Soft contact lens apparatus

A soft contact lens apparatus formed of a resilient material having a generally U-shape. A control portion forms the seat of the U-shape, while an intermediate fulcrum section operates to spread forwardly located finger and tip means as said control portion is squeezed together. When released, the material's resiliency allows the tips to return to their substantially closed position. This return movement is used to pinch the soft contact lens from the eye without injury or damage to the eye or lens since the tips are made of soft yet firm material, and the amount of force is slight and predetermined by the natural resiliency of the material. The apparatus may also be used to insert the lens.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a novel soft contact lens device used for 
insertion and removal of the lens. 
Contact lenses can be made to correct most visual conditions correctable by 
regular eyeglasses. Moreover, contact lenses are not readily visible and 
provide the user with a wider field of vision than do eyeglasses. 
The first contact lenses were of the "hard" variety, that is to say, they 
are lathe cut and polished or are molded of a relatively rigid material, 
usually methylmethacrylate, and formed by heat and pressure to the exact 
shape of the wearer's eye. The user must learn to wear them over a period 
of time. Many persons have experienced difficulty in wearing hard contact 
lenses. 
A recent innovation has beeen the "soft" contact lens constructed of 
flexible and liquid absorbent material such as 2-hydroxethyl methacrylate. 
Although very comfortable to wear, the soft contact lens has some 
problems, including the difficulty of removal. 
Generally, soft contact lenses are removed by the wearer moving the contact 
lens off the cornea onto the sclera and pinching the soft contact between 
his fingertips, thereby removing the contact lens from the eye. 
Unfortunately, some people have difficulty in removing the contact lens 
because of their difficulty in placing their fingers on the cornea, while 
others have long or sharp fingernails and still others are generally 
clumsy having large fingers. 
As discussed above, hard contact lenses are easily removed by a scissoring 
action of the eyelids or by suction cup type of removal devices. Such a 
scissoring action is inappropriate for soft contact lenses, and a suction 
device does not effectively work because of the relative potential damage 
which can be done to the surface of the eye in attempting to break the 
greater capillary attraction which keeps the soft contact lens on the eye. 
STATEMENT OF PRIOR ART 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,976 is illustrative of a type of device for placing and 
removing soft contact lenses. In particular, a tip means 12 is provided to 
hold lens 16 by force of adhesion for purposes of application of a contact 
lens on the eye. To remove the lens 16, the user squeezes suction means 52 
and aligns tip means 12 with the eye 20 using an optical target 54. The 
use of suction to lift the contact lens off the eye has the 
above-identified disadvantages, including the possible injury to the eye. 
Further, the use of an optical target does not eliminate the possibility 
of the user improperly placing the tip too close to the eye and causing 
injury in attempting to put the tip properly on the contact prior to 
suction being applied. 
Other prior art in the general field of soft contact lens removers but not 
related to this invention are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,879,076 and 4,082,339. 
The present invention removes the contact lens by providing a clamp means 
which operates to simulate the finger's action in removing soft lenses. 
The capillary attraction between the lens and eye is broken by the tips of 
the clamp device which is significantly safer and surer than the 
above-identified suction type device. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An object of this invention is to provide a soft contact lens remover which 
is efficient to use, safe and inexpensive to manufacture. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a soft contact 
lens remover which approximates the normal action of the users fingers, 
while eliminating the requirement of the fingers actually being used to 
squeeze and pinch the contact lens off the eye. 
Another object of this invention is to provide a contact lens remover which 
may be portable so as to be carried wherever the user goes. 
Another object of this invention is to provide a soft contact lens remover 
which is susceptible to being easily sterilized and stored for instant 
retrieval and use. 
Other objects, advantages and features of this invention will become more 
apparent from the following description. 
In accordance with the principles of this invention, and in achieving the 
above-identified objects, the present invention provides for a soft 
contact lens apparatus comprising a clamp device having a general 
elongated U-shape, with a control portion being defined rearwardly of an 
intermediate portion, having clamp fingers defined forwardly thereof, with 
the control portion being squeezed together to open the fingers of the 
clamp. The fingers terminate in respective tips made of a firm yet soft 
material. 
