Prism Glasses sometimes go by the term, Bed Specs. Prism Glasses (or Bed Specs) are ideal for reducing Claustrophobia. Many patients do not realize that they are claustrophobic until they lie down and are pushed into the mri magnet. They'll usually scream, "Get me out of here" and suddenly you are stuck with a dilemma. If you spend time trying to coax the patient into the scanner, you could waste time and back up your schedule, so all the patients will be affected, and your staff will have to compensate, or hope they have a cancellation down the line.

By suggesting that the patient try putting on the prism glasses, they will find that the prism glasses will give the illusion of being less confined, and if they help get the patient through the scan. Of course, you could always abort the patient scan, and suggest that they come back after getting a prescription from their physician for something that will help to relax them. The prism glasses will pay for themselves very quickly if a patient finds that the prism glasses help reduce the claustrophobia and enable the patient to go through with the scan. By offering a solution to the patient, you will get high marks from the referring physicians who will hear that you are helping their patients, by providing patient comfort.

The prism glasses are not ordinary glasses with a prism. The MRIwear Deluxe Prism Glasses are specially made for MRI and are completely free of any ferrous material, making them totally transparent to the scan. The Original Prism Glasses have some non-ferrous material in the hinge, to enable the glasses to fold-up. Both styles of prism glasses are made from high quality frames with optically ground prism glass.

Many patients purchase the prism glasses on their own, and take them with them when going for an MRI scan. This winds up being a great decision, and we often hear back from the MRI scanning facility that they want to order additional prism glasses for each of their MRI systems.

Two Different Models of Prism Glasses Compared:

Both pairs of prism glasses are designed to help prevent claustrophobia. The Original Prism Glasses have a Prism that is molded into a fixed position which can not be changed. The patient sees a view out of the magnet that looks towards the feet when the patient is totally flat on their back (looking upwards). These Prism Glasses come with a vinyl carrying case and a lens cleaning cloth. These prism glasses are designed to fold up so they are easily stored, however, they are made with a non-ferrous hinge which is generally fine for most scans, however it will produce some artifacts around the eyeballs. Therefore The Original Prism Glasses are can not be used when performing scans of the Orbits and some Neurological studies that may involve tisses near the Eyeballs or front of the face. The Radiologist reading head scans from these prism glasses must be aware of the metal hinge, especially if the study is of the frontal area of the brain or C-spine, as there may be some blurring of the area near the face due to the distortion caused by the metal in the hinge.

Our New MRIwear Deluxe Prism Glasses have a newly designed frame which has addressed many of the flaws of the Original Prism Glasses. The new MRIwear glasses will allow the Prisms to be slid out of their normal position, rotated and then slid back into a plastic channel in the frames. If you have a study involving a feet-first entry into the magnet, the patient will still be able to see out the front of the MRI Magnet. The MRIwear Deluxe Prism Glasses are very useful if you have a mural, viewing screen or a family member there to provide comfort that the patient can see while lying supine and the area of interest is out towards the front of the MRI Magnet. The Deluxe Prism Glasses frames have no hinge, and therefore there is absolutely no metal in the frames at all. This will enable scans of the head, brain and C-spine to take place without ever experiencing any artifacts or distortion in the scan. The glasses are totally inert, so they will be completely invisible to the MRI scan. The Temples of the New MRIwear Deluxe Prism Glasses are made to snap-in and snap-out, so they can be removed if so desired by just pulling on the temple to remove it. This will enable the provided Elastic Strap to be used in place of the plastic temples. Just like a regular pair of glasses, the temples ordinarily rest on the top of the patient's ears and curve slightly around the back of the ear to hold the glasses in place. The Elastic Strap is adjustable, and can be used in any situation when the glasses may not be held firmly in place when resting on the patient's ears. Such a situaion may occur if the patient has a very small head (children) or if the patient is bandaged, and can not hold the glasses in place over their ears.

MRIwear Deluxe Prism Glasses Can Be Useful for Mountain Climbing, Bicycling, Hunting, Military Use and Construction Work

The Elastic Straps may also enable these MRIwear Prism Glasses to be used for activities besides MRI scanning, where it may be useful to keep the glasses firmly held in place. For instance, if you had a job which required you to look upward or downward for long periods of time (mountain climbing instructor, construction worker, surgical work, assembly line worker), these Prism Glasses could be worn to enable you to see upward (or downward) with the glasses held in place by the elastic strap. Bicylicists often hold their head downward to reduce air drag over their helmut, however they need to see the road ahead. The Prism Glasses could enable them to see ahead while their head is held down. A person lying on the ground who is hunting or possibly performing some kind of long-term surveilance work may be able to reverse one prism so they could detect movement in two different directions (in the direction towards their feet and in the direction beyond their head). The elastic band may help to hold the glasses in place for long periods of time, and they can be adjusted for maximum comfort.

Some patients have been known to cause damage to the MRI scanner when they suddenly attempt to pull themselves out of the scanner during a panic mode. By offering your patients empathy, comfort and the right accessories, you can help them through their MRI scan with minimal anxiety. The prism glasses are obviously a great step in the right direction. Some studies have shown that you can also help patients through their scan by using Vanilla scented potpourri as an olfactory method of inducing relaxation.

Our prism glasses are no ordinary MRI glasses. They are made of high quality optical glass, ground to perfection, providing patients with a clear view.

Bed Specs

The term bed specs refers to the fact that many hospital patients wear the prism glasses so that they can lay flat on their back and still be able to view the television. Many individuals who have neck injuries will find that the bed specs offer them a view of things that are otherwise a strain on their neck. One surgeon ordered the Prism Glasses so that he could better view the patient without straining his neck.

Scan Sound offers MRI Products and MRI Accessories that are geared towards improving patient comfort and reducing claustrophobia.