EP2588386B1

EP2588386B1 - Blister packages for tinted ophthamlic lenses

Info

Publication number: EP2588386B1
Application number: EP11739213.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Angie Bowers
Original assignee: Johnson and Johnson Vision Care Inc
Current assignee: Johnson and Johnson Vision Care Inc
Priority date: 2010-06-30
Filing date: 2011-06-28
Publication date: 2015-08-19
Anticipated expiration: 2031-06-28
Also published as: JP5955840B2; ES2553606T3; AR082056A1; JP2013535699A; TW201208954A; TWI507337B; US20120000797A1; WO2012003173A1; HK1183464A1; EP2588386A1

Description

BACKGROUND

Contact lenses have been used commercially to improve vision since the 1950s. At first contact lenses were made of hard materials, which were relatively easy to handle and package for use, but were uncomfortable for many patients. Later developments, gave rise to softer more comfortable lenses made of hydrophobic hydrogels. Due to the popularity of these soft lenses, users are looking for more than just vision correction from the lens, they are looking for cosmetic effects as well. For the most part such effects are provided by contact lenses that are tinted with color to either enhance the color of the natural iris (known in the trade as enhancers), or to mask the color of the natural iris, (known in the trade as opaque).
Most contact lenses are packaged in individual blister packages having a transparent bowl portion and a foil top, where the bowl portion is made from a hydrophobic material such as polypropylene. See U.S. Patent Nos. 4, 691, 820 ; 5,054,610 ; 5, 337, 888 ; 5, 375, 698 ; 5, 409,104 ; 5,467,868 ; 5, 515, 964 ; 5, 609; 246 ; 5, 695, 049 ; 5, 697, 495 ; 5, 704, 468 ; 5, 711, 416 ; 5, 722, 536 ; 5, 573,108 ; 5, 823, 327 ; 5, 704, 468 ; 5, 983, 608 ; 6,029,808 ; 6,044,966 ; and 6,401,915 for examples of such packaging.
Typically the foil tops of these packages are one color and most often that color is the color of aluminum foil. When a potential purchaser of a contact lens looks through the transparent bowl portion of a blister package, that user does not get an accurate representation of what that lens will look like on his or her eye. Given the number and the range of colors that are available in tinted contact lenses, it would be useful if the potential purchaser of a cosmetic contact lenses is able to look at a sealed blister package and see a good representation of how this lens would look on his or her eye prior to purchasing this lens. This need is met by the following invention.
EP0765741 discloses a cover-forming laminated clear plastic film packaging material for at least one container, such as the base member of a blister package, which is adapted to contain a hydrophilic contact lens in a sterile aqueous solution. More specifically, disclosed is a transparent or translucent laminated multi-layered plastic film material constituting a covering label for the container, incorporating a silicon oxide barrier layer. The laminate may be imprinted over a surface extent thereof with a specific pattern of indicia and legends.
US 5,467,868 discloses a package comprising a contact lens in a solution comprising: a transparent moulded base comprising:

