Med-Tech Innovation Talks About Noctura 400
PolyPhotonix sleep mark for diabetic retinopathy adopted by NHS Trust
Mr Ulrich Meyer-Bothling, consultant ophthalmic surgeon at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The Trust’s decision to offer the sleep mask as part of its diabetic retinopathy pathway is great news for patients and the NHS alike.”
“For patients, it represents a pain-free treatment option for their condition. It is non-invasive, and they are, in effect, treated whilst they sleep. It also doesn’t require patients to attend the hospital as frequently, giving them more of their time back. It represents a gentler approach to treating or even preventing diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular oedema. I’m proud that most of the patients I have treated with the mask have shown stabilisation and improvement in their diabetic eye disease.”
The Noctura 400 sleep mask has been shown to improve and stabilize diabetic eye disease in 96% of patients, making it a potential non-invasive alternative to current invasive treatments such as eye injections. It delivers low-level light at a particular wavelength during a patient’s normal hours of sleep in a home-based setting, preventing the eyes’ increased demand for oxygen at night and reducing the damaging effects of diabetic retinopathy on patients’ eyesight. The sleep mask treatment can save the NHS millions of pounds a year, as earlier intervention can prevent the need for expensive and time-intensive injections directly into the eyeball, which can be stressful and unpleasant for patients and come with a risk of side effects. Improving patient outcomes with an earlier stage intervention with the sleep mask could save the NHS £3,000 per patient and deliver cost savings estimated at over £180 million per year if adopted across the NHS.