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First, this product isn't going to be a miracle cure. But I do think of them as a massive upgrade to the typical warm compress.
Advantages of Blephasteam over other DIY options for heating the MG's:
1. It maintains constant heat so you get the maximum possible benefit from the application of said heat (i.e. unlike compresses or other methods, it won't cool off with time and lessen the benefits from treatment)
2. It maintains constant heat at the CORRECT TEMPERATURE. Melting MG secretions is based on science - we know what temperature is required. But we also know that going too hot can make your eyes red and more irritated, or even damage the cornea if you really overdo it. Blephasteam solves both of these issues since it will heat your lids warm enough to melt secretions without getting hotter than required (which could needlessly increase inflammation/irritation).
3. It's super easy to use. There's no fiddling around with thermometers to ensure the right temp of a warm compress (or steam). There's no guessing if you're using the correct temperature. Blephasteam ensures you're doing it right, as it would be very hard to screw it up with these due to the design of the product.
What it can't do (no warm compress can do this, so this list of "can'ts" applies to ALL DIY home methods of heating MG's)
-it can't fix scarred MG's
-it probably can't soften a really bad stuck-in-there blockage enough to the point where the blockage would soften and come out on its own (this would likely require manual MG expression)
-dry eye is complex and lots of us have more than just inflamed MG's - heating the MG's may not be enough to compensate for all the other stuff that's contributing to inflammation on the ocular surface, which is one reason why I think many people notice zero improvement with the application of heat to the MG's
I just received mine today, and did my first treatment.
They look well-made, and come with a one-year warranty. The manual says they expect the device to last 7-years... however since they only offer a 1-year warranty I'm going to assume the 7-year thing is a tad bit optimistic, because if they were super confident about that they'd make the warranty last 7 years (and they chose to go with 1-year instead) lol I do not know if the warranty applies to purchasers outside the UK though... so I bought it with that in mind.
I spent a fair bit of time googling to make sure I found the actual manufacturer's original website as I had no interest in buying a counterfeit product. This is the website, to save your eyes the discomfort of spending extra time looking for it: https://www.theapharmaceuticals-shop...eam-range.html
However, the manufacturer currently can ONLY ship Blephasteam to UK addresses.
Because I'm outside the UK, I ordered off Amazon.
*** BE CAREFUL if ordering off Amazon since it is a known FACT that there are counterfeit sellers on that website and you don't want to get some crappy fake Blephasteam goggles that are a waste of money (or worse, harmful to you). I'm not bashing Amazon... however, their site has so many third-party sellers on it that I believe it's impossible for Amazon to stay on top of all of them, so it's inevitable that some bad apples slip in there.
For what it's worth, this is the link I used to buy my Blephasteam: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00ARUI3WK/
*** IMPORTANT: this is the seller I bought from: https://www.amazon.co.uk/sp?_encodin...b=&vasStoreID=
The seller matters... it's not always easy to tell who the actual seller is on Amazon, so make sure you take the time to figure out who the seller is before you finalize your order - Amazon is always changing the location of stuff on their site, but if you fiddle around enough, you'll find the seller info eventually. I chose to take a chance on this one (FirstForContactLenses) because they had 4988 reviews at the time of my purchase with an average satisfaction rating of 99% in the past 12 months. It's hard to fake (or fraudulently buy) that many good reviews, so I figured odds were in my favor that they'd ship me a legit product. Additionally, they are located in the UK, however they do ship outside of the UK (I had mine shipped to me in Spain... I'm not sure if this seller would also ship to N. America or other continents though).
I wrote the manufacturer today (Thea Pharmaceuticals) asking them to please apply for approval to market this product in Canada and the U.S. If you see the value in it, consider writing them to request this as well. If they see enough demand, they may do it (for all I know plans are already in the works for this... but in case it's not, I wrote them to request it).
My thoughts on the manufacturer (Thea Pharmaceuticals):
This is not some shady unknown company trying to scam dry eye sufferers. They are a major company, and I believe this is a legit attempt to use science to improve the effectiveness of warm compresses via a device that regulates the heat to ensure the right temperature is applied.
In my opinion, worries about this being a scam to prey on dry eye sufferers would be unfounded. However, as I said above heat treatments for MGD are certainly not a miracle cure, either (particularly if one has severe dry eye that's been going on for a long time). So go into it with realistic expectations if you try this product.
