Moisture chamber glasses are not a new concept. They have been promoted by respected ophthalmologists for over 20 years. However, in the past they have tended to be regarded by eye specialists as a last resort for severe dry eye patients, rather than as a mainstream therapy.
There is now an overwhelming weight of scientific evidence as well as feedback from wearers to indicate that moisture chamber glasses can be a highly effective therapy for evaporative dry eye disease.
Should they now be regarded in the mainstream of dry eye therapies, alongside products such as artificial tears?
The case for moisture chamber glasses
Research studies have provided direct evidence of the power of moisture chamber glasses to improve the severity of dry eye symptoms. Here are some examples of their findings:
More effective corneal protection than eye drops
In 2014, a systematic analysis of 7 earlier studies found that the use of moisture chamber glasses provided more effective corneal protection than lubricating eye drops.
Tear drop application can be cut by a half
In 2015, an independent 3-month study assessed the effectiveness of wearing 7eye moisture chamber goggles by patients suffering from severe dry eye.
Their symptoms were assessed before and after the study period for severity of dry eye, using the Symptom Assessment in Dry Eye (SANDE) index and corneal fluorescein staining.
At the end of the study:
- the number of times that patients applied tear drops went down from an average of 8 times a day to just 4.5 per day, a reduction of 44%.
- the SANDE score, illustrating the severity of dry eye symptoms, went down by 55%
- there was a statistically significant reduction in corneal staining
- patients reported an acceptability rate of 72% for the glasses in terms of tolerability and symptom relief.
Evidence is backed up by other studies
The findings of the above study are in line with other research carried out by independent experts in dry eye disease:
Many of our customers have also written positive reviews of moisture chamber glasses and their feedback has prompted influential eye specialists to recommend these glasses to other dry eye patients.
So why haven't moisture chamber glasses been in the forefront of dry eye treatment in the past?
The way that moisture chamber glasses have been negatively perceived in the past is due to:
- The poor success rate of commonly used DIY options like swimming goggles and acrylic side panels for glasses (the latter were designed for safety purposes, not moisture retention)
- The cumbersome appearance of earlier moisture chamber glasses
Moisture chamber glasses have improved in their looks and effectiveness
Ongoing development and refinement of 7eye AirShield and Ziena Eyewear glasses have made moisture chamber glasses much more appealing to look at and much more effective for treating dry eye symptoms.
There are now styles of glasses that reflect contemporary trends in eyewear fashion, an increasing range of size options, and better fitting eye cups that create a more discernible moisture chamber effect.
A change in perception is definitely happening
The change in the way experts perceive moisture chamber glasses is definitely happening, albeit slowly.
This progress is leading to what one eye expert has described as "The renaissance of moisture chamber glasses".
Moisture chamber glasses are starting to be regarded by specialists in an increasing number of eye hospitals, facial palsy clinics, and cancer treatment centres as a serious mainstream therapy for evaporative dry eye. See examples.
Normally this is as a result of seeing direct evidence of the extent to which these glasses have reduced their patients' dry eye symptoms.
Notes
- Eyewear Accessories do not claim to be eye doctors. However, we are experts in dry eye glasses and their therapeutic benefits.
- We are not claiming that wearing moisture chamber glasses will cure dry eye disease, but that they can act as an effective therapy for dry eye symptoms.
- You should always manage your eye condition under the supervision of a fully trained ophthalmologist.
- Wearing moisture chamber glasses cannot improve the quality of your tears.
- A common issue with dry eye patients is meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) which inhibits a person's secretion of the lipid, oily element in their tear fluid, resulting in a faster rate of tear evaporation.
- This blog article draws on the article by Dr. Kabat ind Dr. Sowka published in the Review of Optometry entitled "Wearable Therapy for Dry Eye".