Devices for preventing fogging of medical personal protective eyewear

Abstract

The invention provides a pre-cut, pre-shaped protective strip with adhesive on one side protected by a peel-off tape strip. In certain embodiments, a cut-out section may be provided to accommodate the bridge of the medical professional's nose. In other embodiments, a raised nasal accommodator may be provided in the protective strip. In other embodiments, a protective strip may be incorporated into the surgical mask itself.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A protective strip for sealed adherence to a surgical mask having a top edge and side edges, and to the facial skin of a medical professional, comprising:
 a body having a first non-adherent side and a second side, a top edge and a lower edge;   adhesive coating on the second side of the body;   removable protective tape covering the adhesive coating; and   a curvilinear nasal cutout centered along the lower edge of the body, the protective strip adapted for adherence to the surgical mask to cover at least a portion of the top edge and extending vertically above the top edge of the mask a distance and adhered to the facial skin of the medical professional.   
     
     
         2 . The protective strip of  claim 1 , wherein the protective strip covers the top edge and at least a portion of the side edges of the mask. 
     
     
         3 . The protective strip of  claim 1 , the medical professional further wearing protective eyewear comprising lenses having a lower edge, wherein the top edge of the body of the protective strip extends above the lower edge of the lenses. 
     
     
         4 . The protective strip of  claim 3 , further comprising the body partially formed of hydrogel for effective adhesion and non-irritating removal from the medical professional's facial skin. 
     
     
         5 . The protective strip of  claim 4 , wherein the medical professional is wearing protective glasses with frames and wherein the non-adherent side provides a gripping function for the frames. 
     
     
         6 . The protective strip of  claim 3 , further comprising the non-adherent side of the body comprising silicone gel for effective adhesion and non-irritating removal from the medical professional's facial skin. 
     
     
         7 . The protective strip of  claim 6 , wherein the medical professional is wearing protective glasses with frames and wherein the non-adherent side of the body provides a gripping function for the frames when the frames are in contact with the non-adherent side of the body. 
     
     
         8 . A protective strip for sealed adherence to a surgical mask having a top edge and side edges, and to the facial skin of a medical professional, comprising:
 a body having a first side and a second side, a top edge and a bottom edge;   adhesive coating on the second side;   removable protective tape covering the adhesive coating; and   a curvilinear nasal accommodator centered along the top edge of the body and rising vertically above the top edge of the body, wherein the protective strip adheres to the surgical mask and to the facial skin of the medical professional, thereby covering at least a portion of the top edge.   
     
     
         9 . The protective strip of  claim 8 , the curvilinear nasal accommodator further comprising a form to accommodate the medical professional's nose therein. 
     
     
         10 . The protective strip of  claim 8 , wherein the protective strip covers the top edge and at least a portion of the side edges of the mask. 
     
     
         11 . The protective strip of  claim 8 , the medical professional further wearing protective eyewear comprising lenses having a lower edge, wherein the top edge of the body of the protective strip extends above the lower edge of the lenses. 
     
     
         12 . The protective strip of  claim 11 , further comprising the body comprising hydrogel. 
     
     
         13 . The protective strip of  claim 12 , wherein the protective lenses further comprise frames and wherein the non-adherent side of the body comprising hydrogel provides a gripping function for the frames when the frames are in contact with the non-adherent side of the body. 
     
     
         14 . The protective strip of  claim 11 , further comprising the non-adherent side of the body comprising silicone gel. 
     
     
         15 . The protective strip of  claim 14 , wherein the protective glasses further comprise frames and wherein the silicone gel provides a gripping function for the frames when the frames are in contact with the non-adherent side of the body. 
     
     
         16 . A combination surgical mask and protective strip for a medical professional, comprising:
 a surgical mask portion having a top edge and side edges;   a protective strip portion fixedly attached to the surgical mask and extending upwardly from the mask portion's top edge and covering at least a portion of the top edge of the mask portion, the protective strip portion comprising:
 a body having a first side and a second side, a top edge and a bottom edge; 
 adhesive coating on the second side; and 
 removable protective tape covering the adhesive coating, wherein the protective strip adheres to the facial skin of the medical professional. 
   
     
     
         17 . The combination surgical mask and protective strip of  claim 16 , wherein the medical professional is wearing protective eyewear comprising lenses having a lower edge, wherein the top edge of the body of the protective strip portion extends above the lower edge of the lenses. 
     
     
         18 . The combination surgical mask and protective strip of  claim 17 , further comprising the body of the protective strip portion having a curvilinear nasal accommodator centered along the top edge of the body and rising vertically above the top edge of the body, wherein the protective strip adheres to the facial skin of the medical professional. 
     
     
         19 . The protective strip of  claim 16 , wherein the protective strip covers the top edge and at least a portion of the side edges of the mask. 
     
     
         20 . The protective strip of  claim 16 , the medical professional further wearing protective eyewear comprising lenses having a lower edge, wherein the top edge of the body of the protective strip extends above the lower edge of the lenses.