Case for sterilizing contact lenses

Abstract

A case for sterilizing contact lenses wherein a contact lens sterilization process using a hydrogen peroxide solution can be carried out easily and rapidly while effectively preventing both damage to the lenses and deposition of a heavy metal from a metal catalyst on the lenses. The contact lenses are horizontally supported in the hydrogen peroxide solution on a bottom surface of a lens containing portion which opens upward, and a contact preventing member which prevents the contact lenses from coming into contact with the metal catalyst is provided between the metal catalyst and the lens containing portion.

1 . A case for sterilizing contact lenses comprising:
 a pair of lens containing portions each opening upward for immersing and sterilizing a contact lens for a left eye and a contact lens for a right eye within a hydrogen peroxide solution, a bottom surface of each of the lens containing portions being adapted to support the contact lens horizontally in a state where either one of a concave side lens surface and a convex side lens surface faces toward an opening of the lens containing portion;   a metal catalyst which catalyzes decomposition reaction of the hydrogen peroxide solution, being provided at a location where the metal catalyst comes into contact with the hydrogen peroxide solution; and   a contact preventing member provided between the metal catalyst and the lens containing portion for preventing the contact lens from coming into contact with the metal catalyst.   
     
     
         2 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 1 , wherein the metal catalyst is positioned below the contact lens adapted to be contained in the lens containing portion. 
     
     
         3 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 1 , further comprising: a solution containing portion for containing the hydrogen peroxide solution; and a protruding support part projecting from a bottom surface of the solution containing portion, wherein the lens containing portion is formed at a projecting distal end of the protruding support part. 
     
     
         4 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 3 , wherein the protruding support part includes a leg portion projecting from the bottom surface of the solution containing portion and an umbrella-shaped head portion flaring peripherally outward from a projecting distal end of the leg portion, and the lens containing portion is formed at the umbrella-shaped head portion. 
     
     
         5 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 4 , wherein in the solution containing portion, the metal catalyst is positioned below the umbrella-shaped head portion, the contact preventing member comprises the umbrella-shaped head portion of the protruding support part, and the umbrella-shaped head portion limits movement of the metal catalyst within the solution containing portion so as to prevent the metal catalyst from coming into contact with the contact lens adapted to be contained in the lens containing portion of the umbrella-shaped head portion. 
     
     
         6 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 1 , wherein, as the contact preventing member, a passage constricting member is provided between areas where the contact lens and the metal catalyst are positioned in order to prevent movement of both the contact lens and the metal catalyst while permitting flow of the hydrogen peroxide solution. 
     
     
         7 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 1 , further comprising a temporary lens platform for temporarily retaining the contact lens, the temporary lens platform being provided at a surface away from a solution containing portion which is adapted to contain the hydrogen peroxide solution. 
     
     
         8 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 1 , wherein: a solution containing portion which is adapted to contain the hydrogen peroxide solution includes the lens containing portion; a lid is provided for covering the solution containing portion; and a gas discharge passage is provided for discharging an oxygen gas, which is generated in association with a decomposition of the hydrogen peroxide solution, from the solution containing portion with the solution containing portion covered by the lid. 
     
     
         9 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 8 , wherein the lid is provided in a bendable manner to a case main unit which forms the solution containing portion, and the solution containing portion is adapted to be covered by means of the lid being bent with respect to the case main unit so as to be superposed against an upper face of the case main unit onto which the solution containing portion opens. 
     
     
         10 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 9 , wherein the case main unit and the lid is integrally molded from a thin-walled resin material, and the lid is bendable by being bent at a linking portion of the case main unit and the lid. 
     
     
         11 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 1 , further comprising a catalyst containing portion which contains the metal catalyst, wherein the pair of lens containing portions and the catalyst containing portion are respectively formed as recesses that open upward, and mutual communication passages are formed for mutually connecting the recesses so as to allow the hydrogen peroxide solution to flow among the recesses. 
     
     
         12 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 11 , wherein each of the pair of lens containing portions has an aperture of the mutual communication passage, and the aperture has a length equal to ⅕ or more of a circumference of the lens containing portion. 
     
     
         13 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 11 , wherein the mutual communication passages interconnect the recesses so as to form an annular circulation passage. 
     
     
         14 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 13 , wherein:
 the catalyst containing portion is positioned between the pair of lens containing portions;   a pair of adjacent communication passages each connecting with one of the lens containing portions are formed on a rim of an opening of the catalyst containing portion at positions opposed to each other so that the pair of lens containing portions are interconnected via the catalyst containing portion; and   a parallel communication passage is formed so as to extend parallel to a direction of array of the pair of lens containing portions and the catalyst containing portion, and lengthwise opposite ends of the parallel communication passage each connect with one of the lens containing portions while a lengthwise middle portion of the parallel communication passage connects with the catalyst containing portion so that the circulation passage includes the pair of adjacent communication passages and the parallel communication passage.   
     
