阅读说明：本技术 滴眼辅助用具 (Auxiliary device for eye drop ) 是由 山方智子 大下善弘 草桶大辉 于 2019-03-12 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供能够通过简单的构造向滴眼对象的眼睛准确地滴投滴眼液的滴眼辅助用具。关于本发明的滴眼辅助用具(1)中,眼接触引导件(20)形成为,在以滴眼对象仰卧的姿势将该眼接触引导件(20)抵接于眼睛周围的状态下,滴眼容器(30)的滴眼液的液滴向从上述眼睛的表面的中心位置(X)向上眼睑侧仅偏离规定距离的位置(a)滴下。(Provided is an eye drop auxiliary tool capable of accurately dropping eye drops to the eyes of an eye drop subject by a simple structure. In the eye drop auxiliary tool (1), the eye contact guide (20) is formed such that, in a state in which the eye contact guide (20) is in contact with the periphery of the eye in a state in which the subject to be eye-dropped is lying on his back, the liquid droplet of the eye drop in the eye drop container (30) is dropped to a position (a) which is displaced from the center position (X) of the surface of the eye toward the upper eyelid by a predetermined distance.)

1. An auxiliary eye drop device to which an eye drop container containing an eye drop is detachably attached, the auxiliary eye drop device having a positioning portion that abuts on the periphery of an eye to be subjected to eye drop and determines the dropping position of the eye drop to the eye,

the positioning part is formed such that, in a state where the positioning part is in contact with the periphery of the eye in a state where an eye drop subject lies on the back, a droplet of the eye drop container is dripped to a position deviated from the center position of the surface of the eye toward the eyelid by a predetermined distance.

2. The eye drop auxiliary device according to claim 1,

the positioning part is provided with a notch at a position opposite to the lower eyelid when the positioning part is abutted against the periphery of the eye.

3. The eye drop auxiliary tool according to claim 1 or 2,

the positioning part is formed such that a portion in contact with the outer corner of the eye and a portion in contact with the inner corner of the eye when the positioning part is in contact with the periphery of the eye protrude in a direction toward the face of the eye drop subject than the other portions.

4. The auxiliary device for eye drop according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the eye drop assisting device includes a mounting portion connected to the positioning portion and to which the eye drop container is detachably mounted,

the attachment portion is formed with an opening portion for attaching and detaching the container body of the eye drop container, and an opening portion for exposing a part of the container body of the eye drop container attached thereto at a position facing the opening portion.

5. An auxiliary eye drop device to which an eye drop container containing an eye drop is detachably attached, the auxiliary eye drop device having a positioning portion that abuts on the periphery of an eye to be subjected to eye drop and determines the dropping position of the eye drop to the eye,

the eye drop assisting device includes a mounting portion connected to the positioning portion and to which the eye drop container is detachably mounted,

when the positioning part is in contact with the periphery of the eye in a state where the eye drop subject lies on the back and the position where the positioning part is in contact with the upper eyelid is set to be the upper side,

and a projection unit that projects a point, which is obtained by projecting a discharge port of the eye drop container mounted to the mounting unit, to a bottom surface of the mounting unit in a first region, which is a region obtained by projecting the positioning unit, and the first point is located at a position that is offset from a second point, which is obtained by projecting a center of the first region to the bottom surface, by a predetermined distance to the upper side.

6. The eye drop auxiliary device according to claim 5,

the predetermined distance is in the range of 2mm to 4 mm.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an eye drop support tool for assisting eye dropping.

Background

Generally, eye drops are applied to a patient by dropping the eye drops to the patient's eyes with the patient's face facing upward. However, it is difficult to accurately drop the eye drops to the eyes of the patient. For this reason, for example, patent document 1 discloses an eye drop container bottle guide device which accurately drops eye drops to the eyes of a patient by providing a position adjustment unit that maintains an open eye state.

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, the eye drop container bottle guiding instrument disclosed in patent document 1 requires a hinge for rotating a position adjusting part between a use position (eye drop position) and a storage position. When such a hinge is provided, if the frequency of use is high, a defect such as breakage of the hinge portion is likely to occur, and the reliability as a guide device is lowered. Further, since the induction device itself has a complicated structure, there is a problem that the cost for manufacturing the induction device increases. Further, if eye drops cannot be accurately dropped, the drug effect is not sufficiently exhibited, and therefore, the healing period of eye diseases is prolonged and there is a case where healing does not occur, and as a result, there is a problem that mental burden on patients increases and treatment cost significantly increases.

An aspect of the present invention is to provide an eye drop auxiliary device capable of accurately dropping eye drops to eyes of an eye drop subject with a simple structure.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the above-described problems, an eyedrop assisting device according to an aspect of the present invention is an eyedrop assisting device in which an eyedrop container containing an eyedrop is detachably attached to the eyedrop assisting device, the eyedrop assisting device including a positioning portion that abuts on a periphery of an eye to be eyedropped and determines a dropping position of the eyedrop to the eye, wherein the positioning portion is formed so that, in a state where the positioning portion abuts on the periphery of the eye in a state where the eyedrop object lies on the back, the eyedrop of the eyedrop in the eyedrop container is dropped to a position deviated from a center position of a surface of the eye toward an eyelid side by a predetermined distance.

