APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR CLEANING OCULAR PROSTHESES

Abstract: A small compressor (13) pumps air through a closed chamber (28) in which the air is exposed to ultraviolet radiation from a u.v. lamp (31) to transform some of the oxygene to ozone. The resulting ozone-containing gas is directed into a suitable aqueous solution in a closed container (38), either through constricted tubing (34) or into a section of the container bounded by diffusing means (68), to establish movement of the ozone-containing solution over the surfaces of the contact lenses (51, 52) to remove proteinaceous material therefrom and to disinfect the lenses by chemical and hydrodynamic action. Gas that has passed through the solution and into the space in the container above the surface of the solution is then removed from the container and passed through a filter (62) that traps any remaining ozone.

Description: APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR CLEANING OCULAR PROSTHESES Background of the Invention Field of the Invention: This invention relates to the removal of undesired matter from ocular prostheses by means of ozone in a liquid solution in which the prostheses are immersed. In particu¬ lar, it relates to apparatus and a process for cleaning and disinfecting prostheses by generating ozone-containing air and then introducing the ozone-containing air into a suitable liquid solution to disinfect the solution and the prostheses immersed therein. For clarity, the terms "contact lenses", or simply "lenses", will be used in the following description and claims to mean all forms of ocular prostheses. The Prior Art: It has been proposed heretofore to pump air through a tubular structure containing an ion-discharge tube, which is a high-voltage corona-discharge device, to transform some of the oxygen in the air into ozone. The ozonized air from the ion discharge tube is then passed into a container by means of a capillary tube inserted vertically through the center of the lid of the container and extending down into a quantity of an isotonic solution in the container to produce ozone- containing bubbles in the solution. A receptacle to hold contact lenses is suspended in the container, and the isotonic solution, in which some of the ozone is also dissolved, loosens proteinaceous deposits on the surface of the lenses over a period of 30 minutes to 2 hours. However, the energy in such discharge devices not only breaks the bond of molecu- lar 0 2 into O but is strong enough to break down molecular nitrogen N 2 into N, resulting in the undesirable production of nitric acid. U.S. Patent 3,852,032 to Urbach describes a process and apparatus for sterilizing contact lenses that have ultraviolet stabilizers. The lenses are immersed in a shallow container of saline solution in an enclosure and are subjected to radia¬ tion from ultraviolet light sources. There is no attempt to produce ozone nor to stir the saline solution to assist in dislodging contaminants from the lenses. SUBSTITUTE SftsET In U.S. Patent 4,063,890 Baron describes asepticiza- tion of contact lenses by exposing them, in the absence of ozone, to ultraviolet light having a wavelength that is preferably longer than 221 nm. U. S. Patent 5,144,144 to Borovsky discloses a system in which contact lenses are immersed in a solution that is disinfected by being subjected to irradiation by ultraviolet light. The lenses are supposed to be cleaned by the disin¬ fected solution, not by the ultraviolet light, itself. In fact, the lenses are shielded from the u.v. light to avoid being damaged by it. One of the disadvantages of such a system is that there is a strong likelihood that a film of dirt will form on the lamp, which would render the lamp useless in a short time. In addition, the irradiated solution will have a selective power of disinfection, i.e., it will not kill a full spectrum of viruses, bacteria, and fungi, as ozone does. Furthermore, for the ultraviolet-disinfected solution to work, the micro¬ organisms to be affected must be in the solution; the solution will not kill microorganisms adhering to the contact lenses. Such microorganisms must first be disengaged from the lenses. Yet another difference between the Borovsky system and the present invention is that ozone in the solution, as in the present invention, can sterilize liquid and the lenses immersed therein, but irradiation of the solution by ultra¬ violet light, as suggested by Borovsky, cannot. The ozone introduced into the solution, in accordance with the present invention can attack and destroy not only microorganisms in the solution but also microorganisms that remain firmly attached to solid supporting structures of the lenses, as well as to other parts of the apparatus. Objects and Smwmary of the Invention It is an object of this invention to provide an im¬ proved process and apparatus for removing contaminants from the surfaces of contact lenses and, simultaneously, for disinfecting the lenses. Another object is to wash proteinaceous material and