Inflatable Eye Exam Mask With Anti-Reflective Sealed Ocular Cavities
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cross-contamination during healthcare services, particularly in automated systems, is a growing concern due to reduced personnel for cleaning between uses, necessitating improved hygiene measures.
Innovation Solution
An inflatable mask with optically transparent sections and a concave surface that conforms to a patient's face, forming air-tight ocular cavities for use with medical devices like OCT, ensuring cleanliness and comfort, and stabilizing patient positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automated healthcare systems are used, then productivity is improved, but cross-contamination risk increases due to reduced cleaning personnel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs disposable contactless interfaces (such as disposable touchless keyboards, disposable masks, and single-use sensor covers) that are discarded after a single use. This eliminates the need for cleaning and disinfection between patients, thereby preventing cross-contamination while maintaining automated healthcare service efficiency. The disposable nature ensures that no pathogens are transferred between patients through shared equipment.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If contactless interfaces are used, then cross-contamination is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The contactless interface system is divided into separate, independent components: a display unit, a touchless input interface (such as voice recognition or gesture-based controls), and a data transmission module. Each component can be independently disposed of or sanitized, reducing the overall complexity management. The segmentation allows for modular replacement of individual parts without requiring complex integration or reconfiguration.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If disposable items are used, then hygiene is improved, but loss of substance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes thin-film disposable components (such as thin plastic masks, flexible disposable sensor covers, and lightweight touchless interface layers) that provide effective hygienic barriers while minimizing material consumption. These thin films achieve the necessary protective function with minimal material, reducing waste compared to thicker, more substantial disposable items. The flexibility allows for precise fitting and reduced material usage.
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 mask provides a hygienic barrier, maintains cleanliness, and stabilizes patient positioning for accurate medical examinations while reducing the need for manual intervention.
Implementation Method 1
a proximal inflatable member having a rear concaved surface that may face a first patient's face when in use... The inflatable member may have two cavities therein... The rear concave surface may be configured to seal against the first patient's face such that the first patient's eyes align with the two cavities, so that the rear concave surface forms seals around a peripheral region of the first patient's eye sockets that inhibit flow of fluid into and out of the cavities
Data Source
AI summary
A mask for performing an eye exam of a subject includes one or more optically transparent sections for transmitting an incident light beam therethrough and incident on the subject's eye. In some embodiments, the one or more optically transparent sections are coated with an anti-reflective coating configured to reduce reflection of the incident light beam by the one or more optically transparent sections. In some embodiments, the one or more optically transparent sections may have a portion thereof that is tilted with respect to the incident light beam when the mask is optically interfaced with the docking portion of an ophthalmic instrument, such that the incident light beam forms a finite angle of incidence with respect to the corresponding portion of the optically transparent sections.