Moisture Chamber Goggles/Glasses.. do they help extremely dry eyes?

[MikefromsouthNZ]

I was told that Moisture Chamber Glasses/Goggles(MCG's), are excellent to help keep the eyes from drying out so much, so I'm thinking of purchasing a pair.. I might find them good to help my extremely dry eyes and possibly get my prescription lens fitted.

I had thought of getting a tint added, then wear fitovers with very dark lens on sunny and glary days, as I'm also light sensitive... But I've never seen MCG's nor know anybody that wears them..?

Are they worth the expense and do they keep the eye moist, without any fogging..? I have quite a bad disability and I can't manage to clean my own glasses myself but once they are on, I'm set for the day.. In the hotter months I have difficulty stopping them from sliding down my nose, as I perspire very freely; so if I got MCG's with a good elastic strap this may also help to keep them on. plus the elastic strap may be more comfortable to wear as well..

Any feedback would be very much appreciated - Mike

[DCRdryeye]

Yes moisture chamber glasses will help with severe dry eyes. I am VERY dry myself and cannot do without them. If you're concerned whether they'll work for you, perhaps purchase a pair of "onion goggles" at the dry eye shop and see if they provide relief. I actually use them indoors, at home whilst on my computer.

[farmgirl]

I got a pair of Wiley-X brick and am LOST without them, they aren't even ugly and I love them. You may need two pairs though one dark sunners for outside (my favorite) and clear ones or lightly tinted for inside. They are rather thick due to the foam seal so fitovers don't really work. mine came with a strap that you can use to hold them in place if sliding is a problem. They can be made with prescription lenses also.

[Rebecca Petris]

Totally worth it Mike and much more so in your special situation. To get a better understanding of these types of glasses please look at pages 4-5 of the old DES catalog. There are other options than those specific products but it gives a good overview of the types of things available and the kinds of options/features to choose by.

Fogging... definitely a more crucial issue to consider when you cannot easily push them up/down or wipe them. It may be self-managing if you don't get something that fits exactly or you can get something vented. Worth noting that fogging varies by user too - some people have more frequent issues than others regardless of the venting system. Least issues when you're stationary.

If/when you have any specific questions about glasses do let me know.

[spmcc]

For me, moisture chambers are the #1 thing I did to help my eyes. I wear them 24/7 and have become kind of a addict/hoarder. I have Wiley X Brick frames (x2 with reading prescription), Wiley X Rout (x2 one sunglass, one clear), 7Eye Briza (photosensitive lenses)... also a Wiley X Airborne that I passed on to a friend, and 2 pairs of Ziena Oasis that I didn't like and passed on... and more!

I would highly recommend that you get a pair of moisture chambers. As another person posted above, if you get a good pair of Wiley X or 7Eye you will get all their additional paraphernalia such as straps to keep the glasses firmly on the head and other things.

They are SOOOOOO worth their cost. As I said, they're the best thing I did for dry eye (and I hardly use drops now).

[MikefromsouthNZ]

Hi Rebecca,

Thanks for your wonderful support, as I'm now starting to see what I possibly need with regard to MCG's.. I'm seriously looking at, at least one pair of WileyX Brick with my prescription progressive lenses and I'm hoping I can get a rose tint to help my Irlene's syndrome.. But I'm tossing up between the Brick lenses with just a rose tint, or the Blink light adjusting lenses as they sound like they might be what I need..?

My next issue is light sensitive eyes: Would I be best to go for a second pair of WileyX Brick or possibly the Airborne MCG's with a strong dark set of my same prescription lenses, as changing between the two pair of MCG's may be too difficult, especially if I'm alone without help as I'm not sure if I could the elastic band loosened... Would the Brick light adjusting prescription lenses be dark enough for outdoors in our extremely bright sunlight plus the bright glare is difficult too, but also light enough to see well indoors..? I'm wearing my polaroid prescriptions rap sunglasses indoors at present and can read quite well with them on but they are not dark enough to go outdoors now..

I see fit-overs won't work as someone else mentioned the MCG's are quite a thick frame.. There is a reply post from DCRdryeye in Australia and they find the MCG's very helpful, so I should be ok with getting here in NZ without too much trouble.. I know this is a difficult question to ask Rebecca but if you were in my situation what options would you go for..

Today is more Autumn weather and overcast with showers and a cold southerly wind, but I still need my sunnies on too..

Just a bit of silly info; My eyes and even my nostrils feel almost human again when I go for my 45 minute swim twice a week, as I need to stay active to help lower my joint pain.. Having a shower is not quite as good but I still feel the water and humid bathroom helps my eyes.. Is this familiar for other folk with dry eye syndrome.?

Anyway, I love this website as there are so many helpful members and I do appreciate I'm not the average dry eye patient..

Thanks heaps everybody as you have been so supportive and I pray life is good to you all, Mike

[MikefromsouthNZ]

Thanks Rebecca,

I hadn't realised dye eyes were so technical and all symptom are so difficult to Dx. I finished printing off all the dry eye catalogue as it has a lot of wonderful insight re dry eyes. I think I'll probably need two sets of MCG's; one with light adjusting lenses for inside and a second pair with strong bark lenses for our brighter days, as our sunlight is so intensive here. I'm still not sure if I need the WileyX Blink or the Brick for inside glasses and thought the Brick or Airbridge for my sunglasses.? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Would it pay for me to have them fitted with my prescriptions over there or get the prescriptions made here in NZ.? Could there be a lens sent with

I'm so blown away with all the wonderful help and support form you and all the members on Dry eye talk, you all make me effects a lot more focused on what would suit my special needs.