SUBSTITUTESHEET other contaminants from the surfaces of contact lenses by fluid in which the contact lenses are immersed, which fluid contains ozonized air injected into the fluid under sufficient pressure to set the fluid into motion, thereby cleansing and disinfecting the contact lenses by both the chemical effect of the ozone and the mechanical washing action due to the motion of the fluid. Yet another object is to provide compact cleansing apparatus that includes ultraviolet irradiating means for generating ozonized air and means for supporting contact lenses in a suitable solution into which the ozonized air can be injected along a path that is particularly effective in agitating the solution and bringing the combined moving solu¬ tion and gas into relatively vigorous and long-term contact with surfaces of the contact lenses to act on proteinaceous, bacterial, viral, and other contaminants on the surfaces. A further object is to introduce the ozonized air into the immediate vicinity of the contact lenses through diffusing means having microscopic passageways. A still further object is to arrange the compact clean¬ sing apparatus so that the liquid in it will not easily spill out or flow into the wrong.parts of the apparatus if the appa¬ ratus is inadvertently overturned. Those who are skilled in the technology with which this invention deals will recognize further objects after studying the following description. In accordance with this invention, apparatus for disin¬ fecting and cleaning contact lenses includes an ozone genera¬ tion chamber in which there is a lamp to generate ultraviolet radiation having wavelengths longer than 150 nm. but shorter than about 200 nm. Gas that includes oxygen, such as the ambient air in which the apparatus is used, is forced through the ozone generation chamber to be exposed to the ultraviolet radiation from the lamp to effect photo-disassociation of at least some of the molecular oxygen 0 2 in the gas into atomic oxygen 0 that can reform as ozone 0 3 to produce ozonized air. The u.v. radiation at these wavelengths is not sufficiently SUBSTITUTESHEET energetic to break down molecular nitrogen N 2 into N. The ozonized air is then fed to an ozone reaction chamber that includes support means in which the contact lenses are held at a predetermined location above the bottom surface and fur- ther includes a removable closure that can be opened to insert and remove the lenses and can be closed fluid-tight when the lenses are in the chamber. The reaction chamber is partly filled with an isotonic solution up to a level above that at which the * lenses are supported, and in order to allow the solution to reach the lenses, the support means are provided with openings, or foramina. In one embodiment, ozonized air from the ozone genera¬ tion chamber enters the reaction chamber by way of entrance means such as injection means located at an entrance location in a first wall of the reaction chamber. The entrance loca¬ tion and the injection means are so placed and arranged as to direct a fine stream of the ozonized air into the solution in a direction to produce movement of the solution along a generally spiral path that causes the moving solution to pass through the foramina of the support means and move into con¬ tact with the lenses therein. As a result, the ozone in the solution reacts both hydrodynamically and chemically with both the macroscopic and microscopic contaminants on those lenses to remove such contaminants without requiring that the lenses be rubbed by hand. Gaseous components of the ozonized air that do not react chemically while in the solution eventu¬ ally rise from the surface thereof and escape from the reac¬ tion chamber through an exit passageway that passes through a wall of the chamber. Alternatively, the ozone may be introduced into the chamber through diffusion means having passageways smaller than about 5 microns, as measured by the largest sphere they will pass. This improves the absorption of the ozone in the solution. The method of removing contaminants from contact lenses according to this invention includes the steps of generating SUBSTITUTESHEET ozone from oxygen in an oxygen-containing gas to produce an ozone-containing gas, directing the ozone-containing gas into an isotonic solution in a closed container containing the contact lenses to transform the solution into an ozone- containing solution and to produce movement of the ozone- containing solution into contact with the lenses to clean and disinfect the lenses, and removing, from the container, gas that has passed through the solution and into the space in the container above the surface of the solution. The invention will be described in greater detail in connection with the drawings, in which like reference numbers in different figures indicate the same item. Brief Description of the Drawings Fig. l is a simplified side view of apparatus, partial- ly in cross section, that includes the structural features of the invention and is capable of carrying out the method of the invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the electric circuit for the apparatus in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top cross-sectional view. of a modified reaction chamber that has two injection means in accordance with a modified embodiment of the invention. