Have trouble focusing when anxious or depressed? These spotty glasses could help you concentrate 

Special glasses can help people with ADHD and depression focus their attention better.

The lenses are studded with tiny, semi-transparent dots, designed to stimulate the brain and improve concentration.

Research to be published soon shows that more than 80 percent of people with attention problems reported an improvement after two months of using the glasses. The maker says the glasses could potentially help with any condition that causes attention problems.

Depression and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), the conditions for which the glasses were invented, are both among the symptoms of poor concentration. Chronic pain, stress and anxiety have also been linked to concentration problems, as have dementia, insomnia and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

Existing treatments, ranging from medication to therapy, are not perfect. For example, antidepressants can help improve mood and increase concentration. But the pills, which work by balancing chemicals in the brain that affect mood and emotions, can cause side effects such as nausea and loss of libido.

Meanwhile, there may be a long wait for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a “talk therapy” that helps people manage problems and can be prescribed for depression, ADHD, anxiety, CFS and insomnia.

The idea behind the new Vizo goggles is that peripheral vision – seeing ‘out of the corner of the eye’ – evolved to monitor our environment for threats. This means that when we see something on the edge of our vision, our brain becomes alert and attentive.

Consistent with this theory, the lenses have semi-transparent dots, several millimeters in size, around their edges. The idea is that just as catching a glimpse of a potential danger at the side of our eye focuses our attention, so seeing the dots at the edge of our vision increases concentration. Dot positioning is adjusted for each patient based on concentration and eye movement tests.

The eccentric positioning of the dots means they don’t affect central vision, which we use to see straight ahead when driving, reading and looking at faces. And the dots are unlikely to be noticed by those around us, says the creator.

The lenses can be prescription or regular – making them suitable for people who don’t normally wear glasses – and the glasses, which look like standard glasses, can be used as needed.

“Clinical studies have shown that more than 80 percent of people with attention problems reported an improvement after using the glasses,” says the maker, who will publish more details about his research next month at the World Congress on ADHD in Amsterdam.

A clinical trial of more than 100 people with ADHD has just been completed in collaboration with the Max Stern Academic College in Israel. Patients used the glasses for two months and the before and after effects were compared.

Carmine Pariante, a consultant psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘Peripheral vision is important for arousal and attention, so the theoretical background is sound and interesting.

“However, trial results are needed before we can make a real judgement,” he adds.

The goggles will go on sale in Israel this spring, before being available in Europe, including the UK, next year. No price has been set yet.

In pill position

How your position can affect medication. This week: Stay upright when taking tablets

To get to the stomach where they are supposed to work, the tablets have to pass through the esophagus, “but if they get stuck, some medications can cause drug-induced esophagitis, an inflammation that can damage tissues of the esophagus,” explains pharmacist Abbas Kanani out. .

“This can damage the lining of the esophagus and interfere with its normal function, making it difficult to swallow if left untreated.”

Drugs that can lead to this problem include ibuprofen; some antibiotics, including tetracycline and doxycycline; and alendronic acid, which is used to treat osteoporosis.

“It is advisable to stay upright for 30 to 60 minutes after taking these medications and, if possible, avoid taking them at bedtime,” says Abbas Kanani.

Did you know?

Sleeping too much or too little can make you more susceptible to infections, reports a study in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry.

Researchers surveyed patients attending GP surgeries about their health – and found that those who reported sleeping less than six hours a night or more than nine hours were more likely to report infections. Sleep problems are known to affect the immune system.

I need?

This week: Beurer FM 150 Compression Massager, £101.66, stressnomore.co.uk

CLAIM: This device consists of two inflatable cuffs, one for each leg – the cuff goes from below the knee to cover the foot – attached to a handset that controls the air pressure massage. While you’re seated, the cuffs inflate and deflate for up to 30 minutes, which the maker says will “improve venous blood circulation,” preventing varicose veins and varicose veins.

EXPERT VERDICT: ‘We use these types of stimulators for patients who are hospitalized or immobile for long periods of time, to stop blood clots from forming,’ says Professor Stephen Black, chief medical officer at the UK Vein Clinic,

“They’re also used for lymphedema — swelling in the legs, ankles, and feet caused by fluid buildup.” But for varicose veins, these only provide a short-term solution to swelling, as it won’t repair the failing valves they cause. Such a massage also does not help prevent varicose veins.’