In order to remove the soft contact lens from the eye, the capillary 
attraction between the lens and the eye must be broken. This is 
accomplished with the present invention by providing the tips. The tips 
are horizontally aligned with respect to the eye, and the control portion 
is squeezed together opening the tips to a spacing which is slightly 
greater than the diameter of the lens. The capillary attraction is broken 
either at the edge of the lens as the control portion is released and the 
tips move together, or the tips frictionally grab the contact lens while 
on the eye, and upon complete release of the control portion, the tips 
squeeze together from the article's natural resilency pinching the contact 
lens and breaking capillary attraction so that it can be removed from the 
eye. It is contemplated that the present invention can be molded and 
manufactured of a resilient rubber material, with the tip ends being soft 
enough to prevent damage or injury to the eye or lens, yet firm enough to 
fold the contact lens off the eye. 
The tips which hold the lens may also be used to insert the lens by placing 
the resilient tips against the cornea to insert the lens.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
Referring to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 a contact lens 
apparatus of this device generally illustrated with the numeral 10 
comprising a generally elongated U-shape formed of a resilient material 
having an intermediate portion 12 with a control portion 14 defined 
rearwardly of the intermediate portion and clamp fingers 16 defined 
forwardly thereof. Intermediate portion 12 functions as a fulcrum, so that 
when control portion 14 is squeezed together, a reverse motion or indirect 
action is imparted to clamp fingers 16 spreading them apart, as seen in 
FIG. 2. 
The control portion 14 is provided with ribbed finger control sections 18, 
along the opposite outer edges thereof, while the clamp fingers 16 
terminate in tips 20. In the view illustrated in FIG. 1, with the control 
section in its normal relaxed position, the tips 20 are close together 
with a slight spacing therebetween. 
Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a further detail of the tips which are 
formed of a generally curved outwardly flared O-shaped ring of a rubbery 
or resilient type of material, easily deformable to conform to the shape 
of the eye so as to grab onto the contact lens on the eye. The material 
chosen for the tips is soft enough to prevent injury or damage to the eye 
or contact lens, but firm enough to hold on to the soft contact lens as it 
is being pinched together and it is removed from the surface of the eye. 
The clamp is formed of a resilient material, capable of being disinfected. 
More importantly, the material contains sufficient firmness so as to 
enable it to be efficiently manipulated, yet is comprised of sufficient 
softness so as to prevent injury to the eye or lens if the clamp is moved 
too close to the eye with too sudden a force. The provision of soft tips 
20 formed of the above-identified general O-shaped ring is illustrative of 
a construction which enables a soft yet firm front surface to be provided. 
The shape of the front surface may be the above-identified curve or any 
other shape which will generally conform easily to the surface of the eye 
upon a slight application of pressure between the clamp and the eye while 
the contact lens is being removed. 
The clamp fingers essentially terminate in outwardly flared engaging 
surfaces which are contoured to the shape of the eye and the shape of the 
lens. These surfaces are almost lip-like in appearance, and when the lens 
is placed in these surfaces, it may be placed on the eye by merely placing 
the lens in the surfaces on the cornea of the eye. Since the material is 
resilient, it easily conforms to the shape of the eye, thus inserting or 
depositing the lens thereon. 
Referring again to FIG. 2, there is shown the control means 14 squeezed 
together which causes the corresponding reverse or indirect motion in the 
contact fingers 16 and tips 20 to spread the tips apart. Preferably, the 
spread between tips 20 should be no greater than 1 or 2 millimeters more 
than the diameter of the soft contact lens in order to enable the device 
to efficiently work. 
In actual operation, it is preferred that the contact lens first be removed 
from the cornea to the sclera by placing the tips 20 in their closed 
position against the contact lens and moving it off the cornea. While off 
the cornea, the control portion 14 is squeezed together, thereby opening 
tips 20. The tips are located horizontally across the eye and break the 
capillary attraction between the lens and the eye as the control portion 
is being released. This occurs either by the tips breaking the capillary 
attraction at the edge of the lens or by grabbing the lens between the 
fingers and the contact lens is squeezed or pinched together as it is 
removed from the eye. 
The contact lens remover may be made of a unitary assembly or may be made 
of separate components joined or connected together. Preferably, 
inexpensive molding material, such as a rubber or rubbery type plastic may 
be employed to fabricate the contact lens remover. 
It should be noted that the contact lens remover of this invention serves 
as a sterile means of removing the soft contact lens, since the user's 
fingers do not touch the lens. In some instances, such sterility is 
important and desirable to prevent contamination, and due to the material 
used to form the device, it may be stored in a disinfecting solution. 
The contact lens remover of this invention is adapted to operate 
effectively with all sizes of soft contact lenses. 
The above-description of this invention illustrates but one preferred 
embodiment thereof, and other embodiments of the invention as specifically 
set forth in this application may be achieved without departing from the 
invention as defined in this patent application.