Sandra McDonough’s ‘Eye Guide MC’ For Parkinson’s Sufferers.

A woman named Sandra McDonough (who has battled with Parkinson’s for almost twenty years) has invented ‘Eye Guide MC,’ – to help people with Parkinson’s.

Sandra McDonough was diagnosed with Parkinson’s on the eve of her 40th birthday, and unfortunately, she gradually deteriorated until eventually, she had to stop driving, – resigning to a wheelchair. Sandra came up with the concept of the Eye Guide MC when she had almost given up hope of living in comfort again.

The discreet device (which Sandra invented in her home in Spalding, Lincolnshire) sits unobtrusively over the wearers’ ear, like a hearing aid does. It contains no batteries, no wires, no plugs, and it requires no surgery to fit.

Although the device is still in it’s early stages of product development, it appears to have a positive effect when it comes to improving debilitating Parkinson’s symptoms. Sandra hopes that her invention will help to improve the lives of the 145,000 people living with the condition in the UK, – by managing and controlling their symptoms.

Whilst wearing the Eye Guide MC, Sandra has control of her tremors and is able to speak clearly. She has better body balance, and she can walk straight. The inspiration for Eye Guide MC came to her after being told by doctors that an eye patch would improve her walking:

“I had the idea for the Eye Guide MC when I was at my lowest. In 2015, my Parkinson’s took a complete nose-dive and it was winning the takeover bid. No medication was making me feel any better and I was suffering with poor mental health. Everything felt impossible. That’s when I was introduced to someone who is now not only a lifelong friend, but also a key member of the Eye Guide MC team – Parkinson’s Nurse Specialist Ann Saunders, who changed my life,” she added.

After meeting Ann, and with the unfaltering support of her husband Chris (who had also been her carer for many years by this point), Sandra got to work to develop her invention. After two years of careful development, testing, and tweaking, the Eye Guide MC is now proudly ready to change lives.

“Put simply, the Eye Guide MC is a thin and discreet device that hooks over the ear. It is carefully calibrated with weights so that it sits in the perfect position in the peripheral vision in order to send a new message to the brain, overwriting the signals which affects balance, speech and movement, and causes tremors in people with Parkinson’s. The device also improves mood, helping the person living with Parkinson’s to feel more confident,” said Sandra.

In order to create a scalable production model and business plan, Sandra and her husband Chris originally sought funding from the University of Lincoln’s Productivity Programme and Parkinson’s UK, – both of whom have helped Eye Guide MC with grants.

Parkinson’s UK provided Eye Guide MC with early-stage advice and support to help get the device CE safety mark assessed. Although Parkinson’s UK does not formally endorse the product (as it is still at an early stage of development), they are keen to follow its progress. Sandra is a Parkinson’s UK volunteer and she works with other Parkinson’s UK volunteers to provide support to others living with Parkinson’s in her local community.

Incorporated in September 2019, and launched during the pandemic in May 2021, impressively, Sandra has just opened her business’s first clinic in Long Sutton, which is now run by a team of seven, including a Parkinson’s Nurse Specialist.

So far, more than 30 people with Parkinson’s have been fitted with the Eye Guide MC, with astounding results being reported.

About Parkinson’s and Parkinson’s UK

Parkinson’s is what happens when the brain cells that makes dopamine start to die. There are more than 40 symptoms, from tremor and pain to anxiety. Some are treatable, but the drugs can have serious side effects. It gets worse over time and there’s no cure. Yet. Parkinson’s is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world. Around 145,000 people in the UK have Parkinson’s. Further information, advice and support is available here.

To enquire about a fitting for an Eye Guide MC, contact the team on 01406 362028 or email info@eyeguidemc.co.uk. The friendly team are based at their clinic in Long Sutton, Spalding.

Find out more here: https://www.eyeguidemc.co.uk