Oral Protease-Degraded Comb Extract for Dry Eye Relief
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional eye-drop treatments for eye conditions are cumbersome, pose a high patient burden, risk microbial contamination, and may cause corneal epithelium disorders or allergies due to preservatives, and there is a lack of effective oral medications for improving eye conditions.
Innovation Solution
A degradation product obtained by degrading combs with a protease and removing solids, containing an ethanol-soluble component, is administered orally to improve eye conditions, offering a more manageable and safer alternative.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If eye-drops are used to improve eye conditions, then treatment effectiveness is achieved, but administration complexity and patient burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by switching from topical eye-drop administration to oral administration. Instead of applying treatment directly to the eyes, the invention uses oral intake of hyaluronic acid to achieve eye condition improvement, thereby eliminating the complexity of eye-drop administration while maintaining treatment effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical application process of eye-drops (requiring precise positioning, avoidance of contamination, and proper instillation technique) with a simple oral administration system. This substitution eliminates the need for complex mechanical操作步骤 and reduces patient burden significantly
2Ease of operation
If eye-drops are opened for use, then treatment can be administered, but microbial contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the administration route from topical (prone to contamination during instillation) to oral (enclosed in capsule form). The oral capsule system eliminates the opening and exposure risks associated with eye-drop bottles, as the treatment substance remains sealed until ingestion
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs single-use oral capsules that are sealed and disposable. Each capsule contains the hyaluronic acid treatment in a closed, contamination-free state until consumption, eliminating the need to preserve opened multi-dose bottles and reducing microbial contamination risks
3Reliability
If preservative chemicals are added to eye-drops, then microbial proliferation is prevented, but corneal epithelium disorders or allergies may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates preservative chemicals from the treatment system by switching to oral administration in capsule form. The hyaluronic acid is delivered without requiring preservatives, as the oral route and sealed capsule format inherently prevent microbial contamination without needing chemical preservatives that could harm the cornea
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces the gastrointestinal tract as an intermediary between the treatment substance and the eyes. The hyaluronic acid is absorbed systemically through the digestive system and then acts on the eyes, bypassing the need for direct eye contact with potentially harmful preservative chemicals
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 protease-degraded comb product effectively improves eye conditions such as dryness, intraocular pressure, ocular pain, and vision, while being easy to handle and store, with significant improvements seen in as little as one week.
Implementation Method 1
degrading a comb with a protease
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a method for improving eye conditions comprising orally administering to humans, an ethanol-soluble component-containing degradation product obtained by degrading a comb with a protease and removing a solid.