Chemistry: electrical and wave energy – Processes and products – Electrostatic field or electrical discharge
Patent
1991-05-20
1993-09-21
Niebling, John
Chemistry: electrical and wave energy
Processes and products
Electrostatic field or electrical discharge
204130, 204DIG6, C25B 100
Patent
active
052465527
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates a method for cleaning and disinfecting a soft contact lens and a treating solution for a soft contact lens.
2. Background Art
A soft contact lens (hereinafter referred to as lens) has some apprehensions that eyes are injured when the lens is continuously worn in eyes as it is for a long period of time because stains in the surroundings, microbes, proteins contained in tear fluid, and the like adhere to the lens while the lens is worn in eyes. Accordingly, there is a necessity to clean or disinfect the lens regularly, preferably every day.
As a method for cleaning a lens, a method comprising washing a lens with a solution containing a surface active agent by fingers has been conventionally carried out, and according to the method, stains on the surface of the lens can be removed. However, stains such as proteins got into the internal of a lens cannot be removed. Further, when the lens is boiled to disinfect as it is, denaturation or coagulation of the proteins being got into a lens proceeds, and denatured proteins or coagulated proteins are more stiffly adhered to the lens. As a result, there occurs a problem of generation of cloudiness of the lens.
As a cleaning agent for reusing a lens stained with proteins, a cleaning agent containing a proteolytic enzyme has been conventionally known. However, according to the cleaning method of using this cleaning agent, although proteins adhered to the surface of a lens can be decomposed, besides taking a long period of time for revealing the cleaning effects, sufficient removing effects of proteins cannot be revealed because the proteolytic enzyme itself should be immersed into the internal of a lens so that proteins being denatured in the internal of a lens can be decomposed.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,185 discloses a method for cleaning a lens comprising establishing an electric field in a determined direction in a boric acid-EDTA buffer solution having a range of pH 8 to 9 and immersing a lens in the solution to remove proteins from the lens by electrophoresis. When this method is carried out, contaminated proteins in the internal of the lens can be removed. However, the method requires that proteins should not be denatured nor ionized, and there are some problems in the method such that it takes a long period of time for the treatment. Further, according to the method disclosed in the above U.S. Patent, boric acid is used in a high concentration such as 0.808 mol/l and pH is kept at an alkaline level of 8 to 9 so that a lens can be disinfected by antiseptic effect and disinfecting effect of boric acid because the lens cannot be heated to prevent thermal denaturation of proteins. When boric acid is used in such a high concentration, disinfecting effect is exhibited. However, since pH and/or osmotic pressure are/is too high, wearing a lens in eyes after the treatment is dangerous, and there is a problem in safety for eyes.
On the other hand, as a method for disinfecting a lens, a method comprising immersing a lens in a sodium chloride aqueous solution and generating hypochlorite by applying an electric current to the solution to disinfect the lens, disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 68454/1981 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 153658/1982, a method comprising immersing a lens in an H.sub.2 O.sub.2 aqueous solution to disinfect the lens and decomposing H.sub.2 O.sub.2 with a metallic catalyst, a reducing agent and an enzyme catalyst to make the solution harmless, disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 38559/1983, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 68858/1985 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 217333/1985, and the like have been known other than the above-mentioned method for disinfecting a lens comprising boiling a lens to disinfect.
However, according to the method of generating hypochlorite by electrolysis, it takes a long period of time for the natural disappearance of hypochlorite remaining in a treating vessel after disinfecting, a
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Kamiya Hideaki
Nakagawa Makoto
Niebling John
Phasge Arun S,.
Tomei Sangyo Kabushiki Kaisha
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