension of 26 mm and a minimum vertical dimension of 22 mm.