According to the above configuration, the positioning part is formed such that, in a state where the positioning part is in contact with the periphery of the eye in a state where the eye drop subject lies on the back, the liquid droplet of the eye drop in the eye drop container is dropped to a position deviated from the center position of the surface of the eye toward the upper eyelid side by a predetermined distance, whereby the dropping position of the eye drop is on the upper eyelid side with respect to the center of the eye in a state where the eye drop subject lies on the back, but if the eye drop subject sits down gently from the position on the back, the dropping position of the eye drop also moves gently toward the lower eyelid side of the eye. Therefore, even when the eye drop posture is a sitting posture or a standing posture, the eye drop can be appropriately dropped onto the eyes.

Further, the positioning part is formed in a simple structure such that the liquid drops of the eye drops in the eye drop container are dropped from the center position of the surface of the eye to a position deviated by a predetermined distance toward the eyelid side from the center position in a state where the positioning part is in contact with the periphery of the eye in a state where the eye drop subject lies on the back, whereby the eye drops can be appropriately dropped to the eye of the eye drop subject. Further, the eye drops can be accurately dropped to the eye, and thus the effect of the drug can be sufficiently exhibited. A shortening of the healing period of eye diseases, a reduction in mental burden on patients, and/or a significant suppression effect of treatment costs can be expected.

Preferably, the positioning portion has a notch at a position facing the lower eyelid when the positioning portion is in contact with the periphery of the eye.

According to the above configuration, the position of the positioning portion that faces the lower eyelid when the positioning portion is in contact with the periphery of the eye is cut, and the lower eyelid can be pulled downward by inserting a finger into the cut portion. This enables more accurate administration of the eye drops.

Further, the positioning portion can be prevented from being accidentally rotated by inserting a finger into the notch portion, and therefore the positioning portion can be easily brought into contact with a desired position.

Preferably, the positioning part is formed such that a portion in contact with the outer corner of the eye and a portion in contact with the inner corner of the eye protrude toward the face of the eye drop object more than the other portions when the positioning part is in contact with the periphery of the eye.

According to the above configuration, when the positioning part is brought into contact with the periphery of the eye, the part in contact with the external canthus of the eye and the part in contact with the internal canthus of the eye protrude toward the face of the eye-drop target more than the other parts, and the positioning part can be easily brought into contact with the external canthus and the internal canthus recessed from the other parts around the eye, so that the positioning part can be easily brought into contact with the appropriate position.

Preferably, the eye drop container further includes a mounting portion which is connected to the positioning portion and to which the eye drop container is detachably mounted, and the mounting portion is formed with an opening portion for detachably mounting the container main body of the eye drop container and an opening portion for exposing a part of the container main body of the eye drop container mounted at a position opposite to the opening portion.

According to the above configuration, the eye drop container main body exposed from the two openings of the mounting portion can be pressed in a state where the eye drop container is mounted on the mounting portion integrated with the positioning portion.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, an eye drop solution can be accurately instilled to an eye of an eye-drop subject with a simple configuration. Further, the eye drops can be accurately dropped into the eye, and thus the effect of the drug can be sufficiently exhibited. As a result, a shortening of the healing period of eye diseases, a reduction in mental burden on patients, and/or a significant suppression effect of treatment costs can be expected.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an eye drop support device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the eye drop support device of fig. 1 viewed from another angle.

Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining an eye dropping operation using the eye dropping support device of fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view for explaining the position of an eye drop nozzle attached to an eye drop container of the eye drop support device of fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining conditions for performing an eye drop experiment using the eye drop support device of fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the eye drop success rate based on the eye drop distance and the eye drop angle in the eye drop experiment using the eye drop support device of fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an eye drop experiment.

Fig. 8 is a view showing another example of the eye drop test.

Fig. 9 is a diagram of another example of the eye drop test.

Fig. 10 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the medication administration system.

Detailed Description

[ embodiment mode 1 ]

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

< brief summary of auxiliary device for eye drop >

The outline of the eye drop support device will be described below with reference to fig. 3. Fig. 3 shows an example of use of the eye drop support device 1 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in fig. 3, the eye drop support device 1 is a support device for supporting the dropping of eye drops to a patient 100 (user, subject to be dropped, or person to be dropped). The eyedrop assisting device 1 includes an assisting device main body (attachment portion) 10 and an eye contact guide (positioning portion) 20. In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which the patient 100 himself/herself applies eye drops from the eye drop container (container main body) 30 using the eye drop support device 1. That is, the patient 100 is a user of the eye drop support device 1 and also a person to whom eye drops are administered. On the other hand, the user of the auxiliary eye drop device 1 may be a different person from the person to be dropped.

Hereinafter, the detailed structure of the eye drop support device 1 will be described with reference to fig. 1 and 2. Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an eye drop support device 1 according to the present embodiment, and fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the eye drop support device 1 shown in fig. 1 as viewed from another angle. The eye drop container 30 used by being attached to the eye drop support device 1 includes an eye drop discharge unit 30a for discharging eye drops and an eye drop storage unit 30b for storing eye drops.