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the lenses holder of Fig. 1 with a diffusing screen through which ozone passes into the solution in which the lenses are immersed. Detailed Description of a Preferred Rmhnriinignr Fig. 1 shows a device 11 according to one embodiment of this invention and including a cabinet, or housing, 12 within which is an air-pump, or compressα-e^—3r3—tϊr±veτr-'Ey^afr electric motor 14. The compressor and motor are in a chamber 16 inside the housing 12 and are mounted on a foam pad 17 that serves as a shock mount to absorb any vibrations. Two open¬ ings 18 and 19 through which air can reach the compressor are shown, although either one of them could be used by itself. The opening 18 extends through the shock mount 17 and one wall 20 of the housing 12 and allows air to enter the compres¬ sor chamber from outside the housing. The opening 19 allows SUBSTITUTESHEET air from other parts of the housing 12 to enter the compressor chamber 16. The motor 14 is electrically connected to a controller 21 that includes an on-off switch 22 and a timer 23 capable 5 of keeping the apparatus in operation for any desired length of time from 3 minutes, or even less, to 30 minutes, or even more. A pushbutton 24 controls the operation of the switch 22, and an electric line cord 26 and plug 27 allow the device 11 to be plugged into a standard 120-volt receptacle. A 10 typical circuit for the electrical components in Fig. 1 is shown in Fig. 2. The device 11 also includes another chamber 28, which, in this embodiment, is a bottle with a closure 29 that seals it airtight and supports a 4-watt 0Z4S11N ultraviolet lamp 15 31 capable of emitting radiation in the ultraviolet range of wavelengths below about 200 nm. and above about 150 nm. This is the range in which stable molecular oxygen 0 2 can be most efficiently transformed into ozone 0 3 by photo-disassociation. Radiation having a wavelength of about 185 nm. is particularly 20 effective. Air from the compressor 13 is pumped into the ozone generation chamber 28 by way of a tube 32 that passes through the closure 29 into the lower part of the chamber. When the air reaches the chamber 28, ultraviolet radiation from the lamp transforms some of the oxygen in that air to 25 ozone. The resulting mixture of air, ozone, and any untrans- for ed oxygen is referred to hereinafter as ozonized air. Another tube 34 passes through the closure 29 to carry the ozonized air away from the ozone generation chamber 28. ~~ ^- Both tubes-32—and—34—ar«-~preferably made of silicon rubber 30 so as to be resistant to attack by ozone. It is important that the ozone generation chamber 28 be sealed airtight, except for the passages through the tubes 32 and 34, since it would be undesirable for any of the ozone generated in the chamber to leak out. 35 The lamp 31 is connected to a ballast 37, which operates in a standard way to control the operation of the lamp. In this embodiment, the ballast is simply an inductor SUBSTITUTE SHEET in series with the lamp. The ballast and lamp circuit receive current from the timer 23, which allows the lamp to be kept in operation for any selected length of time after the push¬ button 24 has been actuated. In the central part of the housing 12 in this embodi¬ ment is a container 38, which constitutes a reaction chamber in which contact lenses to be cleaned and disinfected are brought into contact with a suitable solution 39, such as an isotonic, saline solution, which is agitated and disinfected, or purified, by a stream of ozonized air from the ozone generation chamber 28. The container 38 comprises an upper part 41 and a lower part 42 sealed together watertight to hold a quantity of the solution. The upper part 41 extends through a hole 43 in the top wall 44 of the housing 12 and is joined watertight to that wall. A closure 46, which may be molded of a suitable material, such as polyethylene, is threaded onto the upper end 47 of the upper part 41 to seal the reaction chamber 38 fluid-tight. A rod 48, which may be integrally molded with the closure, extends down from center of the underside thereof and has a support member, or basket, 49 at its lower end. The basket basically consists of two clamshell-shaped pockets attached by living hinges to the bottom of the rod 48 so that they can be opened to place contact lenses 51 and 52 in the pockets. The upper tube 34 from the ozone generation chamber 28 has a slender, hollow capillary tube, or needle, 53 at the end remote from that chamber. The capillary tube passes through the side wall 54 of the lower part 42 in a direction such that its tip 55 points downward at a angle toward the bottom wall 56 of the lower part to serve as injection means to direct ozonized air from the ozone generation chamber into