I need to give my eyes a rest now as I'm trying to restrict my time on my computer at least by half... Take care and again I'm just so blown away - Mike

[Rebecca Petris]

Hi again Mike - sorry so slow to respond! Thanks for the kind words - I love nothing better than to see people getting the support and info they need!

I've been struggling with an answer for how to balance your potential glasses needs without too much need to switch back and forth. I think your conclusion was right though re: lenses. Light-adjusting lenses are great for indoor/outdoor use EXCEPT when there is excessive glare and/or you have light sensitivity. I have never met a pair of LA lenses that got as dark as I want sunglasses to be in bright sunlight. There are of course lots of people with dry eye who don't have that issue and get along fine with the LAs but there are lots who are light sensitive and who end up buying two pairs. For example I remember when I first started working with Panoptx and Wiley type glasses, I knew a lot of people in New York got an LA pair for riding the subway and getting about on cloudy days and a normal dark pair for sunny days. - On the other hand the dark ones are definitely not suitable for, say, reading and computer use. I HAVE known some people who were able to use them that way but they have been the cases where someone had quite extreme light sensitivity and simply couldn't stand any light.

Bear in mind that setting aside light transmission values of the lenses, the true key to these glasses is the moisture seal - and this is dependent on which frame's eyecup fits you best, comes in closest proximity to the skin while remaining just comfortably snug. Short of trying them on there is no way to know whether you're going to get a good seal either from pics online or sizing. As spmcc says the straps will help if they don't fit perfectly which is a good thing for those who have to purchase long distance, though obviously you've also got additional considerations there with needing to minimize the amount of gear to be wrestled with in donning them or switching pairs. - But because of those fit issues I also would recommend against getting any prescription put in until you've actually tried them on... you can take them to a local optician or - if there's an NZ dealer - perhaps talking to them first about sending you some to try on, then sending them back for the Rx.

Speaking of which I can't remember whether we talked here or in another thread about local dealers? I just noticed rather belatedly the international dealer listings for Wiley-X - here's the NZ listing just in case you hadn't already come across this:

VISIONX DEVELOPMENTS LTD
P.O. BOX 12149
HAMILTON, 2001
NEW ZEALAND
Toll Free:
0800-WILEYX (0800-945-399)
Ph +64 7 8461000
Fax +64 7 8461050
WWW.WILEYX.CO.NZ
E-MAIL:contact@wileyx.co.nz

Kind regards & glad you're here!

I got a pair of Wiley-X brick and am LOST without them, they aren't even ugly and I love them.

FARMGIRL, you crack me up!

[MikefromsouthNZ]

Kia Ora - Thanks Rebecca,

I've just noticed the address of the Wiley-X dealer here in NZ that you posted on the 15th.. Yeah, I know - Typical men..! Can't see anything sitting right in front of them..

I've just emailed VisionX Developments here in NZ and I'm optimistic these guys may hold my answer. They actually have goggles with MCG seals and NO side arms, but have a real nice elastic head band - so just what I'm looking for.. They say SOLD OUT, but here is a link so you can have a peep: http://www.wileyx.co.nz/products.php...e46b12f3cb73d4

My next hurdle is getting them fitted with my prescriptions and if they have another pair with quite dark lenses for my light sensitive eyes.. I'm pretty sure I can get someone to stop and help me to change to my other pair of sunnies, as I'm really lucky that most folk actually already stop and ask if I need their help..

I'm absolutely rapped you and the members here in dryeyetalk have been so helpful and obliging, so my best finger is "crocked" that we may have found the answer to my prayers..

Take care Rebecca and I'll keep you all posted soon, as I see my eye Dr on the 30th April..
Te Kaha from Mike

[peter56]

Hi Mike,
unfortunately the issues of moisture glasses are not so simple as it seems at the first view.
Glasses and goggles like Wiley, MEGs etc. are only protecting from wind, but they only do reduce the evaporation of the tear to a small margin.

Dr. Donald Korb, the inventor of the Lipiflow has made some studies on these issues.
Periocular humidity of 1996 and his patent on moisture goggles of 2002 -
US patent 2002/0116750 A1. This patent does contain very detailed statistics on evaporation, tear film and lipid layer etc.

It is possible bringing down the evaporatio to zero, but only if swimming or diver masks are being applied.
So only swimming masks like the ones from Cressi do really seal-off the ocular surface. Then the tear film will be more stable for hours.
In healthy eyes about 70% of the oxygen supply to the corneas is coming from the tear film. So it is necessary, to remove real moisture goggles every 3 hours for 30-60 min.
In dry eyes there is always a higher risk developing a corneal edema.
Then the patients have to apply Muro 128 ointment for a week or so.

Another problem is, that many people can`t tolerate the moistured, warm environment infront of their eyes while wearing such glasses or goggles.

Peter

[farmgirl]

Take heart Mike, be that as it may according to peter56, they may not solve all of your problems but my eyes are way more comfortable with them than without and from what I have read on this forum many would agree with me.

[m9hop]

Hi everyone,
Sorry if this sounds absurd, but is it possible to make our own onion goggles..? Does anyone know what this special foam is made out of? I am from Canada and getting a 'cheap' pair is kind of difficult. As well are onion goggles much better than just safety goggles?

Much thx in advance.

[Rebecca Petris]

Hi everyone,
Sorry if this sounds absurd, but is it possible to make our own onion goggles..? Does anyone know what this special foam is made out of? I am from Canada and getting a 'cheap' pair is kind of difficult. As well are onion goggles much better than just safety goggles?

Much thx in advance.

m9hop, sorry I didn't notice this before. Answer is yes, sort of. Weatherstripping on a pair of glasses could do the trick Onion goggles with shipping from the US would probably be about $25, or dustbusters which are also popular probably around $19 with shipping.