Patent Application
20070211213
NOT APPLICABLE
NOT APPLICABLE
NOT APPLICABLE
The present invention relates to the field of ophthalmic instruments. More particularly, and not by way of limitation, the present invention is directed to an ophthalmic instrument table and pads for the top surface thereof. The pads are attached to the table in the areas where a doctor places his/her elbows or forearms while performing an ocular examination.
Diagnosis of eye disorders is initially based on the appearance of the eyes and on the symptoms that the person is experiencing. A variety of tests can then be carried out to confirm a problem or to determine the extent or severity of the disorder. For detailed visual examinations of the eye, the doctor may utilize an ophthalmic slit lamp. The slit lamp is a table-mounted binocular microscope that shines a light into the eye to allow the doctor to examine the entire eye under high magnification. The slit lamp has better optics than a handheld ophthalmoscope, providing magnification and a three-dimensional view, which allows measurement of depth. Often, eye drops are used to dilate the pupils so that the doctor can view even more of the eye, including the lens, vitreous humor, retina, and optic nerve.
In order to properly adjust and control the slit lamp, the doctor must have a steady hand while focusing his attention on the image in the binocular microscope 15. This requires that the doctor either rest his elbows on the top surface of the slit-lamp table 11 or rest his forearms against the edge of the table. In either alternative, the hard top surface of the table, and the surface's sharp edges, quickly become painful irritants to the doctor. Slit-lamp tables are usually made of wood or composite materials covered by hard laminate. The edges of the top surface are squared and sharp. With time and repeated examinations, the hard surface of the table and its sharp edges cause pain and irritation to the doctor. The median nerves run along the undersurface of the forearms and are repeatedly exposed to pressure and repeated low levels of compression leading to fatigue and possibly to nerve damage.
What is needed in the art is an ophthalmic instrument table that is comfortable to use, and does not cause pain or irritation to the doctor during an ocular examination. Pads are also needed that are easily adjustable and removable so that they can be transferred to other types of ophthalmic instrument tables in the office of an eye care professional. The present invention provides such an ophthalmic instrument table and pads.
The present invention provides an ophthalmic instrument table configured with adjustable pads. In an exemplary embodiment described herein, the ophthalmic instrument table is a slit-lamp table. The pads provide a cushion for the doctor's elbows and/or forearms while the doctor utilizes the slit lamp to perform an ocular examination.
Thus, in one aspect, the present invention is directed to a pad for cushioning an ophthalmic instrument table. The pad includes a layer of padding material and an attachment mechanism for attaching the pad to a top surface of the table. In other embodiments, the pad may also include a firm substrate panel for supporting the layer of padding material, and a covering material for covering the padding material and the substrate panel. The pad may be shaped to conform to at least one side of the table, and to an ophthalmic instrument mounted on the table. The attachment mechanism may be constructed to enable a user to remove the pad from the ophthalmic instrument table or reposition the pad on the ophthalmic instrument table by lifting the pad by hand.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to an ophthalmic instrument table having means for mounting an ophthalmic instrument on the top surface, and at least one pad attached to the top surface in a position suitable for cushioning a user's elbow or forearm while operating the ophthalmic instrument.
In the following, the essential features of the invention will be described in detail by showing preferred embodiments, with reference to the figures of the attached drawings in which:
The present invention provides an ophthalmic instrument table configured with adjustable pads. In an exemplary embodiment described herein, the ophthalmic instrument table is a slit-lamp table. The pads provide a cushion for the doctor's elbows and/or forearms while the doctor utilizes the slit lamp to examine a patient's eye.
There are a vast number of sizes and unique constructions of the various brands of ophthalmic slit lamps and slit-lamp tables. Because of this, it is necessary that the design of the slit-lamp pads be versatile. The basic design of the pads, therefore, has been developed to accommodate these variables. The pads also may be easily removed and reattached on the table surface in different areas or positions in order to facilitate the best examination and comfort of the doctor.
The platform substrate 26 may be constructed from a suitably firm material including, but not limited to plastic, wood, metal, rubber, synthetic laminates, cardboard, acrylic, vinyl, glass, fiberglass, foam, stone, clay, bone, cloth, various hard resins, plant fibers, and the like. The thickness of the substrate is preferably one inch or less. The shape of the substrate is uniquely designed to contour to the shape of the majority of slit-lamp tables, including a 90-degree corner or curve around the external edge of the substrate and a rounded or squared internal edge of the substrate contoured to avoid the glide mechanism of the slit lamp. The upper edge of the substrate may be rounded or smoothed although a squared edge may also be used. The shape of the substrate may alternatively be a square, rectangle, triangle, circle, oval, or an elongated strip along the anterior and lateral aspects of the slit-lamp table.
