Review: The Noctura 400 Sleep Mask - A Non-Invasive therapy for Retinopathy & Macular Oedema.

During April I attended the Diabetes UK Professional Care conference in London as a #dedoc° voice. It was the first time any non-healthcare professional organisation had been admitted to the conference. My thanks to Diabetes UK and the dedoc.org for making this happen.

While manning the #dedoc° stand l chatted with Martin Holland the Operations Director at PolyPhotonix Ltd who happened to pass by. What piqued my interest was a mask that he was carrying around. It was glowing with 2 green lights!

I soon found out that this was the Noctura 400 Sleep Mask. A non-invasive therapy for retinopathy & macular oedema. The green lights were Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) emitting from a 'pod' contained in a cushioned mask.

It was explained how at night whilst asleep the eye uses the 'rods' in the eye which need more oxygen and the retina can become starved of oxygen causing weak blood vessels to grow which can result in retinopathy. The green OLEDs keep the daytime colour 'cones' functioning during the night using less oxygen.

The mask is worn for up to 8 hours each night after which it turns itself off. I was told that the therapy has been proven to slow down or halt retinopathy progression. 'Saving sight by light.'

I took home various leaflets showing results before Noctura 400 and after 3 months of use. One leaflet said the NHS RENDER study demonstrated clinical improvement and stabilisation." Plus, studies had shown there had been "clinical repair in 66% of patients with no complications."

I just wanted to try this sleep mask. So, I contacted Martin and he agreed that as a #dedoc° alumni, I would be given a mask for evaluation purposes. After a training meeting online, it was agreed that I could try the Noctura 400 Sleep Mask and report back on my progress. To check the before and after results of the mask, I was sent for a private eye scan. This consultation will be the base for how the therapy has worked for me.

Now after nearly three months of using the Noctura 400 Sleep Mask. I am coming up to the end of this 'pods' life and due for a change. A new 'pod will be sent in the post and the expired one will go back for analysis. Yes, the pod stores its usage patterns. But hopefully not my snoring! I have found the mask comfortable to wear even in recent hot weather. The green light is not a problem. In some ways its comforting to me.

Having had diabetes for 70 years, being diagnosed in 1954 aged 5. I am lucky that the only complications that I have caused by my diabetes is slight retinopathy & a couple of areas of macular oedema in both of my eyes. I certainly don't want it to get worse. So hopefully the Noctura 400. Sleep Mask will help stop my eye problems in their tracks and might just improve them! Time will tell I am looking forward to my next scan.

For information about the Noctura 400 Sleep Mask go to https:// noctura.com

Disclosures:

I am a #dedoc° voice / alumni and dedoc.org fund my travel costs and accommodation when I attend conferences in person.

I am not an employee of PolyPhotonix Ltd who have kindly supplied the Noctura 400 Sleep Mask to me for evaluation purposes with no other incentives.

Martin Scivier 21 July 2024.