Device Safety Information

The Steamgoggle was designed with ease of use, effectiveness and most importantly safety in mind. The inventor, on numerous occasions has microwaved a hot compress and applied it too early, trying to maximize the amount of heat transferred to the eyelids during the compress's short temperature window. The goal was to maximize the treatment effectiveness in unclogging oil glands, as lower temperatures to that point had not improved symptoms. However on numerous occasions, this actually resulted in burns to the skin, causing peeling eyelids and worsened symptoms during the healing period as well as sometime afterwards.

 

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   Innovative Heater Technology:

 

The SteamGoggle is unique in that it employs the use of special heaters to give a consistent supply of heat with no risk of overheating. These heaters work by heating up to a set temperature defined during their manufacture and cannot overheat due to their construction. This allows the device to create an abundant supply of moist heat not possible with USB type heaters; and without time constraints common with microwaveable and moist towel hot compresses. Additionally, the silicone eyecup that serves as an interface between the users face and plastic lens, is always cool to the touch and eliminates any risk of contact between the eye/face and the heated plastic lens.  See our FAQ page for temperature information.

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The SteamGoggle is able to provide the most safe and effective moist heat dry eye treatment because it employs the use of ceramic PTC (Positive Thermal Coefficient) electric heaters.  This heater differs from normal resistive heaters in that it is able to self regulate its temperature via its internal chemistry, and does not require external regulation controls.  As the PTC heater reaches a certain temperature (defined during its manufacture), its resistance increases significantly, leading to a decrease in power consumption and preventing the temperature from rising uncontrollably.  This proportional relationship between temperature and current flow continues until the target temperature is reached and all current flow stops (the heater is now essentially an insulator).  PTC heaters are well known for their reliability and safety, as well as for being very energy efficient. This in turn, allows the device to rapidly heat to and maintain the desired temperature, all while eliminating the risk of overheating common with other electric heaters. See Wikipedia link for more information on self regulating PTC heaters.

 

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Separate External (Heater) and Internal (Moist Heat) Cavities:

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The SteamGoggle works by having two completely separate plastic cavities on each eye piece of the goggle. On the external cavity, a PTC heater encased in silicone, transfers heat through the plastic lens to the internal cavity that features a raised plastic lattice containing clean water.  This heat slowly vaporizes the water to create a therapeutic moist heat environment inside the internal cavity.  Completely separating the two cavities eliminates any concern over any interaction between the eye and any of the electronics or heater assembly during a treatment session.

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BPA Free:

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The Steamgoggle lens is injection molded using a thermoplastic resin called  Polyethersulfone (PESU), which is known for being a high performance replacement for Polycarbonate (which contains BPA).  Polyethersulfone  was chosen as it has a high resistance to heat, is BPA free and is commonly used in household/industry food preparation and cooking applications. It is also known for being used in catering gear, water filtration membranes as well as the internal components used in espresso machines.  Switching to this high performance resin approved for cooking and food contact eliminates any concern of BPA leaching that is common with polycarbonate at higher temperatures.

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Testing:

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​Each device following being manufactured is run through a complete dry treatment cycle (no water applied to plastic lattice) to test for correct temperature output as well as its voltage/current draw to ensure the device is functioning properly.

 

See link for device Important Safety Instructions.​​​​