the solution 39. Furthermore, the capillary tube enters the reaction chamber more nearly tangentially than radially. A stainless steel needle from a hypodermic syringe may be used as the capillary tube, since it has a pointed tip that can pierce the side wall 54. The lower part 42 of the reaction SUBSTITUTE SHEET chamber 38 may be molded of polyethylene to which a stainless steel needle, such as the needle 53, can be sealed watertight. The reaction chamber 38 is also provided with another slender, hollow tube 57 near the upper end of its upper part 41 to serve as an exhaust port. A needle from a hypodermic syringe may also be used as the tube 57, and it is preferably about the same gauge as, or a little larger than, the tube 53. Preferably, it is directed along an upward incline so that its tip 60 points generally toward the closure 46 so as not to catch any of the solution 39, under normal operating conditions. Any solution that did enter the tube 57 would run down through a tube 59 into a cup 61 below the reaction chamber 38. The tube 57 need not be tangentially oriented, but, like the tube 53, it must be sealed gas-tight to the side wall 58, and at least its tip must be above the top level of the solution 39. The tube 59 is made of ozone-resistant elastomeric material and extends down alongside that chamber and terminates near the bottom of the open cup 61. This cup holds filter material 62, such as a quantity of charcoal particles, which may be produced by comminuting charcoal and serves as both an ozone filter and a filter for any overflow¬ ing solution. Any ozone that reaches the charcoal has to work its way back up in order to escape. In doing so, the ozone oxidizes the charcoal, thus using up the ozone. Very little, if any, solution 39 is expected to reach the filter 62. The cup 61 is open at the top to allow gas, minus most or all of the ozone, to escape from it, and it is provided with a hollow overflow tube 63, the upper end of which is just below the level of the upper edge of the cup. The tube 63 extends down through the charcoal filter and through the bottom of the cup 61 and the bottom wall 64 of the housing 12. The reaction chamber 38 and the cup 61 may be molded as a unit, and the ozone generation chamber 28 may be molded as a separate unit. In any event, it is important for the ozone generation chamber to be sealed against any leakage of ozone when the device 11 is in use. SUBSTITUTESHEET When contact lenses 51 and 52 are to be disinfected and cleaned, they are placed in the basket 49, where they will be held securely, and a suitable amount of the solution 39 is poured into the reaction chamber 38. The proper amount of solution may be indicated by a mark 66 far enough up on the wall of the reaction chamber 38 so that the basket will be immersed in the solution when the closure 46 is threaded onto the upper end 47. The basket has sufficient openings, or foramina, in its clamshell-shaped pockets to ' allow the solution 39 to have easy access to the lenses 51 and 52. The solution 39 should not fill the reaction chamber 38 complete¬ ly; filling it only about 1/3 to 1/2 full is sufficient. The closure 46 can be screwed onto the upper end of the reaction chamber 38 after the solution 39 and the contact lenses have been put in place. It is safe to keep the plug 27 inserted in a 120-volt receptacle at all times, since the only time the device 11 operates is after the pushbutton 24 has been pressed, and then the duration of operation will be determined by the timer 23. However, it is not necessary that the device 11 be kept plugged in, if it is not convenient to do so. Pressing the pushbutton 24 turns on the motor 14 and starts the compressor 13, and it also turns on the lamp 31, which causes the produc¬ tion of ozone to begin. Light from lamp 31 will then be visi- ble through the upper part 41 of the reaction chamber, but the user will not be directly exposed to ultraviolet radiation. The compressor will generate a whishing sound, which also serves to indicate that the device 11 is working. The tube 34 carries ozonized air from the ozone genera- tion chamber 28 to the hollow capillary tube 53, and the gas streams from the tube as bubbles entering the solution 39 along a downward, sloping path somewhat tangential to the side wall. Such needles are produced in a variety of diame¬ ters, and it is preferable that the tube 53 have an internal channel with a cross-sectional diameter approximately equal to that of a standard hypodermic needle between about an 18- gauge and a 24-gauge, preferably about a 22-gauge. SUBSTITUTE SHEET It is desirable that the internal cross-sectional area of the tube 53 be small enough to cause the ozonized air to emerge from it at a relatively high velocity to agitate the solution 39 vigorously, which will produce a foaming action. The bigger the tube, the larger the bubbles and the greater the volume of ozonized air, but the lower the velocity at which the air flows. A stream of bubbles from a relatively large tube, corresponding to an 18-gauge needle, for