< auxiliary tool body 10 >

As shown in fig. 1, the auxiliary device body 10 is a mounting portion having a substantially cylindrical shape and detachably mounting an eye drop container 30 containing eye drops. A first opening 10a for inserting and removing the eye drop container 30 is formed around the auxiliary device body 10, and a second opening 10b smaller than the first opening 10a is formed at a position facing the first opening 10 a. Thus, if the eye drop storage section 30b of the eye drop container 30 is attached to the auxiliary device body 10 so that the eye drop discharge section 30a of the eye drop container 30 faces the eye contact guide 20 side, a part of the eye drop storage section 30b is exposed from the first opening 10a and the second opening 10 b. The user can directly press the eye drop storage section 30b of the eye drop container 30 exposed from the auxiliary device body 10 with a finger, and thereby discharge the eye drops stored in the eye drop storage section 30b from the eye drop discharge section 30 a.

The auxiliary tool body 10 has a notch on the side surface where the first opening 10a and the second opening 10b are not formed. This increases the exposed portion of the eye drop storage section 30b of the eye drop container 30 attached to the auxiliary device body 10, and the eye drop storage section 30b can be pressed more easily.

Further, a first rib 11 that comes into contact with the bottom surface of the eye drop storage section 30b when the eye drop container 30 is attached, a second rib 12 that comes into contact with the side surface of the eye drop storage section 30b, and a third rib 13 that comes into contact with the upper surface side portion of the eye drop storage section 30b are formed on the inner surface of the auxiliary tool body 10. The first rib 11, the second rib 12, and the third rib 13 reliably hold the eye drop storage section 30b of the eye drop container 30 attached to the auxiliary device body 10. However, the eye drop storage section 30b and the auxiliary device body 10 must have elasticity. That is, the eye drop storage section 30b is held by the auxiliary device body 10 by the elasticity of the eye drop storage section 30b and the auxiliary device body 10.

The auxiliary device body 10 may be configured such that the end opposite to the eye contact guide 20 is a flat surface, and the flat surface is placed on a flat surface such as a table so as to face downward, whereby the eye drop auxiliary device 1 can be set upright by itself.

< eye contact guide 20 >

The eye contact guide 20 is connected to the auxiliary tool body 10 and is a portion that contacts the periphery of the eye 101 of the patient 1 as shown in fig. 3. The eye contact guide 20 and the auxiliary tool body 10 may be formed integrally or may be formed separately.

As shown in fig. 1, the eye contact guide 20 is formed with a first opening 20a that directly contacts the periphery of the eye 101 of the patient 1, a second opening 20b that communicates with the first opening 10a of the auxiliary tool main body 10, and a third opening 20c that is formed adjacent to the second opening 10b of the auxiliary tool main body 10.

The second opening 20b and the third opening 20c of the eye contact guide 20 are formed so that the eye drop discharge portion 30a of the eye drop container 30 is exposed when the eye drop container 30 is attached to the auxiliary device body 10. Thus, the user can insert fingers into the second opening 20b and the third opening 20c and remove the cap (not shown) fitted to the eye drop discharge portion 30a of the eye drop container 30 in a state where the eye drop container 30 is attached to the auxiliary device body 10.

When the eye drop support device 1 is used, as shown in fig. 3, the upper end 20d on the side where the second opening 20b is formed in the first opening 20a of the eye contact guide 20 is brought into contact with the upper eyelid 101a of the eye 101 of the patient 100. Next, the lower end 20e of the first opening 20a on the side where the third opening 20c is formed is brought into contact with the lower eyelid 101b of the eye 101 of the patient 100.

A lower end 20e of the first opening 20a is formed with a curved portion 20f curved toward the third opening 20 c. The curved portion 20f is formed in a size that can be entered by a finger of the left hand 103 of the patient 100 when the patient 100 operates the eye drop support 1 with the right hand 102. This allows the eyelid 101b to be pulled down by inserting a finger from the curved portion 20f while the eye contact guide 20 is in contact with the periphery of the eye 101. Fig. 3 shows an example in which the eye drop assisting device 1 is operated by the right hand 102 and the fingers of the left hand 103 are inserted into the curved portion 20f of the eye contact guide 20 to use the eye drop assisting device 1, but the eye drop assisting device 1 may be operated by the left hand 103 and the fingers of the right hand 102 are inserted into the curved portion 20f of the eye contact guide 20 to use the eye drop assisting device 1. In this way, the eye drop support device 1 may have a bilaterally symmetrical structure. Further, the left and right asymmetrical structures in which the hand for pulling down the eyelid 101b and the hand for pressing the eye drop storage section 30b are determined to be left and right, that is, the structures for right-handed or left-handed use may be employed.

In this way, if the curved portion 20f is provided in the eye contact guide 20, when the eye contact guide 20 abuts on the periphery of the eye 101, the finger can be inserted into the curved portion 20f to be guided to a predetermined position. That is, the positioning of the eye contact guide 20 can be accurately performed.

In order to accurately perform positioning, the portions of the contact portions of the eye contact guide 20 that contact the periphery of the eye 101, which portions correspond to the external canthus and the internal canthus of the eye 101, are made to protrude from the other portions. Thus, when the eye contact guide 20 is brought into contact with the periphery of the eye 101, the protruding portion serves as a guide portion, and the eye contact guide 20 can be guided to a predetermined position.

In the eye drop assistive device 1, the assistive device body 10 and the eye contact guide 20 are formed of polypropylene, which is an elastic material.

However, the material of the eye drop auxiliary device 1 is not limited to polypropylene, and any material may be used as long as it has water resistance, chemical resistance, and elasticity.

