Product Review: ResMed Mirage Vista Nasal Mask, Good for Daytime Use, Not Nighttime Use

The Mirage Vista Nasal Mask from ResMed is one of a variety of many masks used by patients using a breathing machine, such as a CPAP, BIPAP or ventilator without a tracheotomy (external use).

This mask is unique in that the mask only covers the tip of your nose and not all the way up to the bridge of your nose and the headgear goes around the back and top of your head without any forehead appliances. This allows it to be worn with eyeglasses which allows users to have an unobstructed view around them with or without prescription glasses.

I use both a BIPAP and ventilator with this mask and have been using it for about 6 years. I have expert experience with this item as a patient/user for a long period of time. Without further ado, I will jump right into what I believe are the pros and cons of this mask.

Pros

Compact

Everything about the Mirage Vista Mask is compact compared to most other masks I have tried. The mask itself looks basically like a strip of plastic/rubber a few inches high and as wide as the width of your face from cheek to cheek, and I don't feel claustrophobic when wearing it. It only weighs a few ounces and I don't feel weighed down by it.

Unobstructed View

The best thing about this mask is that it offers me an unobstructed view around me. The mask fits over the tip of my nose but not up to the bridge of my nose and the headgear has no forehead support. These 2 factors mean that I can wear glasses as I normally would do; the arms of my glasses fit under the headgear and over my ears, so the headgear also holds the glasses from sliding down my nose.

If not for this mask, I would not be able to work at the computer or watch TV because I am nearsighted and, without my glasses, I could not see far away. Farsighted people will also benefit for reading.

Quickly Attached Headgear

The headgear has quick-release clips that allow the mask to be attached and detached without any headgear adjustments. The clips are similar to those you would find on school book bags and you simply squeeze the sides of the clip together and pull it out of the opening on the side of the mask -- only one clip needs to be disconnected for a quick detachment.

The headgear is pre-assembled and requires a few pulls of the straps to adjust it to fit. Once it is adjusted for your head and face it does not need to be touched again unless this straps come loose and mine have never done that. After its first fitting, you only need to clip and unclip the mask each time it is attached or removed. It fits together with an audible snap which is comforting to know.

Adjustable Headgear

Aside from the straps of the headgear being adjusted the first time it is used, the headgear is also adjustable in other ways. The clips of the headgear have a swivel joint that allows for five different symmetrical positions and twenty different asymmetrical positions for the best stability and fit. The manufacturer calls this feature Fit Angle Selector. I rarely need to use this feature but it is good to know that it is there if I need to use it.

Breathable Headgear

The manufacturer calls their headgear material Breath-O-Prene that is supposed to keep your skin dry and allow air around your head to circulate.

I don't really notice the difference in the material but the headgear is very open around my head with only a few straps and, obviously, this allows more air to circulate around my head. As I said before, this mask and its headgear or very open and do not make me feel like I am locked in and claustrophobia.

Easy to Remove Swivel Elbow

The One Snap Elbow in the front of the Mirage Vista Mask, which leads to the tubing of your breathing machine, allows it to be detached without removing the entire mask and headgear. This has come in handy in the past when I have had to switch ventilators in a hurry -- simply squeeze the sides of the elbow and pull off, then just snap another one on.

The elbow also swivels 360° which decreases the headgear tension on your face and on the mask seal. Most masks swivel, so this is not a unique feature.

Comfortable Cushion

The Mirage Vista Mask uses a two-layer cushion for comfort, stability and a secure seal. The inner layer helps support and stabilize the mask while the outer layer is a soft silicone membrane decreases that mask leaks and prevents pressure sores.

Easy to Clean

Cleaning this mask and headgear is very simple. I just unclip one side of the headgear, leaving the other side attached to the mask, and wash the mask daily with mild dish soap and water. I dry the mask with a paper towel and allow the excess moisture to air dry. This mask is almost completely open when it is removed which really allows me to dry thoroughly and prevent bad odors from developing.