example, results in less vigorous agitation than a stream of bubbles from a smaller tube corresponding to a 24-gauge needle. The large bubbles tend just to rise up through the reaction cham¬ ber 38. Higher velocity of the air results in greater agita¬ tion of the solution 39 and helps scale the proteinaceous material off the surfaces of the contact lenses 51 and 52. On the other hand, the smaller bubbles contain less ozone and, thus, may take longer to purify the solution 39 and oxidize the proteinaceous material and disinfect the lenses. It is desirable to inject the ozonized air at an angle toward the bottom 56 of the reaction chamber 38 and somewhat tangentially to the side wall 58 to create a spiralling effect of the bubbles and of the solution set in motion by the bub¬ bles. This increases the length of time the bubbles are in the solution and further assists in washing contaminants off of the contact lens surfaces without having to rub them by hand. The ozone sanitizes, or disinfects, the solution first as the bubbles enter it and the ozone becomes dissolved. Increasing the path length the bubbles have to travel before they reach the top surface of the solution 39 increases the length of time available for the ozone to be dissolved and keeps the bubbles bumping against the contact lenses 51 and 52 longer, thus improving the mechanical scaling of protein¬ aceous material from the surfaces of the lenses. It will be noticed that the tube 34 emerges from the upper portion of the ozone generation chamber 28 and wraps about half way around the reaction chamber 38 to the capillary tube 53, which enters the reaction chamber on the side away from the ozone generation chamber 28 and on the same side as SUBSTITUTE SHEET the exhaust capillary tube 57. While many of the arrangements of components in Fig. 1 are arbitrary and their positions can be changed with no problem, the relationship between the tube 34, the capillary tube 53, the ozone generation chamber 28, the reaction chamber 38, and the exhaust tube 57 provides a safety feature. The device 11 is relatively small and can be moved about easily. This makes the device convenient for packing in an overnight bag for traveling, but it also means that the device 11 can be turned over more easily than if it were large and heavy or were bolted to a shelf. If, while the reaction chamber 38 contained as much of the solution 39 as it does when cleaning contact lenses, the device 11 were rotated counterclockwise from the position shown in Fig. 1, a position would be reached in which the surface of the solution 39 was below the tip 55 of the capil¬ lary tube 53. In that same position, the tip 60 of the ex¬ haust tube 57 would still be above the surface of the solu¬ tion, and that relationship would be true until the device had been rotated more than 90°. With both tubes 53 and 57 out of contact with the solution 39, there would be no way for the solution to pour out of the reaction chamber 38. If the rotation continued past 90°, a position would eventually be reached in which the tip 60 of the tube 57 was immersed in the solution 39 while the tube 53 still remained free. However, when the tip 60 of the tube 57 is in the solu¬ tion, the other end of the tube 59 would be higher than the tip thereof, and still no solution could flow out of the reac¬ tion chamber. That status would continue until the device 11 was past the upside-down position. If the counterclockwise rotation continued past the 180° angle to a position near the 270° angle, a position would be reached in which the tips 55 and 60 of both tubes 53 and 57 might be immersed in the solution 39, depending on how far the tips extended into the reaction chamber. In that posi- tion, the ozone generation chamber 28 would be above the reac¬ tion chamber 38, and the solution 39 could not flow uphill to reach the ozone generation chamber. It is possible that SUBSTITUTESHEET a tiny amount of the solution could pass through the tubes 57 and 59 to the filter 62, but the tube 57 has a small diameter, and the flow would not be rapid. In addition, the reaction chamber is normally less than half full, even when in use. By having the tip 60 extend far enough into the reaction chamber 38 to be above the highest level the solution could reach with the device 11 rotated counterclockwise 270° (or 90° clockwise), no solution could reach the tip 60 to pass through the tubes 57 and 59. In no event would the solution flow into the ozone generation chamber 28, which must be kept dry. After each use, the closure 46 should be unscrewed to remove the cleaned contact lenses 51 and 52, and the device 11 tipped up to pour all of the used solution out of the reaction chamber. Fresh solution should be put in each time the device 11 is used. As shown in Fig. 3, it may be desirable to use two small tubes 53a and 53b of 22-gauge or 24-gauge in parallel to keep the size of the bubbles small to promote better agitation than can be obtained with one large tube, even though the total cross-sectional area of the two 22-gauge tubes