In addition, the eye drop container 30 used in the eye drop support device 1 is preferably formed of a material having elasticity and excellent water resistance and chemical resistance, as in the case of the eye drop support device 1.

< positioning by eye contact guide 20 >

The positioning by the eye contact guide 20 of the eye drop support device 1 will be described below with reference to fig. 1, 3, and 4.

When the eye drop container 30 is attached to the auxiliary device body 10 of the eye drop auxiliary device 1 and is in contact with the periphery of the eye to be dropped, as shown in fig. 1, the portion of the eye contact guide 20 in contact with the periphery of the eye is projected from the auxiliary device body 10 side to a plane horizontal to the ground, and the center of a virtual area (first area) (circle of broken line in the figure: hereinafter referred to as virtual circle Z) connecting the contact portions is defined as X. In the virtual circle Z, Y represents a point projected by the upper end 20d of the eye contact guide 20. Here, the distance from the center X to the point Y corresponds to the radius of the virtual circle Z. That is, the distance from the center X to the point Y corresponds to the distance from the center of the eye contact guide 20 to the upper end 20d on the upper eyelid 101a side in the case where the eye contact guide 20 is in contact with the periphery of the eye 101 of the patient as shown in fig. 3. The distance from the center X of the virtual circle Z to the point Y is preferably 10mm to 30mm, more preferably 12.5mm to 25mm, and particularly preferably 15mm to 20 mm. Further, an arrival point at which the discharge hole 30c of the eye drop discharge portion 30a of the eye drop container 30 linearly extends toward the virtual circle Z and reaches the virtual circle Z is defined as a. At this time, the eye contact guide 20 is designed such that the reaching point a is deviated by a prescribed distance from the center X toward the upper end 20d side of the eye contact guide 20 (the upper eyelid 101a side of the eye 101). The predetermined distance corresponds to a distance from the upper end 20d of the eye contact guide 20 to a point where a line extending from the discharge hole 30c toward the perpendicular line to the virtual circle Z intersects.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 3, the eye contact guide 20 is in contact with at least the outer corner of the outer eye and the outer vicinity of the inner corner of the eye when contacting the periphery of the eye 101 of the patient 100. At this time, the imaginary circle Z formed by the projection plane obtained by projecting the eye contact guide 20 in the discharge direction of the eye drops includes portions that are in contact with the outer corners and the outer vicinities of the inner corners of the eyes 101. The discharge hole 30c of the eye drops formed in the eye drop discharge portion 30a of the eye drop container 30 attached to the auxiliary device body 10 is formed at a position shifted by a predetermined distance toward the eyelid 101a from the center X of the virtual circle Z formed on the projection plane.

In other words, the eye contact guide 20 may be formed as follows: when the eye contact guide 20 is brought into contact with the periphery of the eye 101 in a state in which the subject to be dropped is lying on his back, the liquid drops of the eye drops in the eye drop container 30 are dropped from the center position of the surface (pupil 101c) of the eye 101 to a position deviated by a predetermined distance toward the upper eyelid 101 a.

The relationship between the arrival point a and the center X in the virtual circle Z may be defined as follows. That is, the eye drop support device 1 is designed such that: when the patient 100 is in a state in which the eye contact guide 20 is in contact with the periphery of the eye 101 in the supine posture, and the position of the eye contact guide 20 in contact with the upper eyelid is set to the upper side (Y direction in fig. 1), a projection point (first point) a 'obtained by re-projecting the arrival point a in the virtual circle Z obtained by projecting the eye contact guide 20 onto the ground onto the bottom surface 10c of the auxiliary body 10 is set to a position deviated by a predetermined distance from a projection point (second point) X' obtained by projecting the center X of the virtual circle Z onto the bottom surface 10c to the upper side.

The predetermined distance is preferably in the range of 2mm to 4mm, and more preferably 3 mm. Further, when the predetermined distance is shorter than 2mm and/or the predetermined distance is longer than 4mm, there is a problem that the probability of success of eye-dropping is lowered.

When eye drops are dropped using the eye drop support device 1 having the above-described configuration, the eye drops discharged from the eye drop container 30 can be dropped toward the upper eyelid 101a side with respect to the center of the eye. Thus, the dropping position of the eye drops is shifted toward the lower eyelid 101b side in a state where the patient 100 is sitting or standing on his head. However, since the eye contact guide 20 is designed so that the eye drops discharged from the eye drop container 30 are dropped to a position on the upper eyelid 101a side than the center of the eyes, the eye drops can be dropped without overflowing from the eyes 101 to the lower eyelid 101b side. Therefore, the eye drops can be accurately dropped even if the surface to be dropped is inclined, as compared with the case where the eye contact guide is designed so that the dropping position of the eye drops overlaps the center of the eye 101.

Further, by adopting a simple structure in which the eye contact guide 20 is formed such that the liquid drops of the eye drops in the eye drop container 30 are dropped from the center position of the surface of the eye 101 to a position shifted by a predetermined distance toward the upper eyelid 101a side in a state where the positioning part is in contact with the periphery of the eye in a state where the eye drop subject lies on the back, the eye drops can be accurately dropped to the eye of the patient.

