Filter Matrix Applicator for Ocular Drug Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional eye drop delivery systems face challenges such as gravity-related difficulties, reduced bioavailability due to reflex tearing and spillage, difficult physical manipulation, psychological apprehension, and the need for preservatives that cause side effects, leading to poor compliance and inefficiency in medication delivery.
Innovation Solution
A filter matrix applicator (FMA) with a flexible handle and a barrier membrane, impregnated with medication, which allows for precise and controlled delivery of ophthalmic agents, reducing the need for preservatives and minimizing spillage and splash-back, while facilitating easy instillation and increasing bioavailability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional eye drops are used to deliver medication to the eye, then the medication can be administered, but the bioavailability is reduced due to reflex tearing, spillage, and rapid drainage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible contact lens as a thin film carrier that conforms to the eye surface, creating a reservoir for medication that is released through the lens material. This flexible film structure prevents spillage and controls drug release directly at the treatment site, eliminating the loss associated with conventional liquid drops that spill or drain rapidly.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from three-dimensional liquid drop delivery to a two-dimensional contact lens surface area for medication distribution. The medication is distributed across the lens surface and released through the lens material over time, providing sustained delivery that overcomes the rapid drainage and spillage issues of conventional liquid drops.
2Reliability
If high concentrations of drug are used in conventional eye drops to account for loss, then measurable levels can be reached, but side effects and irritation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The contact lens provides continuous medication release over an extended period (hours to days) rather than the brief contact of conventional drops. This continuous delivery maintains therapeutic levels without requiring high initial concentrations, as the drug is released gradually and directly at the treatment site, preventing the need for irritating high-dose formulations.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical liquid drop delivery system with a diffusion-based release mechanism through the contact lens material. The medication diffuses through the lens matrix to the eye surface, providing controlled release that eliminates the need for high-concentration drops and reduces mechanical spillage and splash-back.
3Reliability
If preservatives are added to eye drops to maintain stability and reduce contamination, then microbial contamination is reduced, but morphological changes and irritation occur
Solution Approach 1:
The contact lens is designed as a disposable device that is discarded after a single use or short period of wear. This eliminates the need for preservatives that would be required in reusable multi-dose bottles, as each new lens is sterile and single-use, preventing microbial contamination without exposing the eye to preservative chemicals.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and removes the preservative component from the drug delivery system by using a disposable single-use approach. Each contact lens is sterilized independently and used once, eliminating the need for preservatives that would otherwise be required to maintain stability in reusable multi-dose containers.
4Ease of operation
If conventional eye dropper bottles are used for medication delivery, then medication can be administered, but contamination and injury risks to the eye increase
Solution Approach 1:
The contact lens is a disposable single-use device that is discarded after one application, eliminating the contamination risks associated with reusable dropper bottles that can become contaminated over time. Each new lens is sterile and single-use, preventing cross-contamination while maintaining ease of application.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact lens acts as an intermediary carrier that holds the medication and delivers it to the eye without requiring direct contact between the dropper bottle and the eye. This intermediate step eliminates the risk of dropper contact with the eye surface, preventing contamination and injury while maintaining simple administration.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The FMA provides easy, comfortable, and effective ocular drug delivery, increasing compliance and bioavailability, reducing side effects, and minimizing contamination and injury risks, while maintaining effective dosing and pH balance.
Implementation Method 1
a filter matrix attached to an elongated flexible handle separated by a barrier membrane. With the present invention, the medication is impregnated within the filter matrix of the filter matrix applicator (FMA)
Implementation Method 2
a filter matrix attached to an elongated flexible handle separated by a barrier membrane
Data Source
AI summary
The invention is a device and a method for delivering a dose of a pharmaceutical agent to the eye. The device and method provide a safe and effective way to instill a specified dose of the agent to the eye virtually independent of gravity and posture. The device includes a filter matrix in which the fluid capture and release properties can be modified. The filter matrix is attached to a flexible handle with an impermeable or semipermeable membrane there between.