a cavity formed in said moulded base wherein said cavity comprises:
- an inner surface;
- and a flange, extending outwardly from the periphery of said cavity, wherein said flange comprises a top surface;
- a flexible cover sheet having a lens facing surface and an exterior surface, wherein the lens facing surface of said flexible sheet is superimposed over said top surface of said flange and detachably sealed to said flange at about the periphery of said cavity to form an enclosure between said inner surface and said flexible cover;
- and a contact lens enclosed between said transparent base and said flexible cover wherein said contact lens is viewable through said transparent base.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a contact lens package.
Figure 2 illustrates a top plan view of a tinted contact lens
Figure 3 illustrates the top plan view of a contact lens over a colored foil.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention is defined by a package according to appended claim 1.
As used herein, the term "transparent molded base" refers to one portion of the package which may be prepared from any number of materials provided that those materials are compatible with the inspection and sterilization requirements of device manufacture. Examples of suitable materials include but are not limited to polypropylene, polyethylene, nylons, olefin co-polymers, acrylics, rubbers, urethanes, polycarbonates, or fluorocarbons. The preferred materials are metallocenes polymers and co-polymers made of polypropylene, polyethylene, having a melt flow range of about 15 g/10 minutes to about 44 g/10 minutes as determined by ASTM D-1238. The molded base is formed by any of a number of methods, which include but are not limited to injection molding. The term "cavity" refers to an unfilled space suitable for holding a contact lens and a solution. Examples of cavities are include but is not limited to the shape of the cavities in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,691,820 ; 5,054,610 ; 5,337,888 ; 5,375,698 ; 5,409,104 ; 5,467,868 ; 5,515,964 ; 5,609,246 ; 5,695,049 ; 5,697,495 ; 5,704,468 ; 5,711,416 ; 5,722,536 ; 5,573,108 ; 5,823,327 ; 5,704,468 ; 5,983,608 ; 6,029,808 ; 6,044,966 ; and 6,401,915 .
As used herein "flange" is an area of the molded base which extends from the periphery of the cavity. In some embodiments the flange extends a distance beyond the cavity, but surface are of the flange may be small, so long as is large enough for so that the flexible sheet may be adhered to it by methods such as heat sealing and the like.
The "flexible cover sheet" can be an adhesive laminate of an aluminum foil and a polypropylene film or any other extruded or co-extruded film that can be sealed to the top surface of the flange in order to form a hermetic seal for the medical device and the solution. The flexible sheet may be made of transparent material such as adhesive laminates of one or more materials, so long as a portion of the flexible sheet contains the area of color described below. The flexible sheet may completely sealed to the entire top surface of the flange and preferably the flexible cover sheet is sealed an area of the flange that is in close proximity to the cavity. Further the flexible cover sheet need not cover the entire top surface of said transparent molded base. The "area of color" is a portion of flexible cover sheet and is visible from the lens facing surface of said flexible cover sheet. Preferably the area of color covers a percentage of the lens facing surface of the flexible sheet, particularly the portion of the lens facing surface which sits below the contact lens when the contact lens is viewed from the transparent base, through the contact lens, to the area of color of the flexible sheet, collectively known as the "viewing area". Preferably the area of color covers about 20 % to about 80% of the viewing area, more preferably about 20% to about 50%. The color of the area of color is preferably a color that approximates the colors of a human iris. The preferred colors of the area of color are darker colors such as brown, deep brown, black and dark grey. This color(s) may be printed on the foil or transparent laminate by any of the methods that are used to produce colored laminates.
The term "solution" refers to any liquid medium in which a medical device is stored. The preferred solutions are aqueous solutions contain physiological buffers. The particularly preferred solution is saline solution.
Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention. These drawings are not meant to limit the invention, only to illustrate it is further detail. Transparent molded base 10, having a rectangular flange 12, having a top surface13 and cavity 11, is shown. The flexible cover sheet 14 may be attached to top surface 13 but is not in this view. The colored area 15 is shown on the lens facing surface 16 of flexible cover sheet 14. Figure 2 illustrates the top plan view of a tinted contact lens viewed so that one is looking at pattern 17 of the contact lens. Figure 3 illustrates a bottom plan view of the tinted contact lens enclosed between the transparent molded base and the flexible sheet, where the transparent molded base is closer to the eye of the viewer. The area of color 15 appears below pattern 17. In this case the area of color 15 is brown and if a potential user looked through the transparent molded base through the lens the user would be able to determine whether the degree of color in the pattern is suitable for his or her cosmetic purposes.

Claims

A package comprising a contact lens in a solution comprising:
a transparent moulded base (10) comprising:
a cavity (11) formed in said moulded base wherein said cavity comprises:
an inner surface; and

a flange (12), extending outwardly from the periphery of said cavity, wherein said flange comprises a top surface (13);

a flexible cover sheet (14) having a lens facing surface and an exterior surface, wherein the lens facing surface (16) of said flexible sheet is superimposed over said top surface of said flange and detachably sealed to said flange at about the periphery of said cavity to form an enclosure between said inner surface and said flexible cover;

a contact lens enclosed between said transparent base (10) and said flexible cover (14) wherein said contact lens is viewable through said transparent base (10),

characterised in that the contact lens is tinted and has a pattern, and said lens facing surface comprises an area of colour (15) comprising a strip, centrally located on said lens facing surface and running longitudinally from one peripheral edge to the other, and said colour approximates the colour of the human iris and is selected from the group consisting of brown, deep brown, black and grey; and

in that the contact lens covers a portion of said area of colour (15) and said area of colour is visible through said pattern (17) of the contact lens.
The package of claim 1, wherein the flexible cover is an aluminium laminate.
The package of claim 1, wherein the flexible cover sheet is a transparent laminate.
The package of claim 1, wherein the area of colour covers about 20% to 80%, more preferably about 20% to about 50% of the viewing area, wherein the viewing area is the entire surface of the lens facing surface (16) of the flexible cover sheet.
The package of claim 1, wherein the area of colour occupies about 50% of the viewing area, wherein the viewing area is the entire surface of the lens facing surface (16) of the flexible cover sheet.