Animal eye protector

Details Animal eye protector Animal eye protector

1998-10-23

2001-03-13

Levy, Neil S. (Department: 1616)

Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions

Preparations characterized by special physical form

Biocides; animal or insect repellents or attractants

C424S400000, C424S401000, C424S409000, C424S443000, C424S447000, CD29S109000, CD29S102000, CD29S106000, C128S097100, C128S857000, C128S858000, C119S712000, C119S715000, C119S729000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06200585

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to animal husbandry. More specifically, the present invention relates to a device for holding the eyes of an animal closed when anesthesia is administered during surgery, or any time it is desired to hold one or both eyes of an animal closed.
When a veterinarian performs surgery on an animal, the animal is usually anesthetized with an agent that causes its eyes to remain open. The anesthesia thus prevents the normal blinking mechanism from keeping the surface of the eye moist. Exposure of a non-blinking eye to air causes it to quickly dry out. When the cornea of the eye dries, it may cause corneal ulcers, a painful eye condition which must be medically treated to prevent infection and pain for the animal.
Currently, the standard practice in animal surgery is to rub a thick ophthalmic ointment, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,559, into the eye in an attempt to maintain the eye's moisture when the eye is continuously open. However, even with ointment in the animal's eye, the corneal surface still dries out and corneal ulcers can result.
In human surgery, when a patient's eyes stay open from anesthesia, numerous devices are available to prevent the patient's eyes from drying out and causing corneal ulcers. The most common of these is a piece of medical adhesive tape attached at one end directly to the eyelid of the patient and at its other end to the cheek below the eye which keeps the eyelid shut and prevents drying of the cornea. In animals with fur-covered skin, however, tape will not stick to the fur and, therefore, cannot be used to hold the eyelid closed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,549,539 describes a surgical device for protecting an eye that uses two adhesive strips interconnected by a releasable stud-and-tab fastener, one strip placed on the upper eyelid of a person and the other on the cheek below the eye to keep the eyelid closed. This device also requires direct adhesion of the strips to the skin, which, as noted above, is not practical for a fur covered animal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,423 discloses a surgical eye cover for protecting human eyes during ophthalmic surgery. The cover comprises a first plastic film applied securely to the patient's face over the eyes, the first film having a window cut into it to permit access to the patient's eye, and a pair of overlapping cover flaps forming a second plastic film that covers the open window of the first film. However, this device requires adhesion to the skin to function, and is, as the previous devices are, not practical for use on fur-covered animals.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for holding the eyes of an animal closed during surgery, during an examination, or at any other time requiring one or both eyes to be held closed. The present invention prevents the eye surface from drying out, and thus minimizes or completely eliminates corneal surface damage to the eye, by using the natural moisturizing system of the eye.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device for holding an animal's eyes closed that can be used with fur-covered animals.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a device that is simple and inexpensive in construction and, therefore, disposable after use to prevent the spread of disease or infection from one animal to another.
A further object of the invention is to provide a device which is lightweight, can be easily applied to the animal and can be easily removed without injuring the animal.
A still further object of the invention is to provide an eye closing device that self-releases when the animal awakens from anesthesia.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an eye closing arrangement which engages skin adjacent to at least one eye of an animal to cause this skin to push the eyelid to cover the animal's eye, and a harness for releasably securing the eye closing arrangement in place on the animal. Preferably, the harness comprises a collar attachable around an animal's neck which is releasably securing around the animal's neck in any conventional manner. For example, hook and loop fasteners, adhesive or a buckle and catch may be used to fasten the two loose ends of the collar together. However, although a collar is preferred, any type of mechanism for securing the eye closing arrangement in place on the animal may be employed.
The eye closing arrangement includes a first member which engages skin above the animal's eye and a second member which engages skin below the animal's eye, and fastening means for releasably fastening the first and second members together so that these members cooperate to substantially pinch or force the skin above and below the eye together to close the eyelid. Preferably, the first member comprises a head pad connected to the collar and positioned so that when the collar is around the animal's neck, the head pad extends between the animal's ears on the animal's forehead to a point just above the animal's eyes. The second member preferably comprises a chin strap also connected to the collar and positioned so that when the collar is around an animal's neck, the chin strap extends from beneath the animal's chin over one eye of the animal and toward the animal's forehead. Fastening means is use to releasably fasten the chin strap to the head pad and thereby pinch or force the skin above and below the animal's eye together to close the eyelid. Preferably, the fastening means is an adhesive located on the end of the chin strap, but as noted above, could also be hook and loop fasteners, or any other conventional fastening mechanism, if desired, depending upon the particular animal being treated.
In order to maintain the other eye of the animal closed, the apparatus further includes a second chin strap connected to the collar and positioned so that when the collar is around the animal's neck, the second chin strap extends from beneath the animal's chin over the other eye of the animal toward the animal's forehead. This second chin strap also includes fastening means for releasably fastening it to the head pad so that in use, the chin strap and head pad cooperate to pinch or force the skin above and below the animal's second eye together to close the second eyelid in the same manner as for the first eye. Depending upon the animal being treated, the chin straps may extend in a criss-cross relation from the collar. This enables better positioning of the straps to bear against the appropriate skin area to ensure complete closing of the animal's eyes.


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patent: 5540189 (1996-07-01), Masson
patent: 5597559 (1997-01-01), Olejnik et al.
patent: 5778826 (1998-07-01), Dillon et al.

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