Ionic Breeze

[Rebecca Petris]

Just passing along a little tip....

A customer who called this morning mentioned that she had had to stop using Benadril for her allergies as it was drying out her eyes. She got an Ionic Breeze (air purifier by Sharper Image) and is really impressed with it - says she can tell the difference to her eyes just going from the room it's in to another room in her house.

[twist]

ionic breeze

I too have an ionic breeze.....two actually. They really do clear the air of particulate matter, but they produce small amounts of ozone. In the winter when my house is a bit dry....even with a room humidifier, the ozone is really irritating......much much less irritating in the summer humidity. I usually have them on during the day while at work....and off the minute I get home. Anyone else have this effect??

And I have a question about the February soiree'. Is this the first of it's kind? Any idea how many people are expected....how many vendors are expected.....doctors expectd.....?????

And....will this likely be an annual thing? (perhaps it already is and I don't even know it) :-)

Just wondering

Thanks!!

[Rebecca Petris]

Hi Twist,

Thanks for the further info on the machine!

And I have a question about the February soiree'. Is this the first of it's kind? Any idea how many people are expected....how many vendors are expected.....doctors expectd.....?????

And....will this likely be an annual thing? (perhaps it already is and I don't even know it) :-)

Yes, it's the first of its kind! The Dry Eye Zone itself is very young and this is the first chance we've had to try to do this. In fact we timed it to celebrate the 1-year anniversary of DEZ.

We are planning on having an annual meeting in this area (Tampa Bay). Depending on the response and feedback we get from DEZ users, we're also considering doing some one-day regional meetings like this, to make it easier for people to participate.

Numbers... well, the target is "small & intimate". Our maximum capacity is about 225, and at this stage, honestly, I don't have any idea how many people will register. The Sjogrens Syndrome Foundation are just now sending out their invitations, and I'm expecting most registrations to take place in the next three weeks or so. I believe that the majority of attendees will be locals who attend Saturday only, with a smaller group around for the whole weekend.

Doctors... 5 or 6 (still waiting on one confirmation). If you have a look at the program you'll see we have medical topics in the morning and "life" topics in the afternoon on the Saturday, then Sjogrens and LASIK sessions on the Sunday. So the doctors are speaking Saturday morning, but most will be around for the whole weekend so there should be lots of time for dry eye chat!

Vendors... For this modest first attempt we have just invited some nonprofits of interest (such as the Boston Foundation for Sight who do scleral lenses) and vendors of a few innovative dry eye products that are not readily available in drugstores. We did not invite any pharmaceuticals this time. By the way, we have a little bit of space flexibility, so if there's a vendor you would really like to see there, it's not too late to send me a suggestion!

We're right in the middle of another conference (CLES) at the moment but I'll get speaker names and exhibitors both posted as soon after that as I can!

[jp2084]

Ionic Breeze Warning

I've done research on this product since I work in the finance industry. I can tell you that it releases ozone gas, which according to the EPA is dangerous and should not be inhaled in even small amounts. It is especially worse for people with allergies. moreover, Consumer Reports has run numerous tests on the product in regards to its efficacy in cleaning the air. Thumbs down. Consequently Sharper Image has consequently sued, but lost.