Panel urges ODs to protect patients against harmful blue light

NEW YORK – With the increased use of mobile phones, iPads, tablets and compact fluorescent and LED light bulbs, exposure to high-energy blue light is commonplace. Here at Vision Expo East, a panel of experts detailed the risks of this exposure and ways to reduce it.

William Jones, OD, explained to attendees that blue light can cause damage to the ocular tissue and the lens, resulting in cataracts, pinguecula and pterygia.

“But the cumulative damage can occur in the retina,” he said. “The incidence of advanced age-related macular degeneration increased 25% from 2000 to 2012.”

“The government wants us to replace our old light bulbs,” panelist Paul M. Karpecki, OD, added. “But the high-energy LEDs emit much more blue light.”

Panelist Pete Hanlin, LDO, ABOM, said that 435 nm is the wavelength shown to do the most damage to the retina, and the new compact fluorescent bulbs emit their light precisely at that wavelength.

“If you were trying to design a light source that could do the most damage to the retina, you couldn’t do better than a compact fluorescent light,” he said.

“It’s hard to get away from blue light,” Karpecki said. “We have to make sure everyone is protected from this.”

He discussed two options available: Crizal Prevencia coating from Essilor and BluTech Lenses.

Prevencia protects against harmful blue-violet and UV light, Karpecki said.

“Crizal Prevencia deflects harmful blue light by 20%,” he said. “In recent lab tests, it reduced retinal cell death by 25%. It protects against reflection but doesn’t distort color vision.”

BluTech is a monomer absorbed in the lens, Karpecki said. It filters blue light, works for indoor, outdoor and polarized lenses and is available in a variety of Shamir, Kodak, Hoya and VSP lenses.

He said that those who need the most protection include people at risk for AMD; frequent users of LED computer monitors, tablets and smart phones; post-LASIK patients and post-cataract surgery patients.

“When you have a cataract, you have a filter in place that protects against blue light,” Karpecki said. “You want to target LASIK patients because of induced haloes and color distortions.

“Also, focus on smokers, because they have a three times greater risk for AMD, and focus on women, because they live 8 to 10 years longer than men,” he added.

Hanlin added: “Studies suggest that if you don’t expose a child to blue light, it doesn’t trigger some of the chemicals released in the eye that keep it from growing longer.

“The real problem that kids have that’s triggering myopia is that they don’t go outside as much as in previous generations,” he continued. “Even if you wear Crizal Prevencia or BluTech, you’ll reduce the amount of blue light, but not prevent it all. If you spend enough time outside, you’ll get the blue light that you need.” – by Nancy Hemphill, ELS

Disclosures: Hanlin is employed by Essilor. Jones has no relevant financial disclosures. Karpecki is a consultant for Essilor.