     
         15 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 11 , further comprising a common recess that surrounds a periphery of openings of the pair of lens containing portions and the catalyst containing portion, wherein the pair of lens containing portions and the catalyst containing portion open onto the common recess. 
     
     
         16 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 11 , wherein a lid that covers the opening of the pair of lens containing portions has on an inside face thereof inward convex portions corresponding with the lens containing portions, and by means of the lid being mounted onto the opening of the lens containing portions, the inward convex portions are adapted to be inserted into the hydrogen peroxide solution contained in the lens containing portions. 
     
     
         17 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 16 , wherein by means of the lid being mounted onto the opening of the lens containing portions, the inward convex portions are adapted to push the contact lenses into the hydrogen peroxide solution contained in the lens containing portions. 
     
     
         18 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 1 , wherein the metal catalyst is at least one of metals and metal oxides thereof selected from the group consisting of platinum, silver, palladium, copper, manganese, cobalt, and aluminum. 
     
     
         19 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 1 , wherein the metal catalyst has a surface area of between 3 and 30 cm 2  per 10 ml of the hydrogen peroxide solution. 
     
     
         20 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 1 , wherein the metal catalyst is made by adhering a metal coat which catalyzes decomposition reaction of the hydrogen peroxide solution to a surface of a base material. 
     
     
         21 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the metal catalyst is disposed in a catalyst containing portion and adapted to be immersed within the hydrogen peroxide solution;   during decomposition reaction of the hydrogen peroxide solution, the metal catalyst undergoes displacement by exertion of buoyancy on the basis of oxygen bubbles being generated; and   after decomposition reaction of the hydrogen peroxide solution, the metal catalyst is held in non-displacement state due to dissipation of the buoyancy on the basis of the oxygen bubbles while being displaceable within the catalyst containing portion.   
     
     
         22 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 21 , wherein the displacement of the metal catalyst during decomposition reaction of the hydrogen peroxide solution is rotation; and the non-displacement state of the metal catalyst after decomposition reaction of the hydrogen peroxide solution is stop of rotation. 
     
     
         23 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 21 , wherein the displacement of the metal catalyst during decomposition reaction of the hydrogen peroxide solution is emergence; and the non-displacement state of the metal catalyst after decomposition reaction of the hydrogen peroxide solution is submergence. 
     
     
         24 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 21 , wherein the metal catalyst has on a surface thereof at least one of a concave portion and a convex portion. 
     
     
         25 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 24 , wherein the metal catalyst includes on the surface thereof a hollow serving as the concave portion that opens downward with the metal catalyst immersed within the hydrogen peroxide solution, and the metal catalyst further includes a discharge passage for discharging the oxygen bubbles trapped in the hollow in a limiting manner. 
     
     
         26 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 21 , wherein with respect to the metal catalyst, a ratio M/F between a mass M and a buoyancy F exerted within the hydrogen peroxide solution is more than 1 and does not exceed 2. 
     
     
         27 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 21 , further comprising a reserving member that permits displacement of the metal catalyst within the catalyst containing portion in emerging and submerging directions while reserving the metal catalyst within the catalyst containing portion during discharge of the hydrogen peroxide solution from the catalyst containing portion. 
     
     
         28 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 27 , wherein the metal catalyst includes a mating portion, and on the basis of mating action of the mating portion, displacement of emergence and submergence of the metal catalyst within the catalyst containing portion is permitted while detachment of the metal catalyst from the catalyst containing portion is prevented so as to provide the reserving member. 
     
     
         29 . The case for sterilizing contact lenses according to  claim 28 , wherein: the catalyst containing portion is positioned between the pair of lens containing portions; a pair of adjacent communication passages each connecting with one of the lens containing portions are formed on a rim of an opening of the catalyst containing portion at positions opposed to each other so that the pair of lens containing portions are interconnected via the catalyst containing portion; a parallel communication passage is formed so as to extend parallel to a direction of array of the pair of lens containing portions and the catalyst containing portion, and lengthwise opposite ends of the parallel communication passage each connect with one of the lens containing portions while a lengthwise middle portion of the parallel communication passage connects with the catalyst containing portion so that the circulation passage includes the pair of adjacent communication passages and the parallel communication passage; and the mating portion provided to the metal catalyst projects out from the catalyst containing portion so as to be mated with the parallel communication passage.