would be about equal to the cross-sectional area of one 18-gauge tube. Fig. 3 is the view looking down into a reaction chamber 38a, which is similar to the reaction chamber 38 in Fig. 1, except that the topmost part of the upper part 41 in Fig. 1 has been removed to expose the locations of the pair of capillary tubes 53a and 53b. The tubes 53a and 53b slope down toward the bottom of the chamber 38a in the same way that the tube 53 in Fig. 1 slopes down. In addition, the tubes 53a and 53b in Fig. 3 are directed tangentially to the reaction chamber 38a in the same way that has been described for the single tube 53 in Fig. 1. A special tube 34a having two outlet channels is used in place of the single-channel tube 34 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows a fragment of a reaction chamber 138 that differs from the chamber 38 in Fig. 1 primarily in that the chamber 138 has a diffusing plate 68 clamped between the bottom edge of the upper part 41 and a shelf 69 formed on a SUBSTITUTE SHEET modified form of a lower part 142. The diffusing plate walls off a space 70 in the chamber 138 into which ozonized air is inserted through a tube 153, which may be similar to the capillary 53 in Fig. 1 but is not necessarily identical to the capillary 53. The space 70 in this embodiment is in the lowermost part of the chamber 138, below the basket 49 that holds the lenses, as shown in Fig. 1. The diffusing plate 68 has a plurality of tiny passage¬ ways 71 therethrough to allow ozonized air inserted into the space 70 through the tube 153 to pass through to the central and upper regions of the chamber 138 where the lenses to be cleaned and disinfected are secured in a structure that may be the same as the basket 49 in Fig. 1. The width of the passageways 71 is grossly exaggerated in the drawing for the purpose of making the passageways visible. Their actual diameter would not be greater than 5 microns, as measured by the diameter of the largest spherical item that could pass through them. As a result of this small size, the passageways 71 would break the bubbles of ozonized air up into extremely small size. An advantage of doing so would be to improve the absorption rate of the ozone into the part of the solution 39 above the diffusing plate. The chamber 138 could be substituted for the chamber 38 in Fig. 1 and the rest of the components shown in Fig. 1 but not in Fig. 4 would operate as described previously. The concept described herein in connection with speci¬ fic embodiments may also be embodied in other forms without departing from the true scope of the invention. SUBSTITUTESHEET

Claims: What is claimed is: 1. Apparatus for cleaning and disinfecting contact lenses, said apparatus comprising: (a) an ozone generation chamber; (b) an ultraviolet generation lamp in the chamber to generate radiation having a wavelength shorter than about 200 nm. and longer than about 150 nm. ; (c) pressure means to force air through the ozone generation chamber to be exposed to ultraviolet radiation from the lamp to produce pressurized ozonized air; (d) a reaction chamber comprising support means to support the contact lenses at a first location; (e) an isotonic solution partially filling the reaction chamber sufficiently to cover the contact lenses; (f) insertion means connected to the ozone gene- ration chamber to receive pressurized ozonized air therefrom and connected to the reaction chamber to direct the pressurized ozonized air into the reaction chamber and into the solution to sterilize the solution and to produce movement thereof over the surfaces of the contact lenses to allow the ozone in the moving solution to clean and disinfect the lenses; and (g) exhaust means communicating with the reaction chamber and including entrance means above the solution to allow gas that has passed through the solution to enter the entrance means to escape from the reaction chamber. 2. The apparatus in claim 1 in which the insertion means comprise a hollow tube having an internal cross- sectional area equal to that of a hypodermic needle between about 18-gauge and 24-gauge. 3. The apparatus in claim 2 in which the internal cross-sectional area of the hollow tube is substantially equal to that of a 22-gauge hypodermic needle. 4. The apparatus in claim 1 in which the insertion means comprise a pair of hollow needles, each having a diameter equal to that of a hypodermic needle between about 20-gauge and 24-gauge. SUBSTITUTESHEET 5. The apparatus in claim 1 in which the reaction chamber comprises: (a) bottom and side wall means; (b) closure means attachable liquid-tight to the side wall means, the support means supporting the contact lenses at a first location higher than the bottom wall means, the insertion means terminating in the solution at a second location lower than the first location and injecting the ozonized air toward a third location lower than the second location to cause the pressurized, ozxonized air to circulate in the isotonic solution. 