03.19.15
PolyPhotonix has won the Innovation Award at the 2015 Durham and Wearside North East Business Awards for their revolutionary Noctura 400 Sleep Mask. The awards spanned 12 contested categories that honored a diverse range of sectors from subsea engineering to medical technology and construction to retail.
The Noctura 400 is worn during sleep hours and treats diabetic retinopathy, one of the most common causes of blindness in the western world. The mask delivers a precise dose of light therapy during a patient’s normal hours of sleep. It comes in two parts – a plastic “Pod” part, which is inserted into a soft cushioned Fabric Mask. The Pod contains the light sources which, when worn, emits light into the eyes through closed eyelids. Nothing is inserted into the eyes – the treatment is non-invasive. The mask is programmed to administer the correct dose of light each night as part of a continuing therapy.
The Noctura 400 treatment will revolutionize the treatment for diabetic retinopathy. There are currently two commonly used treatments. One involves frequent intraocular injections directly into the eye, this can be very unpleasant, and currently costs in excess of £10,000 per eye per year.
The other is a laser treatment that effectively cauterizes the affected and damaged blood vessels in the macula; the treatment is not permanent and only delays the inevitable progress of the disease, normally this treatment is only performed a small number of times on a patient. The Noctura 400 treatment is provided at a fraction of the cost and creates the opportunity to provide affordable treatment to the millions who are affected across the globe.
“It’s really great to win, but this is really about the recognition of our stakeholders,” said Richard Kirk, CEO of PolyPhotonix. “We’ve had a lot of help from the likes of the government and InnovateUK, as well as a number of other investors. This award is about recognition of those who bought into what we do. Our work has been considered controversial and is in a difficult area to crack. Those stakeholders have really put a lot of faith in us and it’s great that can be recognized.”
Founded in 2009 and based at CPI, PolyPhotonix is a biophotonic company developing light therapy treatments for macular eye disease. In just six years PolyPhotonix has grown from one employee with an idea, to manufacturing a phototherapy eye mask that will save the NHS in excess of £1 billion a year.
The Noctura 400 is worn during sleep hours and treats diabetic retinopathy, one of the most common causes of blindness in the western world. The mask delivers a precise dose of light therapy during a patient’s normal hours of sleep. It comes in two parts – a plastic “Pod” part, which is inserted into a soft cushioned Fabric Mask. The Pod contains the light sources which, when worn, emits light into the eyes through closed eyelids. Nothing is inserted into the eyes – the treatment is non-invasive. The mask is programmed to administer the correct dose of light each night as part of a continuing therapy.
The Noctura 400 treatment will revolutionize the treatment for diabetic retinopathy. There are currently two commonly used treatments. One involves frequent intraocular injections directly into the eye, this can be very unpleasant, and currently costs in excess of £10,000 per eye per year.
The other is a laser treatment that effectively cauterizes the affected and damaged blood vessels in the macula; the treatment is not permanent and only delays the inevitable progress of the disease, normally this treatment is only performed a small number of times on a patient. The Noctura 400 treatment is provided at a fraction of the cost and creates the opportunity to provide affordable treatment to the millions who are affected across the globe.
“It’s really great to win, but this is really about the recognition of our stakeholders,” said Richard Kirk, CEO of PolyPhotonix. “We’ve had a lot of help from the likes of the government and InnovateUK, as well as a number of other investors. This award is about recognition of those who bought into what we do. Our work has been considered controversial and is in a difficult area to crack. Those stakeholders have really put a lot of faith in us and it’s great that can be recognized.”
Founded in 2009 and based at CPI, PolyPhotonix is a biophotonic company developing light therapy treatments for macular eye disease. In just six years PolyPhotonix has grown from one employee with an idea, to manufacturing a phototherapy eye mask that will save the NHS in excess of £1 billion a year.