Advantages of Blephasteam over other DIY options for heating the MG's:
1. It maintains constant heat so you get the maximum possible benefit from the application of said heat (i.e. unlike compresses or other methods, it won't cool off with time and lessen the benefits from treatment)
2. It maintains constant heat at the CORRECT TEMPERATURE. Melting MG secretions is based on science - we know what temperature is required. But we also know that going too hot can make your eyes red and more irritated, or even damage the cornea if you really overdo it. Blephasteam solves both of these issues since it will heat your lids warm enough to melt secretions without getting hotter than required (which could needlessly increase inflammation/irritation).
3. It's super easy to use. There's no fiddling around with thermometers to ensure the right temp of a warm compress (or steam). There's no guessing if you're using the correct temperature. Blephasteam ensures you're doing it right, as it would be very hard to screw it up with these due to the design of the product.
What it can't do (no warm compress can do this, so this list of "can'ts" applies to ALL DIY home methods of heating MG's)
-it can't fix scarred MG's
-it probably can't soften a really bad stuck-in-there blockage enough to the point where the blockage would soften and come out on its own (this would likely require manual MG expression)
-dry eye is complex and lots of us have more than just inflamed MG's - heating the MG's may not be enough to compensate for all the other stuff that's contributing to inflammation on the ocular surface, which is one reason why I think many people notice zero improvement with the application of heat to the MG's
I just received mine today, and did my first treatment.
They look well-made, and come with a one-year warranty. The manual says they expect the device to last 7-years... however since they only offer a 1-year warranty I'm going to assume the 7-year thing is a tad bit optimistic, because if they were super confident about that they'd make the warranty last 7 years (and they chose to go with 1-year instead) lol I do not know if the warranty applies to purchasers outside the UK though... so I bought it with that in mind.
I spent a fair bit of time googling to make sure I found the actual manufacturer's original website as I had no interest in buying a counterfeit product. This is the website, to save your eyes the discomfort of spending extra time looking for it: https://www.theapharmaceuticals-shop...eam-range.html
However, the manufacturer currently can ONLY ship Blephasteam to UK addresses.
Because I'm outside the UK, I ordered off Amazon.
*** BE CAREFUL if ordering off Amazon since it is a known FACT that there are counterfeit sellers on that website and you don't want to get some crappy fake Blephasteam goggles that are a waste of money (or worse, harmful to you). I'm not bashing Amazon... however, their site has so many third-party sellers on it that I believe it's impossible for Amazon to stay on top of all of them, so it's inevitable that some bad apples slip in there.
For what it's worth, this is the link I used to buy my Blephasteam: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00ARUI3WK/
*** IMPORTANT: this is the seller I bought from: https://www.amazon.co.uk/sp?_encodin...b=&vasStoreID=
The seller matters... it's not always easy to tell who the actual seller is on Amazon, so make sure you take the time to figure out who the seller is before you finalize your order - Amazon is always changing the location of stuff on their site, but if you fiddle around enough, you'll find the seller info eventually. I chose to take a chance on this one (FirstForContactLenses) because they had 4988 reviews at the time of my purchase with an average satisfaction rating of 99% in the past 12 months. It's hard to fake (or fraudulently buy) that many good reviews, so I figured odds were in my favor that they'd ship me a legit product. Additionally, they are located in the UK, however they do ship outside of the UK (I had mine shipped to me in Spain... I'm not sure if this seller would also ship to N. America or other continents though).
I wrote the manufacturer today (Thea Pharmaceuticals) asking them to please apply for approval to market this product in Canada and the U.S. If you see the value in it, consider writing them to request this as well. If they see enough demand, they may do it (for all I know plans are already in the works for this... but in case it's not, I wrote them to request it).
My thoughts on the manufacturer (Thea Pharmaceuticals):
This is not some shady unknown company trying to scam dry eye sufferers. They are a major company, and I believe this is a legit attempt to use science to improve the effectiveness of warm compresses via a device that regulates the heat to ensure the right temperature is applied.
In my opinion, worries about this being a scam to prey on dry eye sufferers would be unfounded. However, as I said above heat treatments for MGD are certainly not a miracle cure, either (particularly if one has severe dry eye that's been going on for a long time). So go into it with realistic expectations if you try this product.
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