Protecting Eyes From ‘Bad’ Blue Light
By Andrew Karp (/author/andrew+kal
Monday, September 09, 2013 12:00 AM
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Protecting Eyes
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The world can be a dangerous place, especially if viewed through the naked eye. Ocular hazards
resulting from both natural and artificial light are everywhere.
The threat posed by exposure to ultraviolet light is well known to eyecare professionals, and a growing
number of consumers are becoming aware of it as well, thanks to advertising by sunglass companies
and a new public awareness campaign that's being undertaken by the Vision Council. The campaign's
message to consumers is simple and direct: Protect your eyes with sun lenses wear lenses that block
UV rays up to 400 nanometers, or else you risk retinal damage and other serious eye injuries whenyou're outdoors.
Now a new ocular threat has emerged in the form of High Energy Visible (HEV) light. HEV is prevalent
not just outdoors, but indoors as well. The indoor threat is posed largely by digital devices such as
computer screens, tablets, smartphones and televisions, particularly the new flat screen models with
OLED screens.
As with UV radiation, the damaging effects of HEV are cumulative over the course of a lifetime
Therefore, older people are more likely to show its effects. As Mark Mattison-Shupnick, ABOM, and
John Lahr, OD pointed out in a recent article in 20/20 Magazine about the impact of UV and HEV on the
aging eye, “Newer research about the effects of HEV, in particular the wavelengths centered around
430 nm (20 nm) also show that....blue light plays a role in the incidence and severity of AMD (age-
related macular degeneration). In both cases, free radical damage to the cells of the retina by UV and
HEV is suggested
“While the aging retina is more susceptible to this damage, the yellowing of the lens and the absorption
of some of the blue might help reduce blue light exposure. However, oxidative damage of the retina
continues to occur with aging and its own protective mechanisms become less effective with age.
Fluorescent phototoxic chromophores accumulate in the retina; blue light reacts with them, stops the
regenerative process and kills the cells that nourish the cones. The result is a graying, then total loss of
central vision.”
Patients who undergo cataract surgery are at particular risk from exposure to HEV light. “A 65 year-old
human lens essentially blocks 100 percent of harmful blue light due to the yellowness of the lens and any
cataract formation. Once you remove the cataract you lose the protection in the group of patients that
need it most,” observed Greg Naes, CEO of Eye Solutions, which developed the blue light fittering
technology called BluTech that is used in lenses made by VSP Optics Group and Signet Armorite.
“With BluTech we have taken that natural ocular lens pigment and put it into an eyeglass lens to protect
not only those that have had cataract surgery but also excellent protection for children as retinal damage
from blue light is a result of cumulative lifetime exposure.”Mattison-Shupnick and Lahr recommend that patients wear lenses that attenuate 100 percent of UV
and HEV radiation, indoors and outdoors. They advise that modem lenses should attenuate UV and
HEV using all the properties of the lens, i.e., coatings on the front, lens material, polarizing films,
photochromics and the coating applied to the back.
Inrecent months, 10 different optical companies have developed lens products designed specifically to
protect the eye from HEV and UV: BluTech lenses by Signet Armorlite, Coppertone Polarized Lenses
by Vision-Ease Lens, Crizal Prevencia No-Glare lenses by Essilor, Happy Lens by Spy Optics, Hoya
Recharge by Hoya Vision Care, Nikon SeeCoat Blue anti-reflective coating, iBlu Coat by PFO Global,
Retinal Bliss Tech DES coating by Quantum Innovations, Unity with BluTech lenses by VSP Optics
Group and UVARity by Laramy-K Optical.
LENS TREATMENTS
WITH LENS MATERIALS WITH
100% UV ABSORPTION 100% UV ABSORPTION
All Photochromic lenses Polycarbonate
All Polarized lenses ‘TRIVEX Material
=—S Tribrid
1.6, 1.67 High Index
1.7, 1.74 High Index
AR WITH
LOW/NO UV REFLECTANCE
Crizal UV, Quanturn RB
Tech
UvaRity - Laramy K
Others }
AR/Hard Coated Front
LENS
AR/Hard Coated Back
AR WITHOUT
UV Reflection AR WITH
Transmits all UV for LOW/NO HEV
photochromics since REFLECTANCE
self-tinting requires UV ‘an with
Se
HEV Reflection UVARity - Laramy K,
SeeCoat Blue — Nikon Quantum RB Tech,
iBlu - PFO Global \ Others J
i
) | Crizal Prevencia
Souree: 20/20 Magaxine
This new generation of lenses takes a sophisticated approach to filtering blue light, using specially
designed transmission curves to block out short wave, or “bad blue light” and let in some long wave, or
“good blue light.” (To leam more about the differences between “bad” and “good” blue light, read the
accompanying article by Cheryl Murphy, OD.)
“The more we are learning about certain wavelengths in the blue violet light spectrum and the impact of
those wavelengths on the retina, specifically the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), the more we believe
that selective blue light filtering should be standard on all ophthalmic lenses,” said Larry Rodriguez,
chief operating officer at High Performance Optics, a technology company that has signed an exclusive
global licensing agreement with Essilor that grants Essilor exclusive rights on HPO patents and
technology for blue light attenuating lenses.
Rodriguez believes this technology should be utilized by everyone, starting with children, since RPE
damage can be cumulative and begin to affect unprotected eyes at a young age. HPO uses what it calls