If you have trouble with migraines, eye stress, dry eye, or just need a spot of relaxation, a warm mask or a bit of eye massage might do the trick. We put Bob and Brad's EyeOasis 2 electric eye massager through its paces and here's what we found.
It may look like a VR headset, but the EyeOasis 2 made by Minnesota-based physical therapists Bob Schrupp and Brad Heineck is designed to relieve eye strain rather than induce it. Out of the box, it's a rather simple affair consisting of a surprisingly sturdy eyepiece assembly that folds for easy storage. It's held in place by a wide, adjustable elastic fabric headband and the kit includes a USB-C charging cable and a cloth storage bag.
After initial charging, the EyeOasis 2 is relatively simple to operate, though the makers warn not to operate the device unless you're wearing it, otherwise the internal air bladders could be damaged by over-pressure. Therefore, it's a good idea to acquaint yourself with the tactile buttons and how to use them to turn the unit on and off, select and adjust vibration and heat, and control the Bluetooth link, which is automatic after first pairing with your smartphone.
Slipping the unit on (and remembering to remove eyeglasses and contacts beforehand), pressing the power button for two seconds switches it on. You can then select from two levels of heat and three of massage.
Heat is programmed from no heat to a range from 104 °F (40 °C) to 113 °F (45 °C). Compression is courtesy of a set of inflatable bladders that produce a mild, rolling massage over the eyes and a stronger one at the temples. The noise of the internal compressor is reduced to 45 dBA thanks to low-noise technology, though the bladders do make the odd hiccough now and again as they cycle.
The EyeOasis 2 is preset to shut off automatically after 15 minutes. If you're easily bored or need music to relax, the device can stream it from your phone. However, I found that even at maximum volume, music was barely audible and the function was a bit superfluous given that my phone was less than a foot away.
Overall, the EyeOasis 2 did as advertised. It gave a proper massage with the temple workout being particularly effective. The heat also helped with a spot of dry eye that I'm prone to and the device was probably the best relaxation blindfold I've ever used without any light leaking in. The makers warn against sleeping while wearing the unit, which is somewhat ironic – the first time I tried it I dozed off in about 10 minutes.
The EyeOasis 2 is available for US$79.99 on Amazon.
Product page: Bob and Brad
