Each device measures only what its physics allow.
Meibomian gland dysfunction is a mechanical problem: thickened oil, blocked glands, a tear film that evaporates too fast. Here is how the mask treats it, how the clip measures it, and where we stop.
The Mask — daily therapy
A precise temperature and humidity profile softens hardened meibum without irritation. Eyes are closed, so the mask senses thermally and behaviourally — never optically.
Skin & heat-flux sensing
Periorbital thermistors plus a heat-flux sensor read how fast your lids absorb energy — a proxy for lid thickness and meibum state, and the basis for dosing each session.
Adherence telemetry
Duration, completion, cadence and time of day. Warm compress therapy fails mostly because people stop, so we measure stopping.
Contact & compression
Pressure sensing across the lid confirms even contact and logs massage pressure, so a session is comparable to the one before it.
The Clip — weekly assessment
A spring clip carrying a macro lens, a Placido ring of white LEDs and a fixed standoff aligns to your phone camera. Two minutes, eyes open, once a week.
Blink rate & partial-blink ratio
Computer vision on video capture. Incomplete blinks are one of the strongest behavioural drivers of gland stagnation.
Tear meniscus height
Macro optics with diffuse white illumination measure the tear strip at the lower lid — a validated proxy for tear volume.
Non-invasive break-up time
A Placido ring of LEDs projects concentric mires onto the tear film; we time how long until the rings distort.
Lid margin & redness
Oblique white illumination plus a colour reference target for capping, telangiectasia and bulbar hyperemia trends.
A score built from five real inputs.
- —Thermal response and adherence — from the mask
- —Blink rate and partial-blink ratio — clip or front camera
- —Tear meniscus height and break-up time — from the clip
- —Screen exposure — from your phone, not a sensor
- —OSDI / SPEED symptom check-in — from you
Optional: import meibography from your clinic and the score weights gland dropout directly.
The limits are part of the spec.
Meibography stays in the clinic
Imaging gland dropout needs infrared illumination of an everted lid. We import your clinic scans rather than pretend a mask can see through your eyelid.
Lipid layer interferometry is out of scope
Measuring lipid layer thickness needs specular white-light optics and dynamic range a phone sensor does not have. We do not estimate it.
Nothing optical happens during therapy
Your eyes are closed and warm under the mask. Optical measurement is a separate weekly scan, not a claim made mid-session.
Trends, not diagnoses
Matiya reports change over time and produces a report you can hand to your eye doctor. It does not diagnose dry eye disease.