The discharge hole 30c of the eye drops may be located at a position offset by a predetermined distance from the center X of the virtual circle Z toward the point Y on the upper end 20d side of the eye contact guide 20. Therefore, regardless of the outer shape of the eye contact guide 20, the eye contact guide may have a horizontally long elliptical shape as shown in fig. 4 (a), a vertically long elliptical shape as shown in fig. 4 (b), or other shapes. Further, since the virtual circle Z is used, the eye contact guide 20 may have a portion of the outer periphery missing. The shape may be any shape as long as it is formed by projection of the eye contact guide 20 without being limited to the virtual circle Z.

The eye contact guide 20 may be provided separately from the auxiliary device body 10 and may be directly connected to the eye drop discharge portion 30a of the eye drop container 30 attached to the auxiliary device body 10. In this case, the connection mode is not particularly limited, and for example, a cap fitted to the eye drop discharge portion 30a of the eye drop container 30 is removed, and the eye contact guide 20 is fitted in place of the cap. Thus, the eye drop support device 1 can be configured more simply by only including the eye contact guide 20 and eliminating the need for the support device main body 10.

The success rate of eye drop using the eye drop support device 1 having the above-described configuration will be described below with reference to fig. 5 to 9.

< eye drop test >

Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining various conditions in an eye drop experiment using the eye drop support device 1. Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the eye drop success rate based on the eye drop distance and the eye drop angle in the eye drop experiment using the eye drop support device 1.

In the eye drop experiment, as shown in fig. 5 (a), the height d1 of the human eye to be subjected to eye drop is required, as shown in fig. 5 (b), the droplet diameter d2 of the eye drop is required, and as shown in fig. 5 (c), the eye drop distance d3 is required.

As shown in fig. 5 (a), the height d1 of the human eye is set to the width of a pupil (black eyeball) 101c existing between the upper eyelid 101a and the lower eyelid 101b of the eye 101. Here, d1 is set to about 10 mm. The approximately 10mm is a value in a case where the diameter of the pupil 101c of the eye 101 of a general japanese person is approximately 12mm, and the portions covered by the upper eyelid 101a and the lower eyelid 101b are each assumed to be 1 mm.

As shown in fig. 5 (b), the droplet diameter d2 is set to a diameter when the droplet dropped from the eye drop discharge unit 30a completely becomes a sphere. Here, d2 is set to about 4 mm. The approximately 4mm is a diameter of a droplet when the droplet becomes a complete sphere when the droplet amount is 0.040 ml.

As shown in fig. 5 (c), the eye drop distance d3 is the distance from the discharge hole 30c of the eye drop discharge unit 30a to the surface of the pupil 101c of the eye 101.

Fig. 6 (a) shows a state of dripping of the eye drops when the administration target is assumed to be in a supine position (inclination angle θ is 0), and fig. 6 (b) shows a state of dripping of the eye drops when the administration target is assumed to be in a sitting position or a standing position and in a state of lying on the head (inclination angle θ > 0). Here, the pupil 101c shown in fig. 6 is assumed to be a virtual circle Z shown in fig. 1, the center of the pupil 101c is assumed to be X, and an arrival point at which the discharge hole 30c of the eye drop discharge portion 30a extends in a straight line and reaches the surface of the pupil 101c is assumed to be a. Therefore, as shown in fig. 6 (a), when the inclination angle θ is 0, the arrival point a of the pupil 101c overlaps the drop position B at which the liquid droplets drop. However, as shown in fig. 6 (B), when the inclination angle θ > 0, the arrival point a of the pupil 101c is deviated from the dropping position B at which the droplets are dropped. That is, the dropping position B at which the liquid droplets are dropped is shifted toward the lower eyelid 101B in the pupil 101 c. The inclination angle θ is an angle at which the surface of the pupil 101c is inclined with respect to a plane orthogonal to the plumb direction.

Here, in fig. 6 (b), when the eye drop distance is d3, the offset amount is h, and the inclination angle is θ, the angle is

Vector OX d1/2(cos theta, sin theta)

Vector XQ ═ d3(cos (θ + π/2), sin (θ + π/2))

Vector QR is h (cos θ, sin θ),

the distance H1 from the lower eyelid to the droplet end at the pupil 101c can be represented by equation (1).

H1＝( (d1/2)+h)cosθ-d3sinθ-d2/2· · · (1)

That is, H1 is a value obtained by subtracting d2/2 of the droplet radius from the X component of the vector OR.

When the eye drop distance is d3, the offset amount is H, and the inclination angle is θ, the distance H2 from the upper eyelid to the liquid drop end at the pupil 101c can be expressed by equation (2).

H2＝( (d1/2)-h)cosθ+d3sinθ-d2/2· · · (2)

That is, H2 is a value obtained by subtracting the X component of the vector OR and d2/2 of the droplet radius from d1cos θ.

Whether eye dropping was successful or not can be known from the values obtained by using the formulas (1) and (2).

An experiment was performed below to obtain the values of (1) and (2) by changing the eye drop distance d3 and the inclination angle θ for each deviation h between the arrival point a and the center X when the height d1 of the human eye was set to about 10mm and the droplet diameter d2 was set to about 4 mm. The experimental results are shown in fig. 7 to 9.

< Experimental results >

Fig. 7 is a table showing values obtained by changing the inclination angle θ and the eye drop distance d3 using the expressions (1) and (2) when the deviation h is 2 mm. In the figure, (1) and (2) correspond to the expressions (1) and (2), respectively.

