Headache Sufferers See Pain Fade With Special Glasses

For the millions of Americans suffering from tension headaches, backaches and insomnia, Glen Whitten has an unusual suggestion: “Take two lenses and call me in the morning.”

Whitten has invented a pair of glasses he says can help people relax and rid themselves of tension that makes their temples throb, their backs ache and prevents them from sleeping. His claims have not been proven, however, in extensive scientific studies.

Dubbed DZIDRA glasses, the spectacles use pulsating liquid crystals--like those used on digital watches--to lull the wearer into a relaxed brain state, reducing tension and eliminating the pain that results.

“You start relaxing almost immediately,” said Whitten, president of DZIDRA Technologies Inc. of Boston, which is marketing the glasses.

FDA Approves Sale

The Food and Drug Administration gave the company permission to begin selling the glasses last February. They are available only by prescription for $125 a pair.

The glasses look like regular sunglasses but have 1-inch-square liquid crystals affixed to the middle of the inside of each lens. The crystals are attached to a timer built into one ear piece and three 1.5-volt batteries in the other.

The wearer puts on the glasses, closes his eyes and looks in the direction of any type of light source. The battery sends an intermittent signal to the crystals, which causes them to rotate.

The optic nerve is stimulated by the shadows created by the movement, apparently slowing down the wearer’s brain signals, Whitten said. That causes the blood pressure to drop and tension to ease, he said.

Brain Harmonizes

“The brain tends to harmonize with signals presented in this manner. As the signals slow down there are a number of physiological changes that occur,” he said.

In addition to the estimated 20 million Americans who suffer from tension headaches, 67 million Americans with high blood pressure, 23 million Americans with chronic backaches and 30 million Americans with insomnia could be helped by wearing the glasses, Whitten claims.

“It’s for relaxation, anything that relaxation is good for,” said Whitten. “It’s really a hypnotic device.”