Eye Medication Applicator

Our goal is to design, fabricate, and test a product that will effectively deliver medication to the eye in a way that will appeal to a wider audience than products currently on the market.

Design Specifications
Our product must follow a number of guidelines
 * Each application must deliver 0.5 mL of medication to the eye
 * At least 90% of the medication must make direct contact with the eyeball
 * The product must be usable for the average person between the ages of 8-85
 * The applicator must be compatible with all prescription eye-dropper bottles
 * The bottle will not be manually squeezed during use
 * The user will not have to tilt their head back more than 10 degrees during use
 * The user will not have to move their shoulder more than 15 degrees from resting position during use
 * The user will not have to flex the ends of their fingers to more than 135 degrees inward from a straightened position
 * The average user must be able to change bottles within 15 seconds

Project Learning
The aim of our project is to solve problems related to the application of eye medication. We looked at any and all problems that may arise in using eye drops and narrowed our focus to four main issues. While these are all deemed important to our goals, not all of them will receive the same focus. These problems are ranked from most relevant to least relevant within our project goals.


 * [Most Relevant] Lack of dexterity with users such as lack of neck and shoulder dexterity and inadequate fine motor skills
 * Wasted medication as a result of inaccuracy or inappropriate dosage
 * Inconsistent application approach as a result of ill-defined application methods for current products and misuse of products
 * Undesirable reflexes such as anticipation, blinking, and uncooperative behavior

Design Ideas
In the early stages of our project, we designed and printed a number of prototypes with different goals in mind. Each design has unique functions as well as advantages and disadvantages.

Detailed Design
Our design consists of three major components - the head, the handle, and the internal piping/nozzle. The piping is not shown, but it consists of fuel line that runs from the primer bulb in the handle to the head. The handle and head will be molded from plastic in a silicon-base mold in order to house the tubing and nozzle.

Current Design and Planning
Our current design includes a lever piece, allowing for a mechanical advantage and more control when using the pump.

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