Fig. 8 is a table showing values obtained by changing the inclination angle θ and the eye drop distance d3 using the expressions (1) and (2) when the deviation h is 3 mm. In the figure, (1) and (2) correspond to the expressions (1) and (2), respectively.

Fig. 9 is a table showing values obtained by changing the inclination angle θ and the eye drop distance d3 using the expressions (1) and (2) when the deviation h is set to 4 mm. In the figure, (1) and (2) correspond to the expressions (1) and (2), respectively.

When the amount of deviation h is 2mm, that is, when the discharge hole of the eye drop discharge portion 30a is directed upward toward the eyelid 101a by 2mm from the center of the pupil 101c, the values of (1) and (2) at the specific inclination angle θ in the table shown in fig. 7 are positive, indicating successful eye dropping. The parts other than the hatched parts in the table indicate the success of eye dropping.

From the results, it is understood that: even when the eye drops are applied in a supine position (inclination angle θ is 0 °), the upper eyelid 101a and/or eyelashes 101d are not contacted with the eye drops, and the eye drops are successfully applied. Further, if the eye drop distance d3 is 5mm, the inclination angle θ is successfully set to 0 ° to 40 °.

When the amount of deviation h is 3mm, that is, when the discharge hole of the eye drop discharge portion 30a is directed upward toward the eyelid 101a by 3mm from the center of the pupil 101c, the values of (1) and (2) at the specific inclination angle θ in the table shown in fig. 8 are positive, indicating successful eye dropping. The parts other than the hatched parts in the table indicate the success of eye dropping.

From the results, it is understood that: even when the eye drops are applied in a supine position (inclination angle θ is 0 °), the upper eyelid 101a and/or eyelashes 101d are not contacted with the eye drops, and the eye drops are successfully applied. Further, if the eye drop distance d3 is 5mm, the inclination angle θ is successfully set to 0 ° to 45 °.

When the amount of deviation h is 4mm, that is, when the discharge hole of the eye drop discharge portion 30a is directed upward 4mm from the center of the pupil 101c toward the eyelid 101a, the values of (1) and (2) at the specific inclination angle θ in the table shown in fig. 9 are positive, indicating successful eye dropping. The parts other than the hatched parts in the table indicate the success of eye dropping.

According to this result, in the supine position (inclination angle θ is 0 °), the liquid droplet is in contact with the upper eyelid 101a and/or the eyelashes 101d, and thus the eye dropping is unsuccessful. Thus, it can be seen that: when the inclination angle θ is 5 ° in the case of h being 4mm, the eye dropping is successful if the eye dropping distance d3 is 12mm or more.

From the above, it can be said that when the height d1 of the human eye is about 10mm and the droplet diameter d2 is about 4mm, the preferable amount of deviation h is 2mm or 3 mm. When the amount of displacement h is 4mm, the eye drops are not preferable because they adhere to the upper eyelid 101a and/or the eyelashes 101c in a state where the subject to be dropped lies on the back (the inclination angle θ is 0).

In addition, a particularly preferred offset h is 3 mm. This is because eye-dropping success is achieved by a large inclination angle θ as compared with the case where the deviation amount h is 2 mm.

The preferable amount of deviation h is not limited to 3 mm. This is because if the height d1 of the human eye and the droplet diameter d2 vary, the preferred deviation h also varies.

< Effect >

As described above, according to the eye drop support device 1 configured as described above, even when the subject to be applied with eye drops is in a sitting position or a standing position, eye dropping can be performed appropriately. Thus, the effect of the drug can be sufficiently exhibited by accurately applying eye drops to eye drops. As a result, a reduction in the period of healing of eye diseases, a reduction in mental burden on patients, and/or a significant effect of suppressing treatment costs can be expected. Further, the eyedrop assisting device 1 has a simple structure, and therefore, the manufacturing cost is suppressed, and the eyedrop assisting device is also effective in that it is not easily broken.

The administration management using the eye drop support device 1 having the above-described configuration will be described below.

< administration management >

By incorporating a camera, an LED (light emitting diode) lamp, and/or a sensor into an eye drop device such as the eye drop support 1, it is possible to grasp the actual administration situation of the patient.

For example, when the eye contact guide 20 of the eye drop support device 1 includes an LED lamp or a camera, the LED lamp is turned on when the patient holds the eye drop support device 1. The patient sees the light on and then drops the eye so that the patient can be guided so that the eyes are not closed. When the eye drops are discharged, the camera takes an image of the eyes. In this case, the image capture of the eyes by the camera means image capture of the region including the eyes when the eye drops are discharged by the camera. For example, the state immediately after the discharged eye drops are dropped into the eyes and/or the state until the discharged eye drops are dropped into the eyes can be imaged. By storing the image captured by the camera, the eye-drop state of the patient can be managed.

Further, by using an infrared temperature sensor as a sensor attached to the eye drop support device 1, it is possible to objectively detect whether or not eye dropping has succeeded. Specifically, an infrared sensor such as an Ocular surface thermal imager (Ocular surface thermometer) is incorporated inside the eye contact guide 20 of the eye drop auxiliary device 1, and the change in the surface temperature of the eye during several seconds after eye drop is measured. Since eye drops are usually at room temperature and the surface of the eye is about 37 ℃, a rapid temperature drop is detected on the surface of the eye at the moment of eye dropping. By utilizing this phenomenon, whether eye dropping was successful or not can be detected by the infrared temperature sensor.

