Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing – For cleaning a specific substrate or removing a specific...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-19
2002-08-13
Gupta, Yogendra N. (Department: 1751)
Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions
Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing
For cleaning a specific substrate or removing a specific...
C510S112000, C510S113000, C510S114000, C510S163000, C510S164000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06432893
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an agent for contact lenses. More particularly, the present invention relates to an agent for contact lenses, which contains an oxo-acid compound and/or a polyacid compound.
BACKGROUND ART
In recent years, various kinds of contact lenses, such as hard contact lens, oxygen permeable hard contact lens, soft contact lens and the like, have been widely used. These contact lenses easily become unclean due to the components contained in lacrimal fluid, such as protein, and require daily cleaning, sterilization and preservation.
The stain (e.g., protein) attached to the surface of a contact lens can be decomposed and removed by protease, and many cleaning agents have been proposed. For example, an agent in a solid form, which mainly contains a protease, such as tablet, granule, powder and the like, is supplied and an end user dissolves the agent each time in purified water and the like before use. This method requires dissolution of protease in a solid state every time the agent is used. As a result, the end user is forced to suffer from high cost and complicated handling.
In an attempt to solve such problems, some agents providing a protease in a solution state have been proposed as treating agents for contact lenses (JP-A-60-196722, JP-B-7-66113, JP-A-4-51015 and the like). In addition, a protein remover containing urea or a guanidine acid salt and specific reducing agent (JP-A-52-56852), a protein remover containing an aqueous alkali salt of hypobromous acid containing a specific amount of a compound such as citric acid and the like (JP-A-59-45339), a cleaning agent containing anionic surfactant such as alkylbenzenesulfonate and the like and a reducing agent such as sulfite and the like (JP-A-60-254114), a cleaning agent containing thiourea and surfactant and/or reducing agent (JP-A-61-51121) and the like have been proposed.
However, these protein removers and cleaning agents cause strong irritation to cornea, and require thorough rinsing with water after protein removal.
Further, a method has been proposed, which utilizes an electric field afforded to a lens to migrate stain deposit, thereby to clean and sterilize the contact lens (Japanese Patent Application under PCT laid-open under kohyo No. 9-511340).
This method requires previous application of an electric field to the contact lens, and also requires a special washing device.
Therefore, there is a demand on an agent for contact lenses which can remove protein irrespective of the kind of contact lens and without using a specific washing device, and which requires no water washing after protein removal.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present inventors have conducted intensive studies in an attempt to achieve the above-mentioned objects and found that use of an oxo-acid compound and/or a polyacid compound as a protein remover enables removal of protein irrespective of the kind of contact lens and without using a specific washing device, and obviates water washing after protein removal, which resulted in the completion of the present invention.
Accordingly, the present invention provides the following.
(1) An agent for contact lenses comprising an oxo-acid compound and/or a polyacid compound as an active ingredient.
(2) The agent for contact lenses of (1), wherein the oxo-acid compound is an oxo-acid or a salt thereof or a hydrate thereof.
(3) The agent for contact lenses of (1), wherein the polyacid compound is a polyacid or a salt thereof or a hydrate thereof.
(4) The agent for contact lenses of (1) or (2), wherein the oxo-acid compound is an oxo-acid compound of a transition metal, typical metal or metalloid.
(5) The agent for contact lenses of (4), wherein the transition metal is vanadium, chromium, molybdenum or tungsten.
(6) The agent for contact lenses of (4), wherein the typical metal is tin.
(7) The agent for contact lenses of (4), wherein the metalloid is silicon or tellurium.
(8) The agent for contact lenses of (1) or (3), wherein the polyacid compound contains at least tungstic acid.
(9) The agent for contact lenses of any of (1) to (8), wherein the agent is a protein remover for contact lenses.
(10) The agent for contact lenses of any of (1) to (9), wherein the oxo-acid compound and/or the polyacid compound are/is contained in a proportion of 0.001-2.0 (W/V)%.
In the present specification, by the oxo-acid compound is meant an oxo-acid or a salt thereof or a hydrate thereof.
The center atom of the oxo-acid compound to be contained in the agent for contact lenses of the present invention is exemplified by transition metals, typical metals and metalloids.
Examples of the transition metal include the elements of groups 3 to 11 of the periodic table, preferably the elements of groups 5 and 6, such as vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W) and the like.
The typical metal is exemplified by the typical metals of groups 13 and 14 of the periodic table, preferably tin (Sn) and the like.
The metalloid is an element having the properties between a metal and a nonmetal. Examples thereof include silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), selenium (Se), antimony (Sb), tellurium (Te) and the like. Preferable metalloid includes silicon (Si), tellurium (Te) and the like.
Preferable oxo-acid includes vanadic acid (HVO
3
), chromic acid (H
2
CrO
4
), molybdic acid (H
2
MoO
4
), tungstic acid (H
2
WO
4
), stannic acid (H
2
SnO
3
), silicic acid (H
2
SiO
3
), telluric acid (H
2
TeO
4
) and the like.
The oxo-acid that can be used for the agent for contact lenses of the present invention may be in the form of a salt with alkali metal (e.g., sodium, potassium and the like) or alkaline earth metal (e.g., magnesium, calcium and the like). The oxo-acid or a salt thereof may be a hydrate containing water of crystallization.
The polyacid compound to be contained in the agent for contact lenses of the present invention may be an isopolyacid compound or a heteropolyacid compound. The isopolyacid means a polyacid having a polynuclear structure wherein a single oxo-acid has been condensed. The heteropolyacid means a polyacid having a polynuclear structure wherein two or more kinds of oxo-acids have been condensed. The heteropolyacid has a structure comprising a condensed structure of an acid forming the skeleton (skeleton acid) and a small number of other kinds of atoms (hetero atom) contained in the center thereof and the like.
As used in this specification, “polyacid compound” refers to a polyacid or a salt thereof or a hydrate thereof.
The isopolyacid compound to be used in the present invention may be, for example, a condensed product of oxygen acid of an element, such as sulfur (S), silicon (Si), phosphorus (P), boron (B), a transition element belonging to the group 5 (vanadium (V), niobium (Nb), tantalum (Ta) and the like), a transition element belonging to the group 6 (chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W) and the like) and the like. Preferably, it is a condensed product of oxygen acid of an element, such as vanadium (V), niobium (Nb), tantalum (Ta), molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W) and the like. Specific examples thereof include heptaoxodisulfuric acid, pentaoxodisulfuric acid, disilicic acid, trisilicic acid, tetrasilicic acid, diphosphoric acid, triphosphoric acid, tetraphosphoric acid, polyphosphoric acid, tetraboric acid, pentaboric acid, hexavanadic acid, decavanadic acid, hexaniobic acid, dichromic acid, trichromic acid, tetrachromic acid, dimolybdic acid, hexamolybdic acid, heptamolybdic acid, octamolybdic acid, decamolybdic acid, dodecamolybdic acid, hexatungstic acid, decatungstic acid, paratungstic acid, metatungstic acid and the like. These isopolyacids may be a chain or a ring. When used in the form of a salt with alkali metal (e.g., sodium, potassium and the like) or alkaline earth metal (e.g., magnesium, calcium and the like), these isopolyacids become stable, and therefore, preferable. Examples of preferable salts of isopolyacid include sodium decavanadate, sodium decatungstate and the like. The isopolyacid or a salt thereof may be a hydrate containing water of crys
Aki Hiroshi
Doi Koji
Nakajima Takuya
Nakayama Hisayuki
Elhilo Eisa
Gupta Yogendra N.
Senju Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
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