North East medical innovator PolyPhotonix has secured NHS backing for its specialist sleep mask that is used to prevent and treat the leading cause of blindness in Europe.
The Sedgefield-based firm's Noctura 400 mask - which has been some years in development - has been adopted by Ashford and St Peter’s NHS Foundation Trust, where research has shown its effectiveness in improving and stabilising diabetic eye disease in 96% of patients. And the move has been hailed as great news for patients and the NHS alike.
PolyPhotonix says the device, which earned a $10m investment from US backers PrevailWorks earlier this year, has the potential to save the NHS millions by providing an early stage, non-invasive alternative to current treatments such as eye injections. The medtech developers say it could reduce hospital clinic appointments in a field which costs the NHS and estimated £10bn per year.
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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."
One such patient is 64-year-old Michelangelo Biasiucci from London. He said: "After being referred to the hospital by my GP, I was diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy. Part of my treatment for this was to have injections in my eyes, and looking back, I don’t know how I tolerated them!
"I was relieved that not so long after, my consultant prescribed the mask. I would say that the mask has given me my life back – not only can I see so much clearer, but it has enabled me to carry out my job safely again. As a driver, I can now work safely again, especially at night, thanks to the mask."
Richard Kirk, chief executive of PolyPhotonix, said: "For the NHS, treating diabetic retinopathy patients with the Noctura 400 sleep mask represents a cost-effective alternative to existing treatments. At a time when our healthcare budgets are already stretched, adding the sleep mask to existing care pathways makes sound financial sense in helping healthcare services recover from the pandemic and freeing up hospital appointments for those in greater need of emergency care. Most importantly, it prevents problems before they arise and enables doctors to improve patient care."
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