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Green light for retinopathy treatment

noblehead said:
That's good news, it's peace of mind for the next 12 months
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actually 3 months @noblehead -- i change eye masks every 3 months -- it is a private treatment that i pay for but the monitoring is every 3 months

roll on march -- LOL
 
Drw said:
Not sure how this would stop bleeds and blood vessels growing, after 7 years of treatment and 20+ session on each eye don't think it's that simple. Many reasurch ideas seem to driven by available funding and not by a viable idea or concept
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interesting reply -- perhaps you should investigate this one fully @Drw
 
himtoo said:
actually 3 months @noblehead -- i change eye masks every 3 months -- it is a private treatment that i pay for but the monitoring is every 3 months

roll on march -- LOL
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Good stuff, really hope the Noctura mask trials goes well so that it eventually gets the approval and funding from the NHS, anything is better than laser treatment as said earlier.
 
noblehead said:
Good stuff, really hope the Noctura mask trials goes well so that it eventually gets the approval and funding from the NHS, anything is better than laser treatment as said earlier.
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laser is not much fun -- but infinitely more fun than lucentis injections ( 3 so far) --- OUCH !!
 
himtoo said:
laser is not much fun -- but infinitely more fun than lucentis injections ( 3 so far) --- OUCH !!
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Crikey yes, they must be so awful, just the thought of them.............................
 
Hi all.
I’m also a user of the mask. I’ve been using it for 6 months now. I’m type 1 since 1998, luckily with no signs of retinopathy yet. I decided to use the mask for prevention purposes as chances to develop retinopathy are crazy high and I can’t really think at a life with no sight. I first heard about the mask from a PhD student at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, where I work as a bioengineering consultant. I was told about the clinical trials and shown the results of some earlier in-vitro studies. The theory of preventing retinal hypoxia makes perfectly sense to me and I like the way it has been implemented in the mask, speaking as an engineer. As himtoo has explained, included in the price is an optometrist appointment every 3 months to check on any achieved improvement. I had my 6 month appointment last week. Everything is alright, which confirms that the light emitted by the mask is definitely not harmful. Rather I’m not that much worried any longer to go for an eye check!
I wanted to share my experience with you as it’s a pity that not many people know about this light treatment: indeed, an option more comfortable than laser or eye injections. I’ve been informed about an upcoming event on 4th March for people who may be interested: http://polyphotonix.com/news/post.php?s=2015-02-25-event-noctura-400-information-evening

Good luck to us all!
 
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Suppose I should get off my lazy backside and provide an update on this subject.... been meaning to do it...

so... went for opthalmology appt at my hospital for 6 monthly check up with opthalmologist.
I had sent my OCT scans taken by the optometrist on december 29th for a now and then check of my eyes.

had my oct scans from today compared with the ones the mask people took 3 months ago and although small , there is a definite reduction in the thickness of the edema at my central vision.( from 417 microns to 363 microns thick.) -- this is good

there is also a slight reduction in the macular layer all around my central vision.
i am absolutely made up with the result and my doctor was optimistic.


as a side note he said generally my eyes were the best of anyone he had examined who had been diabetic 40+ years.
my background retinopathy score was 0-1 the least serious score possible.
 
further update today -- went for a mask change at the optometrist yesterday
they took further OCT scans and retinal photos.

On the OCT scans slight improvement to the scans in december.

On the retinal photos a couple of tiny bleeds that were there in december have completely stopped bleeding and healed.

all in all a very positive result for me and optometrist was pleased as well.
 


Amazing results Paul, well done and I'm well pleased for you
 
Fantastic news, very pleased for you
 
Pleased to see the positive results here. The noctura appears to be a great way of looking after your own vision, rather than going through the trauma of laser and the other methods around, i'm seriously looking into this now and considering getting one, i'll do it private if i have to but if the nhs are on it im going to see if my gp would fund it. i think it would go hand in hand with a good lc diet, good bg control and plenty of exercise. Looks like its now a real viable option worth considering over laser and injections. Thanks for posting this up.
 
Hi Spencer67
currently it is being trialled in the UK for NICE approval. It is not quite over the line yet .

If you want to fund it yourself privately the mask costs £250 and lasts for 12 weeks -- there are only a limited amount of optometrists in the country so far so best bet is to get in touch directly with www.noctura.com to find your nearest location.
 

Thanks @himtoo i got in touch with them last month when i first read the thread and your updates, i had a reply outlining the various routes to get hold of one but i didn't pursue it as i wanted to know a bit more, i'm in Manchester at the mo and they said i could get one through outsideclinic but i will be based in Cornwall for a while soon so i'm hoping they have some suppliers down there. I've emailed them and i'm just waiting on a response.

Are there any other charges involved like consultant fees?
 
Hi @Spencer67
it is pretty straight forward -- just show up at the appointed optician -- they take pics of your eyes
they program the mask ( give it an operating window ) you pay the £250 and that about it.

i got my first mask up in Yarm ( 4 hours from home )very near noctura headquarters as they had not launched all over last october.
when my first mask change was duethe last week in december 2014 , they emailed me to say there was a new addition to the optometrist team -- I now go to winsford in cheshire ( 45 mins from home )
 

Regarding the 'operating window' do you find you are like Cinderella having to keep with the allotted time schedule for the treatment ie having to get to bed at a strict time for the treatment to be effective? i don't sleep for very long at the moment, 3-4 hours max then i'm up, I was wondering how it would encroach on your lifestyle?
 
sorry for the delay in reply
the window is 14 hours -- mine is set from 8pm to 10am
i normally go to bed at around 11pm and get up at 6am so this works well for me.

if you go to bed at 11pm on this window it will turn itself off at 7am by itself as it has been "on" for 8 hours which is the so called treatment.

the other thing to realise with this is that it is attempting to mimic daylight -- so if you are only sleeping for 3-4 hours that is the only time you are at risk of lack of oxygen to your eyes from them being shut and in the dark. -- hope that makes sense.
 
Thank you everyone !

I am going to start a new topic on this subject with appropriate links for people who are not familiar at all with this new technology
I will put it in complications and ask for it to possibly be a sticky -- it is one of the most exciting and worthwhile sort of treatments I have "seen" (LOL) in my 42+ years as a D
 
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