The temperature of the eye surface may be measured using a non-contact thermometer including a subminiature-sized sensor and an amplifier. In this case, since the response speed is as fast as 30 milliseconds and the temperature change on the surface of the eye when the liquid drop enters can be detected instantaneously, it is possible to detect whether the eye drop is successful or not more quickly.

By managing data obtained by applying eye drops by the eye drop support device 1, for example, data indicating the amount of eye drops, captured image data captured by a camera, data indicating whether or not eye drops were successfully applied, in association with the date and time of application of eye drops, it is possible to grasp the actual administration of the drug to the patient.

For example, the data as described above obtained by eye dropping is stored in the eye dropping support 200 as an eye dropping apparatus and synchronized with a smartphone and/or a computer. In addition, data synchronized with the smartphone and/or computer is automatically saved to the cloud server via the telephone line and/or the internet. Hereinafter, a specific medication administration management system will be described.

< administration management System >

Fig. 10 shows a schematic block diagram of a medication administration system for performing eye drop management of a patient who uses the eye drop support appliance 1 as an eye drop apparatus.

As shown in fig. 10, the medication administration system using the eye drop support device 1 includes a smartphone (mobile terminal) 401 operated by a manager (caregiver) who performs eye drop administration of a user (patient) who uses the eye drop support device 1, a personal computer 402 operated by a manager (doctor) who performs eye drop administration of the user (patient: person to be dropped), a router 403 connected to the internet, a cloud computer 404, and an administration server 405.

< function of auxiliary device for eye drop 1 >

The eye drop support device 1 is provided with a clock, a counter, a camera, a memory, an LED lamp, a battery indicator, a communication function (Bluetooth (registered trademark) 4.0 or WiFi (registered trademark)), a barcode reading function, an IC tag reading function, and a warning sound function for loading a dedicated preparation and managing drug administration. This enables basic administration management as described below to be performed using the eye drop support device 1.

(1) Determination of the type of preparation: the barcode attached to the eye drop container 30 containing the special preparation is read by using a camera and a barcode reading function, the type of the special preparation is determined, and the type of the preparation is automatically recorded when the eye drop container 30 is inserted into the eye drop support device 1.

(2) Notification of eye drop time (warning): when the preset administration time is reached, the warning sound function of the eye drop support device 1 is used to sound the warning. In this case, the smartphone 401 that manages the eye drop support device 1 may sound a warning.

(3) Recording of eye drop time: when eye drop is performed using the eye drop support device 1, captured image data captured by a camera and data indicating whether or not eye drop was successfully performed, which is generated by a sensor, are recorded together with the date and time when eye drop was performed.

(4) Auxiliary lamp when dropping eye: the LED lamp provided in the eye contact guide 20 is turned on by a switch provided in the eye drop assisting device 1. The patient sees the light of the LED lamp and then eye drops to open the eyes consciously.

(5) ID management of devices: identification information for data management is set, and the identification information is recorded in association with the acquired data.

(6) Eye drop calendar: based on the recorded data, data (eye drop calendar) is created in which the time-series eye drop records are prepared into a table in which the date and time of eye drop, the type of preparation, image data, memo, and the like are described.

(7) Dosing history data: the type and history of the prescription preparation (date and time of instillation, amount of instillation, etc.).

(8) Residual drop amount management: the remaining amount of the eye drops and the usable period of time are displayed, whereby the remaining amount of the eye drops is controlled.

(9) Management of remaining battery level in the eye drop support device 1: the battery indicator light displays the remaining amount of the battery. For example, when the battery is considered to have a remaining capacity of about 1 year, a warning is issued one month before the remaining battery capacity is exhausted.

(10) Data communication (Bluetooth (registered trademark) or WiFi (registered trademark)) is performed with the smartphone 401 and/or the personal computer 402 using a communication function.

< functions that the smartphone 401 can realize >

Basic medication administration management described below can be performed using a function mounted on the smartphone 401.

(1) Data communication (Bluetooth (registered trademark) or WiFi (registered trademark)) is performed with the eye drop device.

(2) Downloading of cloud data (medication administration management data) from the cloud computer 404 and display of the downloaded medication administration management data are performed.

(3) The medication administration management data is displayed on the calendar.

(4) The type of the preparation being used and/or the remaining amount of liquid, the remaining number of usable days, etc. are displayed.

(5) A warning beep of the time of administration is made for each of the plurality of types of formulations.

(6) The image data and the like acquired by the eye drop support device 200 are automatically uploaded to the cloud.

< function of personal computer 402 >

Basically, the functions that the smartphone 401 can implement can be executed in the personal computer 402. As functions that can be implemented in the personal computer 402 in addition to the functions that can be implemented by the smartphone 401, at least the following functions can be implemented.

(1) Confirmation of information of a plurality of patients held by the cloud computer 404 is performed.

(2) The cumulative prescription amount for each preparation category of the patient using the eye drop support device 1 is grasped.

< example of administration management Using administration management System >

(operation of eye drop support 1)

As a method of identifying a preparation by the eye drop support device 1, there are a method of identifying a preparation by software and a method of identifying a preparation by hardware. In addition, the eye drop support device 1 does not have a power switch, and is equipped with a battery, and can be continuously driven as long as a power source is provided.