The padding material 28 is a layer placed on top of the substrate 26. The padding may be affixed to the substrate (for example with an adhesive) or may be held in place by the covering material 25. The padding provides the necessary cushioning effect to the slit-lamp pad. The padding is preferably the same size or slightly larger than the substrate and of the same general shape. The thickness of the padding is preferably in the range of 1/16 inch to one inch. The padding material may be, but is not limited to foam, rubber, acrylic, gel, animal feathers or fibers, plastic, plant fibers, leather, silicone, or a sealed bag with any of various types of liquid, water, or beads of any material.
The slit-lamp pads may be covered with a covering material 25 for support and protection of the underlying padding 28. The covering material may vary depending on the particular needs of the environment of the slit lamp. The covering material may be, but is not limited to vinyl, plastic, leather, naugahyde, acrylic, rubber, nylon, or fabric of various types. The color and texture of the material may vary depending on the preference of the consumer.
The slit-lamp pads are attached to the slit-lamp table 21 by any of various types of attachment mechanisms 27. The attachment mechanisms may include, but are not limited to hook and loop material, screws, bolts, hooks, glue, tape, clamps, nails, brackets, elastic straps, and the like. The hook and loop material is preferred because it is strong yet also provides an easy way of removal or repositioning on the table. This allows the slit-lamp pads to be repositioned in order to suit the needs of the anatomy of the doctor and to facilitate the best technique of examination.
In an alternative embodiment, each pad is equipped with at least two posts, which extend from the bottom surface of the pad. Holes are drilled through the top of the table in positions aligned with the posts. To attach the pads to the table, the posts are simply inserted into the holes. This method of attachment is sufficient because in use, the doctor's elbows or forearms press downward and/or sideways on the pads, but never upward. To remove the pads, the user simply lifts the pads by hand, thereby removing the posts from the holes. In this embodiment, the pads may be easily removed and transferred to another ophthalmic instrument table having similarly drilled holes. However, the ability to make fine adjustments in the position of the pads is lost.
The slit-lamp pads 22 are constructed by first choosing a suitable platform substrate 26. For example, a suitable substrate may be a ⅛-inch thick red oak panel. A template measuring the exact size of the desired slit-lamp pad may be used to lay out the desired shape of the pad on the flat surface of the wood panel. The substrate is then cut from the wood panel. The upper edge may be sanded and rounded. The use of other substrate materials may require different cutting devices or large multiple cutting templates to pressure cut the substrates in multiples.
The padding 28 may also be cut in a like manner depending on the material. Ideally, the padding should be slightly larger than the substrate 26 so that the padding may be rounded over the edges of the substrate for comfort. The padding may then be glued or taped onto the substrate. Once the substrate is padded, the protective covering material 25 may be smoothly wrapped over it and glued or stapled or tacked to the bottom of the substrate.
The attachment mechanism 27 is then formed. All forms of attachment mechanisms described above may be utilized to suit the needs of particular table designs. As noted, the hook and loop material is preferred because it enables the pads to be easily removed or repositioned. The hook and loop material is also easy to apply to both the bottom of the substrate 26 and the top surface of the table 21. Industrial strength hook and loop material is readily available with the back surface pre-treated with an adhesive. The user simply peels off a protective covering to expose the adhesive, and applies a patch of the hook and loop material to the surface of the table in a position aligning with the complementary patch on the bottom of the pad. The slit-lamp pad is then positioned and pushed onto the slit-lamp table in the area desired for its use. To reposition or remove the pad, the user need only pull up on an edge of the pad to separate the hook and loop patches.
It should be noted that although the preferred embodiment has been described in the context of a slit-lamp table, the pads described herein may also be used with a variety of other tables. For example, an eye care professional has many other applications for removable pads including use on keratometer tables, ophthalmic camera tables, auto-refractor tables, lensometer tables, ophthalmic laser tables, corneal topography tables, nerve fiber analyzer tables, orb scan tables, air tonometry tables, and the like. Most of these, and other ophthalmic device tables, have a similar design and overall shape. Therefore, they would also benefit from the use of removable pads. Thus, the pads of the present invention may be mounted on any or all of these other tables in the office of an eye care professional. Alternatively, a user may simply remove the pads from one table and attach them to a pre-positioned hook and loop patch on another device table instead of attaching pads on all device tables in a particular office setting.
Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the foregoing Detailed Description, it is understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications, and substitutions without departing from the scope of the invention. The specification contemplates any all modifications that fall within the scope of the invention defined by the following claims.
