[New permanent humidity chamber in dry eye disorders]

In corneal lubrication or eyelid closure disorders it may be necessary to apply a monoculus to protect the eye from drying out. Changing the monoculus involves dermal irritation. Furthermore, because the monoculus is not completely airtight, the desired humidity is not achieved.

We introduce a tape-free permanent humidity chamber fastened to a spectacle frame that achieves a relative humidity of more than 98% even over a long period of time. PATIENTS/TESTED PERSONS: Five test persons and two patients with lagophthalmus were treated with a monoculus and with the permanent humidity chamber. Comparative measurements of the humidity achieved with the two methods were done.

For both test persons and lagophthalmus patients the permanent humidity chamber is a good alternative to the monoculus, because it maintains a humidity of more than 98% r/H over a period of eight hours or longer. It consequently provides much better conditions for successful treatment and additionally minimizes skin irritation.