I have now been using the Noctura masks for 18 months and felt it was time to share the results of my use so far.

The Noctura 400 is a non-invasive therapy for retinopathy & macular oedema.  

To recap, people with proliferative retinopathy have damaged blood vessels in the back of the eye that impair their ability to supply oxygen to the retina.  To get around this, the body produces extra blood vessels, but they are weak and break easily, causing “bleeds” and “floaters.”

The oxygen demand is highest at night when your night vision turns on.  Now, since, currently, medical science lacks the ability to repair the damaged bloods vessels and increase the supply of oxygen, the only other way to manage this is to decrease demand.  This is where the mask comes in, it shines a light through the closed eyes that is just bright enough to stop your night vision from activating, but not bright enough to keep you awake.

I have been very pleased with the masks.  I have adapted to wearing them at night and it now feels odd if I try to sleep without the mask on!

I first start having issues with my eyes in 2014 with the development of weak blood vessels as described above.  I had several lots of laser coagulation of the eye and things stabilised for a few years, but I continued to develop new weak vessels and have bleeds.  This continued even after I got my diabetes well managed at the end of 2019.

I was somewhat disheartened to discover that the state of your eyes reflects your control of your diabetes 2-3 years ago, I therefore hoped that if I could get through that 2-3 year period, things would improve.  It was a shock then when, in early 2024 I was told I needed more laser work done to my eyes after 4 years of good levels.

The Results

18 months of mask use has seen a major improvement in my eyes.  In November last year, I had a follow up check with the Ophthalmologist at Lister hospital following the laser surgery just before I started using the masks.   After thoroughly checking my eyes, his comment was “Perfect!” He told me I had no bleeds and no new growth of weak blood vessels.  He then released me from post operative care back to standard annual screening.

I can also report that my left eye has gone from -1 dioptre to zero so my visual acuity has improved as well!

I was over the moon at this news as it meant the end of over 10 years of 3 monthly checks, worry and stress.  The result also had another consequence, the diabetes GLP-1 drug Tirzepatide is contra indicated for those with Retinopathy.  The all clear from the Ophthalmologist allowed me to be prescribed the drug and that has helped me to improve my (admittedly already fairly good) management of my diabetes.  According to my CGM sensors, I have gone from about 92% time in range to 100% and my weight has so far dropped 15Kg.  Without the Noctura mask, I would not have been allowed access to this extremely effective new medication.

Using the mask has helped to further reduce the mental burden of my diabetes as I was reaching the limit of what the doctors could do with laser surgery and would have had to move to injections of drugs into my eyes on a regular basis, which was a something I was not looking forward to.

The other good news is that the mask is now available to be prescribed by Health Care Professionals in the UK! In hospitals, Diabetologists (endocrinologists) and Ophthalmologists and in the community GPs and prescribing optometrists can all issue prescriptions. This is wonderful news and should improve the quality of life for those affected by these issues. It will also end up saving the NHS money compared to treating the complications of retinopathy & macular oedema.

I commend the NHS for making this decision. I am looking forward to using the mask for many years to come.