6. The apparatus in claim 5 in which the insertion means comprises a hollow tube extending through the side wall means at a first wall location and directed at an angle toward the bottom wall means. 7. The apparatus in claim 5 comprising capillary means passing through the side wall means at a second wall location and aimed toward a region above the second wall location and extending above the solution. 8. The apparatus of claim 5 in which the insertion means comprises a first hollow tube having a passage therethrough substantially equal in cross-sectional area to that of a hypodermic needle having a diameter between about 18-gauge and 24-gauge, and the capillary means comprise a second hollow tube having a passage therethrough with a cross- sectional area at least substantially as great as that of the first needle. 9. The apparatus of claim 8 in which the first wall location is on the same side of the reaction chamber as the second wall location and on the opposite side of the reaction chamber from the ozone generation chamber. 10. The apparatus of claim 5 comprising gas and liquid filter means below the reaction chamber, the exhaust means being connected to the filter means to remove ozone remaining in the gas from the reaction chamber. 11. The apparatus of claim 10 in which the filter means comprises a bed of comminuted charcoal. SUBSTITUTE SHEET 12. The apparatus of claim 5 comprising diffusing means in the reaction chamber between a first part of the reaction chamber and a second part thereof containing the support means supporting the lenses. 13. The apparatus of claim 12 in which the diffusing means comprises plate means having passageways therethrough. 14. the apparatus of claim 13 in which all of the pas- sageways have diameters too small to pass a spherical object that has a diameter greater than 5 microns. 15. The apparatus of claim 13 in which the plate means is adjacent the bottom wall means and below the location of the support means. 16. The apparatus of claim 15 in which the vessel holding the bed of filter material comprises an open drain tube extending upwardly through the bottom of the vessel and having an open upper end above the surface of the bed of filter material. 17. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the means to force the gas through the ozone generating chamber comprises a compressor. 18. Apparatus for cleaning surfaces of contact lenses, said apparatus comprising: (a) an ozone generation chamber with an ultraviolet generation lamp therein to generate ultraviolet radiation having wavelengths shorter than about 200 nm. and longer than about 150 nm. ; (b) pumping means to force the air through the ozone generation chamber to be exposed to the ultraviolet radiation from the lamp to produce ozonized air; (c) a reaction chamber comprising a bottom surface and containing an isotonic solution up to a predetermined level above the bottom surface; (d) support means with multiple openings there- through to support contact lenses in a position in the reac- tion chamber to be washed by the moving solution to allow the ozone in the solution to react with contaminants on the sur- faces of the contact lenses to remove those contaminants SUBSTITUTE SHEET therefrom, the chamber having a removable closure that can be opened to insert and remove contact lenses and can be closed fluid-tight when the lenses are inside the chamber; (e) first capillary means extending through a first location in a first wall of the reaction chamber at an acute angle to a second wall of the reaction chamber and away from the contact lenses to inject a stream of the ozonized air bubbles directly into the solution in the reaction chamber to produce movement of the solution through the openings in the support means and over the surfaces of the contact lenses to remove contaminants on those surface; and (f) exhaust means passing through a second wall location above the predetermined level in the reaction chamber to allow gas emerging from the solution to escape from the reaction chamber. 19. The apparatus of claim 18 comprising, in addition, means connected to the ozone generation chamber to receive ozonized air therefrom at a second predetermined level and connected to the first capillary means to supply the ozonized air to the reaction chamber. 20. The method of removing contaminants from the surfaces of contact lenses, said method comprising the steps of: (a) generating ozone by photo-disassociation of oxygen in an oxygen-containing gas to produce an ozonized air; (b) directing a concentrated jet of the ozonized air into an isotonic solution partially filling a closed container containing the contact lenses to transform the solution into an ozone-containing solution and to establish movement of the ozone-containing solution to wash the surfaces of the contact lenses to remove contaminants therefrom; and (c) removing from the container gas that has passed through the solution. SUBSTITUTE SHEET

Inventors: BARNES RONALD L, BARNES, RONALD, L.
Applicants: BARNES RONALD L, BARNES, RONALD, L.
Application year: 1993
Main classification: G01N23
IPC codes: A61L12, G02C13