(1) Software-based agent identification method

The eye drop support device 1 directs the mounted camera to the barcode display portion of the preparation. Then, as soon as the bar code reading is completed, a "beep" sound is emitted. Thus, the registration of the kind of the preparation is completed. The preparation is placed in the eye drop support device 1 in accordance with the orientation of the nozzle of the registered preparation.

(2) Method for hardware-based agent identification

The eye drop container 30 in which the preparation is put has a protrusion in the eye drop discharge portion 30a depending on the type of the preparation, and the position of the protrusion differs depending on the type of the preparation. The preparation is disposed in the eye drop assisting device 1 so as to match the nozzle orientation of the eye drop discharge unit 30 a. Thus, the type of the preparation placed in the eye drop assisting device 1 is identified based on the position of the projection formed in the eye drop discharge portion 30a, and the identified preparation is registered in the eye drop assisting device 1.

The user lightly holds the eye drop support device 1 in which the eye drop container 30 whose preparation type is identified by the method (1) or (2) is disposed, and positions the eye contact guide 20 toward the eye. The eye drop support device 1 is provided with a curved portion 20f into which the fingers enter in order to push down the eyelid with the fingers. The eyelid is pulled downward by a finger inserted from the bent portion 20 f. In this state, the LED lamp emits light when the auxiliary device body 10 of the eye drop auxiliary device 1 is held. The patient, while seeing the light, presses the eye drop container 30 attached to the auxiliary device body 10, and 1 drop of eye drops is discharged from the tip of the nozzle of the eye drop discharge unit 30 a.

Here, the shutter of the camera provided in the eye contact guide 20 is pressed down to take a picture while the liquid droplets are discharged. At this time, the shutter is momentarily pressed a plurality of times to take a plurality of pictures. Alternatively, the sensor detects the passage of the liquid droplet or the change in the surface temperature of the eye when the liquid droplet enters the eye, and it can be observed whether the eye dropping is successful or not.

When the eye drop is completed, the eye drop container 30 containing the preparation is removed from the eye drop support device 1, and the barcode of the next preparation is read so that the next preparation can be attached, and the eye drop is performed in the above-described manner. Next, if the eye-dropping of the entire preparation is finished, the eye-dropping operation is completed.

Next, the eye drop support device 1 synchronizes data with the smartphone 401 operated by the caregiver or the patient himself/herself by Bluetooth (registered trademark) or WiFi (registered trademark).

(operation of smartphone 401)

The smartphone 401 is provided with an application program specific to the eye drop support appliance 1 for use in the medication administration system.

By using the application program, the smartphone 401 and the eye drop support 200 can communicate with each other. When communication is performed, the application program of the smartphone obtains the ID number assigned to the eye drop support device 1, and can identify the eye drop support device 1.

Further, by using the application program, communication can be performed via the management server 405 and the cloud computer 404 in the medication administration management system by using the ID number and the password assigned to the eye drop support device 1 through a telephone line.

The application program is provided with a calendar function, and can register a prescription preparation and set the timing of eye drop. Further, by synchronizing the eye drop support tool 1, the eye drop timing can be set for the eye drop support tool 1.

By using the application program, it is possible to communicate with the eye drop support device 1, and obtain data such as the time when eye dropping was performed, the type of the preparation, and an image captured by a camera and/or a sensor. The data thus acquired can be stored in both the eye drop support device 1 and the smartphone 401 for about 3 months or longer, and even if communication is impossible, the data is stored in each case.

On the display screen of the smartphone 401 during execution of the application program, whether or not the eye drop can be performed for each preparation is displayed on the calendar with a mark. In addition, images and/or recordings captured with a camera and/or sensor may also be confirmed as desired.

(cloud server)

The cloud server is constructed by a cloud computer 404 and a management server 405 on the internet, and has a database function and a parsing display function. Data for each day or a certain period is loaded to the cloud server through the smartphone 401. The loading of the data stored on the smartphone 401 is performed by clicking on "save" displayed on the display of the smartphone.

The access to the cloud server can be performed from the smartphone 401 or the personal computer 402 using the ID number and the password of the eye drop server 200.

In the case of accessing the cloud server from the smartphone 401, only data of its individual can be accessed according to the registered ID number. When a doctor wants to view data of a plurality of patients, the condition that only personal information can be viewed is achieved by separately setting the access right. For example, a doctor can check by displaying a calendar and image data indicating an eye drop history of an individual as viewing of cloud data on the personal computer 402. The doctor can confirm the number of eye drops and/or the remaining amount of liquid of each preparation as additional information on the personal computer 402, and can confirm the display for prompting prescription when the remaining amount of the preparation is reduced.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

Description of the reference numerals

1 auxiliary device for eye drop

10 auxiliary tool body

10a first opening part

10b second opening part

11 first rib

12 second rib

13 third Rib

20 eye contact guide

20a first opening part

20b second opening part

20c a third opening

20d upper end

20e lower end

20f bend

30 eye drop container (container main body)

30a eye drop discharge part

30b eye drop storage section

100 patients (eye drop)

101 eye

101a upper eyelid

101b lower eyelid

101c pupil

101d eyelash

102 right hand

103 left hand

200 auxiliary device for dropping eye

401 smart phone

402 personal computer

403 router

404 cloud computer

405 management server