BALTIMORE — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration just approved the first fully transparent surgical mask made by a Baltimore company.
The masks are especially helpful to communicate with hard-of-hearing patients and put children at ease because they can now see a doctor's facial expressions.
Experts said 55% of communication is visual, but face masks prevent seeing facial expressions and visual cues. Now, there's another option.
The saying goes that a smile is the greatest way to introduce yourself, but it's impossible to see while wearing a mask. For Dr. Jennifer Reesman, who works with deaf children at Kennedy Krieger Institute, a smile makes all the difference in the world.
"They do say it's so cool to see people smile," Reesman said. "Traditional masks or surgical masks that cover up our mouth make it really hard to communicate, and so being able to have full access to facial expressions is something that is crucial to us. It is a big change when they can see a facial expression."
The ClearMask was invented out of necessity. Three years ago, company co-founder Allysa Dittmar, who is deaf, had trouble communicating with operating room doctors after her interpreter didn't show up. She could lip read, but the surgical masks made that impossible.
"Eventually, (they) stopped trying to communicate and treated her like a dog, and it was a very dehumanizing experience. When she told me this story, I said, 'Why don't we buy a transparent mask for you?'" said Aaron Hsu, CEO and co-founder of ClearMask. "When we looked online, we realized no one had done this yet."
They decided on the spot to create one. Johns Hopkins University graduate students and alumni helped to develop the mask, which is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The plastic doesn't fog and it's adjustable.
The ClearMask is becoming standard personal protective equipment at medical institutions. It's also growing in popularity with the general public.
"The COVID pandemic has really made conscious what a lot us feel subconsciously in that how much we rely on seeing people's faces when we interact with them," Hsu said. "Being able to see who we are talking to is fundamental to how we as human beings communicate and connect."
The ClearMask is being marketed in schools, day cares, retailers and the hospitality industry.