blephasteam goggles in US?

[bunnyrabbit123]

Hi everyone,
Does anyone know of a company or way to purchase these goggles in the US? I've had IPL, which has helped a lot, but I'm seeking a way to minimize the need for maintenance treatments as they're costly and I think this might work better for me than the usual warm compresses. I'd appreciate any info, you can pm me, if you like. Thanks.

[spmcc]

I've contacted the company in the past. They told me that blephasteam is a medical device and for the moment they are not allowed to sell it outside Europe.

They can sell and deliver to France, Germany, The United Kingdom, Belgium, The Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Poland and Switzerland.

You can have someone in one of those countries buy it and ship it to you.

[neilw]

Clair,
we recently purchased Blephasteam goggles and had them sent to Australia. They arrived OK after less than 2 weeks. We have not used them yet as my wife has had a flu for the past few weeks but we are looking forward to trying them out.
We bought them from this website
- http://www.blepha-store.co.uk/acatal...ephasteam.html

I had someproblem when I tried to buy them online - can't remember what it was exactly. So I telephoned their number UK 0845 838 6724 and arranged the purchase over the phone.

I got the impression that they would send the goggles to any country. (It was actually cheaper for me to buy them, even with the extra postage cost, than it would have been for a UK resident, as I did not have to pay VAT.)
Neil

[bunnyrabbit123]

Thank you for this info, Neil. I'll try calling these people. I contacted Spectrum Thea by e-mail in the past as was told they would not ship to US. Has your wife tried the goggles yet? I'd love some feedback.

[Spoon]

Hi, you can buy them from this site. http://www.dry-eyes.co.uk/acatalog/Blephasteam.html

I think they will send to the US. Not that I think they are that great

[bunnyrabbit123]

Not impressed, eh Spoon? Could you elaborate? I hate to lay out this kind of money for a mediocre result.

[unicorn]

My 'review' of Blephasteam goggles, for what it's worth!

I was able to try a pair of Blephasteam goggles on loan, for two weeks. For the first week I used them once a day, for the second week twice a day.

The first few times I used them, they left a very bad purpley-red indentation around my eyes where the rubber pressed into my skin. In the end I would sit holding them not away from my face (they have to make a seal around the eyes), but just so that they didn't press in so tightly. So, overall, not comfortable or relaxing to use. I do have very sensitive, delicate skin though and I do mark easily - others probably wouldn't find this a problem. As for being able to read, watch TV, etc when they're on - well, yes, if you have good eyesight - but not if you're very shortsighted like me!

The heat they provided was surprisingly gentle, and certainly they never felt 'hot'. This was probably a good guide as to how hot you should have any compress, rice bag, etc - it was 'comfortably warm'. The first few times I used them I found my eyes were getting very red looking and inflamed. This settled down a little after a while, although my eyes always do go red with heat. When doing lid massage afterwards, I wasn't really noticing much oil coming out - probably less than when I'd been using a rice baggy. Not that that is a bad thing, of course - it is certainly possible to overdo heat/massage.

After two weeks I went for a check up with my optometrist who found no improvement at all in my MGD, and subjectively, I would say my eyes felt a little worse during this time.

So - they are not for me. But remember, I don't seem to be able to cope with much heat on my eyes at all as it aggravates inflammation. My optometrist did say they had a few patients who had only found relief with Blephasteam goggles after trying everything else.

Sorry this is a bit of an equivocal review - but it's a large amount of money, and if you are prepared to 'lose' that, then give them a go, but don't expect a miracle cure. Remember also you have to buy insert rings ongoing, which are around £12 for a pack of 100 - if you use the goggles twice a day that won't even last a month.

[bunnyrabbit123]

Unicorn,
Thanks very much for these details. I also have very fair, sensitive skin and when I was doing the hot compresses on a regular basis, I gave myself red marks around my eyes and don't care to go back to that. IPL has helped me the most, so I guess I'll be saving my money for maintenance treatments and hoping some solution that doesn't require a 200 mile round trip to the closest doctor doing this will be soon available.

[Spoon]

Hi bunnyrabbit, no I wasn't overly impressed by them but I still think they could be good to have for some. My main issue with them is that I don't think they generate enough heat to really loosen up the blockages to the point where you would be getting long term benefit. However everyone is different and i think they could be great for less severe cases + they do provide some temporary relief in either case, sort of like a hot shower

[neilw]

bunnyrabbit,
Sorry I hadn't replied sooner. We are away for a short time (in Sydney so Kathy can have Lipiflow) so cannot try the goggles now. When we get home next week Kathy will begin to use them. Up until last week she had had a bad cold/flu virus that is doing the rounds this winter in Melbourne so did not try the goggles during this time.

We hope the goggles just after Kathy's Lipiflow will help to get her oil flowing.

A couple of things to be aware of if you do order the goggles from the UK -
- you will need to buy a plug adaptor to go from either a UK plug or from a European plug to a US plug. Any travel goods shop should have these.
- the goggles are set to run on 220 to 230 Volts. There is a transformer but I thnk you had better ask the people before you order it to see that it will work OK on US voltage - 110 V I thnk.

The goggles we ordered work fine here but we have 240V which is near enough to the 220 to 230 of Europe/UK.

Neil

[bunnyrabbit123]

Hi Neil,
Hope Kathy is doing well following her lipiflow- Please let me know what you think of the goggles as this will be a big expense for me- I'd love whatever details you can provide.
Claire