A Lincolnshire start-up, which has already helped hundreds of people suffering from Parkinson’s across the UK, is expanding its offering to support people diagnosed with chronic pain condition fibromyalgia.
Eye Guide MC, the Spalding-based business that has developed a device that helps manage the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, has started to see mounting data demonstrating that the device also has an impact on the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
The company’s revolutionary device, created by Parkinson’s sufferer Sandra McDonough, has already helped over 250 Parkinson’s patients to regain independence and improve their quality of life and now aims to do the same for those suffering from fibromyalgia.
Sandra McDonough, Inventor and Founder of Eye Guide MC, said: “I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s over 20 years ago when I noticed my right hand started to tremor, which quite rapidly turned into not being able to walk, talk or feed myself. After getting over the shock of my diagnosis, originally thinking it could be a trapped nerve, I started to learn how to live with Parkinson’s. During this time, I was also diagnosed with fibromyalgia, which is why I was also experiencing widespread pain and was very tired all the time.
“I was desperate to find something to relieve the pain and spent many years creating and developing the Eye Guide MC device. It has given me my life back and I want to be able to give others the opportunity to try the device. If I can help just one person, that’s enough for me.”
The Eye Guide MC is a non invasive, non surgical device which sits discreetly over the wearer’s ear and is visible in the peripheral vision. People with Parkinson’s fitted with the device have seen astounding results, many reporting a reduction in tremors, a steadier walk, improvement in speech and uplift in mood.
Currently, there is no cure for Parkinson’s and although it differs from fibromyalgia, there are symptoms that both chronic conditions have in common, including muscle stiffness, widespread pain, fatigue, and difficulty with balance and coordination.
Fibromyalgia tends to mostly affect women, with many suffers experiencing widespread pain and tenderness in the body, along with fatigue and often anxiety and depression.
Sandra added: “Our mission has always been to improve the lives of people suffering from chronic conditions, and after months of recording data and noting the improvements from our patients who have fibromyalgia, we are confident that the Eye Guide MC device can help. By expanding our offering and welcoming both people with Parkinson’s and now fibromyalgia to our clinic, we hope that we can help even more people to regain their independence and improve their quality of life.”
The Eye Guide MC is a discreet device that contains no batteries, no wires, no plugs and requires no surgery to fit and aims to provide relief to those suffering from Parkinson’s or fibromyalgia.
So far, the Eye Guide MC team have trialled the device on a number of people suffering from fibromyalgia and reports a 100% success rate so far.
The next step for Eye Guide MC is to obtain clinical data. The team is working alongside the University of Lincoln to get a clinical trial underway.
Ben Chester, Business Development Manager, commented: “The Eye Guide MC is a lightweight, discreet device that, when worn, can gradually improve common symptoms of Parkinson’s and fibromyalgia. These conditions do affect everyone differently and treatments may not work for everyone, however, mounting evidence is showing that the device could be a holistic remedy. The Eye Guide MC device is a Class 1 Medical Device that is CE-marked, and MHRA accredited. There is no medication, wires or surgery involved with the device. All evidence gathered to date has shown the Eye Guide MC to be a safe non-intrusive device.”
