Eye-Bathing Devices

This invention relates to an eye-bathing device for applying solutions to the eyes.

A simple eye bath consists of a moulded plastic cup which is filled with solution and held tight to the eye. In use, the head is first tilted back to immerse the eye in the solution and is then moved from side to side to wash the eye. Disabled persons having restricted head movement therefore find eye baths particularly difficult to use.

A further serious disadvantage of the simple eye bath is that the washing solution itself can become contaminated with the irritant removed from the eye.

A more complex eyewash system for industrial use is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,384. In this case the entire face of the user is postioned within a hood, and a pivotable spray nozzle is adjusted to direct a spray of liquid into the eye or eyes in response to actuation of a battery-operated pump. With such a system, the user has no control over the force of the spray and it is difficult to ensure that the spray travels in the required direction. The system is also bulky and generally unsuited for domestic use.

There is therefore a need for an improved device which overcomes the drawbacks of the simple eye-bath while remaining relatively inexpensive and easy to use.

According to the present invention there is provided an eye-bathing device comprising an eye-cup adapted to receive the eye being bathed, and a pump for delivering an eye-bathing solution to the eye-cup through a spray device, the eye-cup having an inlet opening aligned with the spray device. In a preferred embodiment, the pump is hand-operated and is located within a housing supporting the eye-cup. A particular advantage of this arrangement is that the user is able to control the force of the spray by varying the pressure applied to the pump. Moreover, by directing the spray into an eye-cup, it is no longer necessary to adjust the position of the spray nozzle to ensure that the spray reaches the eye.

The eye-cup is preferably supported by the housing in a tilted back orientation and includes a first outlet through which waste solution drains to a sump and a second outlet providing an air vent. The device preferably includes a base releasably engageable with the housing to form a free-standing structure.

A reservoir of the eye-bathing solution is preferably stored in a refill container which is detachable from the pump and also lies within the housing.

By way of example only, an embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an eye-bathing device,

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the device shown in FIG. 1 when removed from its base and showing some of the internal components,

FIG. 3 is a front view of the device,

FIG. 4 is a section on line B--B of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 5 is a section on line C--C of FIG. 2.

Referring to these drawings, the device consists of an L-shaped housing 10 containing an hand-operated pump 11 which delivers an eye-bathing solution from a reservoir 28 to a spray nozzle 13. The housing 10 is releasably engageable with a base 54 to form a free-standing structure, and is moulded with a detachable cover 40. The cover 40 is detached by pulling back a flap 60 to release a catch 62.

An eye-cup 14 is releasably engaged in an opening 41 at the front of the housing 10, the nozzle 13 being aligned with an opening 35 in the base of the cup 14. The cup 14 is formed of a softer material than the housing 10, and has a flexible sealing rim 15 which fits around the eye.

The eye-cup 14 is engaged in the opening 41 by means of an outwardly projecting flange 42 having a peripheral lip 43 formed with an inwardly directed groove 44 adapted to receive an outwardly projecting tongue 45 bounding the opening 41. The resilience of the material forming the eye-cup is such that the peripheral lip 43 can be deformed outwards to release the engagement between the eye-cup and the housing.

When not in use, the eye-cup 14 is protected by a removable dust cap 61.

The body of the pump 11 is supported and retained within a central hollow area of a forwardly projecting base portion 10b of the housing 10, the hollow area being bounded by internal walls 16 level with the side split between the cover 40 and the base 10b of the housing. A refill container 12 containing the reservoir 28 of eye-bath solution is releasably secured to the body of the pump and lies wholly within the housing 10. In this particular example, the container 12 has an internally screw threaded mouth 50 which engages a screw threaded ring 18 secured to the body 11 of the pump. A pick-up tube 19 extends from the inlet of the pump into the reservoir 28 and, during the suction stroke of the pump, air is drawn into the container 12 through the screw threaded coupling at the junction between the container and the pump body.

The downwardly inclined portion 10a of the L-shaped housing 10 forms a sump for receiving waste solution which drains internally through the housing 10 from a drain hole 21a (FIG. 3) located in the base of the eye-cup 14 adjacent and beneath the nozzle opening 35. A similar opening 21b located above the nozzle opening 35 provides an air vent, the symmetrical location of the two openings 21a, 21b ensuring that the eye-cup will function equally well when inverted. With the housing 10 located in its base 54, the eye-cup 14 is tilted backwards such that waste solution which collects in the cup automatically empties through the drain hole 21. The waste runs in channels 63 around the outside of the internal walls 16 supporting the pump 11 and its actuating lever 22 so that there is no risk of the solution comming into contact with the user.

The hand-operated pump 11 includes an actuating lever 22 which projects through a slot in the housing 10 within the area bounded by the internal walls 16. The pump operates in a well-known manner and is not therefore described or illustrated in detail. Briefly, depression of the lever 22 urges a piston along a cylinder against the bias of a spring, the cylinder having inlet and outlet ports with respective inlet and delivery valves communicating with the reservoir 28 and the spray nozzle 10 respectively. During the pressure stroke, solution 28 is pumped from the cylinder along a discharge tube to the spray nozzle 13, and fresh solution is then drawn into the cylinder from the reservoir 28 during the return or release stroke.

The nozzle 13 discharges the solution into the eye-cup 14 as a fine mist or spray. Advantageously, the force of the spray can be regulated by varying the pressure applied to the lever 22. Moreover, internal drainage of the waste solution to the sump 10a has a twofold advantage. Firstly it prevents the waste solution from coming into contact with the user, and secondly it prevents fresh washing solution from becoming contaminated with the irritant removed from the eye. Integral internal shoulders or ribs 55 in the forwardly projecting portion 10b of the housing 10 ensure that waste solution is directed clear of the slot for the actuating lever 22.

The eye-cup 14 is easily cleaned by removing it from the housing 10.

With the housing 10 being a simple push-fit in the base 54 the device is easy to assemble and comfortable to use. With the base 60 resting on a support surface at a comfortable height, the user merely inclines his head toward the eye-cup 14, as if he were looking into a microscope.

When not in use, the rearwardly inclined portion 10a of the housing 10 can be removed from the base 54, turned through 180.degree., and re-engaged with the base so that the portion 10b of the housing projects downwards instead of upwards. This is useful for packing and storing the device.

Each actuation of the lever 22 delivers a fresh sterile solution to the eye-cup so that the device is particularly hygienic and could be used, for example, in eye hospitals or casualty wards. The user has merely to blink his eyes in the fine spray or mist to provide a thorough cleansing action, the waste solution being continuously drained to the sump 10a. The sump is easily emptied whenever necessary by removing the cover 40 and inverting the housing 10.

In one alternative embodiment (not illustrated), the pump 11 delivers solution to a pair of spray nozzles each having an associated eye-cup, the components being otherwise substantially identical to those shown in the illustrated embodiment.