I wash the headgear every few days with the same dish soap and water. It dries really quickly.

Long Life

The Mirage Vista Mask really lasts a long time, much longer than any other mask I have bad. There are not many parts that can break down and the cushion does not really break down. It does turn yellow a bit over time in 6 months or more -- it's probably not a good idea to keep them until they turn yellow but none of mine have done that within 6 months, usually over a year.

Cons

Cannot Sleep with It

As compact and soft as the Mirage Vista Mask, headgear and cushion are, they only feel comfortable when I am sitting up. As soon as I lie down, the headgear pulls the mask up higher and the mask falls closer to my nose which causes it to come in contact with the harder inside cushion and it can hurt. Even when I am sitting up, if someone pushes the mask up slightly, it also hits the underside of my nose and would probably break it if pushed too far or hard.

The issue becomes worse when I turn on my side because the big plastic clips rest right on my cheek, so my face rests right against it and it's not comfortable. Plus, the hard inner cushion of the mask is pushed really tight against my nose in this position.

I cannot recommend the Mirage Vista Mask for bed and sleep use.

Extra Tube on Elbow

The elbow piece that snaps onto the mask has a little over one foot of tubing causing us to nickname this the elephant mask. This is not really a problem in itself but remember that the tubing from the ventilator needs to be attached to this tube. This extra tubing adds a lot of extra weight to the whole setup and also creating another piece that can disconnect sounds like a bad idea to me.

One time, the weight of the tubing caused a strain on the rubber connector and the whole tubing became disconnected. Luckily for the alarm on my ventilator or I would have been unable to breathe.
Don't let this deter you because the mask tubing that came apart on me was old and deteriorating.

Elbow & Headgear Disconnects

All of the quick release pieces on the elbow and headgear allow for quick attaching and detaching but it can be worrisome because it might come apart too easily when no one is touching it and I am depending on it to stay on.

I have never had any disconnects when no one was around but a few times, like 2 days ago, the clips of the elbow pulled out with a slight pull from my caregiver. It unclipped a bit too easily for my comfort, so I am a bit paranoid now.

Headgear Moving

The headgear and its straps do not need to be adjusted after their first fitting but the straps can slide around on your head at times. It won't fall off but if the straps on top slide back too far on my head, the mask starts to dip forwards and my nose gets sore.

Conversely, if the top straps are positioned too far forward, the middle part of the strap makes the top of my head sore. A quick repositioning of the straps resolves the issue.

Incompatible Connectors

All external respiratory masks need to be connected to the breathing machine was rubber tubing and plastic connector pieces are required to connect the two together. Normally, we can just use a standard connector piece for other masks but not with the Mirage Vista Mask. This mask has a unique sized tube ending and I had to jerri-rig three different connector pieces to find a setup that fits together snug.

Sore Nose

The cushion is supposed to be soft and prevent sores but sometimes the tip of my nose or beneath my nose gets sore if the straps move out of position for too long.

Conclusion

The Mirage Vista Mask works well for me during the day because I can wear my glasses while wearing the mask. That is really the main reason I prefer to wear this mask during the day, everything else are extra features. The quick release is a good and bad thing but it does make it really easy to attach and detach to my face in a hurry.

All of the negatives I listed for this mask are not really problems until I lie down with it on. My workaround is to wear a different style of mask at nighttime and save the Mirage Vista Mask for the daytime. Not only does this prevent the uncomfortable feeling caused by this mask at night but it also allows me to wash each mask after use twice a day instead of once. If I wear it too long, my skin start to get oily and uncomfortable, so switching it each day allows me to wash my face between uses.

As with all medical supplies, the Mirage Vista Mask comes with a steep price tag. Medical suppliers charge insurance almost $200 for this mask but it can be purchased online cheaper if you do a little browsing. Right now, this mask and headgear costs about $121.00 at CPAP.com.

The Mirage Vista Mask is available in two sizes, standard and deep sizes. Most people can use the standard but the deep size is there for people requiring a slightly deeper mask.

Rating: 3/5