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Sunglasses for dry eye patients launched at Hawaii meeting

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KOLOA, Hawaii — Sunglasses designed specifically for dry eye patients made their debut here at Hawaii 2004: the Royal Hawaiian Eye Meeting.

Panoptx Dry Eyewear “deliver the best attributes of a goggle with the style and comfort of sunglasses,” according to company officials. While wearers are in motion, the sunglasses protect their eyes from wind, heat and sun with a foam eyecup that seals to the skin and protects the eye. This eyecup seal is covered with fleece that keeps perspiration away from the eyes and keeps the eyes cool, according to a press release.

Shareef Mahdavi, of the medical division of Panoptx, said the sunglasses were originally developed for motorcyclists who needed to keep dust and other particles out of their eyes. Mr. Mahdavi said the concept was adapted to a similar model for dry eye patients.

Mr. Mahdavi described a study conducted last year by Richard L. Lindstrom, MD, and Douglas Weberling, OD, on 100 patients. The study found that the Panoptx Orbital Seal alleviated nine common symptoms of dry eye, including burning, stinging, grittiness, dryness and sensitivity to light, according to a press release. On average, individual symptoms were reduced by 57% when patients wore the sunglasses.

In an interview with Ocular Surgery News, Mr. Mahdavi said practitioners can dispense the sunglasses in their offices. They sell for $85 to $185, he said. Prescription lenses are also available in powers ranging from +5 D to –5 D, he added.