Diabetic Retinopathy Sleep Mask - Developing a more wearable mask for Diabetic Retinopathy treatment
- Submitting institution
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University of Northumbria at Newcastle
- Unit of assessment
- 32 - Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory
- Output identifier
- 25950047
- Type
- K - Design
- Open access status
- -
- Month
- May
- Year
- 2017
- URL
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- Supplementary information
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- Request cross-referral to
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- Output has been delayed by COVID-19
- No
- COVID-19 affected output statement
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- Forensic science
- No
- Criminology
- No
- Interdisciplinary
- Yes
- Number of additional authors
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0
- Research group(s)
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- Proposed double-weighted
- No
- Reserve for an output with double weighting
- No
- Additional information
- This research, carried out between 2015 and 2017, resulted in the making of a contour garment in the form of a mask to house a medical therapy for diabetic retinopathy.
The aim was to experiment with new materials to construct a mask that fitted around the complex anatomical areas of the head and face accommodating a wide-ranging individual variation in facial topography, so providing a comfortable ‘garment’ to wear in bed which allowed for undisturbed sleep.
This research was part of a wider project working with Noctura,
who specialise in medical therapy to arrest Diabetic retinopathy (DR), the leading cause of vision-loss globally. The design addresses the issue of
non-compliance from patients in wearing the mask due to lack of comfort during sleep that inhibits their ability to receive the therapy.
The approach uses both sensorial empathic design and research through design (RTD) as methods for understanding how digital healthcare can be worn with comfort around the face. Over 80 prototypes were tested with the established Noctura user group. The research calls upon the skills of the maker and their material insights and construction knowledge. It also explores the methods for collating user responses around compliance and comfort through sensorial and empathic design philosophies building on the work of Shusterman (2012), Pink (2013) and Margulies (1989).
Dissemination
2019 presentation and associated paper
Futurescan 4: Valuing Practice
https://futurescan.figshare.com/articles/Imaginative_Empathy_and_use_of_Somatic_Perceptions_in_the_Designing_of_a_Therapeutic_mask_for_Diabetic_Retinopathy/9943265/1
2017 Presentation to UK Tech Forum Chair at Personal Safety Division of 3M on Mask Construction and Designing products for and around the face.
2017 Exhibited ‘Craft Futures: Call for Makers’, Northumbria University.
This new design has yet to be launched or publicised. Noctura are currently seeking FDA approval and is in the process of developing manufacturing capacity in China.
- Author contribution statement
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- Non-English
- No
- English abstract
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