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Blue-blocking IOLs may damage vision and health, surgeon warns
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ROME — Blue-blocking IOLs have no proven advantages for the eye and may cause such conditions as depression, insomnia and other health problems correlated with the disruption of circadian rhythmicity, according to a specialist speaking here.
"Blue light is essential for good vision and health," said Martin Mainster, MD, at the OSN Rome Symposium. "Blue light-sensitive retinal ganglion cells synchronize the human body's master biological clock to environmental day-night cycles, assuring the proper hormonal and physiological rhythms."
He emphasized that no evidence has been found of a correlation between blue light exposure and the pathogenesis of either degenerative retinal disorders, such as age-related macular degeneration, or uveal melanoma.
Additionally, blue light provides 35% of rod-mediated scotopic sensitivity and is therefore essential for effective vision in dim light, Dr. Mainster noted.
The OSN Rome Symposium is a meeting held jointly by Ocular Surgery News, the Italian Association of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and the Italian Society of Ophthalmology.