BLOG: Blue light awareness – finally

I have just returned from Vision Expo East. The Vision Expos, East and West, are always packed with new information, and I, of course, enjoy catching up a bit with colleagues. I found this particular trip to be especially unique in terms of my favorite topic, blue light. What made it unique for me can be described in just one word, awareness.

Part of my reason for attending this year was that I was asked to be part of a 2-hour CE course presented in the form of a panel discussion. Held early Saturday morning, I was pleased to see a packed room of doctors and some staff members wanting to know more about this seemingly “new” topic. To open the discussion, the moderator took a poll by a show of hands on how many people were aware 2 years ago the dangers blue light may present to their patients, and only a few hands went up. He then asked how many were aware of the issue a year ago and a few more hands went up. He finished his poll by asking how many had become aware over the last 6 months and in that time frame had seen an article or story in the lay media about it, and essentially all hands went up. Halleluiah, awareness!

What the moderator was getting at is that our patients are being exposed to stories about the danger of excessive exposure to blue light. Whether a print article or a television news story, there is an increasing flow of information regarding digital eyestrain, sleep deficiency, as well as the potential danger of accelerated photo-oxidative retinal damage leading to age-related macular degeneration. The point that was made is that the public, our patients, will be turning to us as their eye care providers to deliver factual information to them on these dangers, as well as solutions to minimize risk.

PAGE BREAK

During another discussion I had with one of my “blue light colleagues” while in New York, I think he put it best in stating that today we are at an awareness level on the dangers of blue light akin to where we were regarding smoking in the 1940s. While many are starting to question whether holding digital devices just inches from our eyes is a good idea, others are asking for proof in terms of human studies documenting the danger. There are some studies regarding digital device usage and melatonin suppression inducing sleep disturbance. However, just as long-term studies had not been completed on the dangers of smoking in the World War II era (cigarettes were given to the troops), likewise, we are just too early into the digital age to have completed studies regarding AMD. Currently, there are some rat studies that look at blue light exposure and AMD (Tanito), but for humans; it is just too early to tell.

I discussed a few posts back the concept of pre-AMD and our duty to warn patients of the potential dangers they face and how to minimize risk. I think this rings even truer now as awareness has grown regarding potential dangers faced by using devices we all rely on for school, work, social interaction and entertainment. If you have not already begun to proactively discuss the topic with patients, I would encourage you to do so. If you feel you need a refresher course on things such as the electromagnetic spectrum or UV vs. visible light wavelength, then certainly attend a course or webinar on the subject and get up to speed.

As I noted, Vision Expo East was unique this year in the fact that blue light awareness is growing. Not sharing this information with your patients who have also become aware of the dangers of blue light may have a unique effect on your practice: fewer patients.

References:

Tanito M, et al. IOVS. 2007;48(4).

Wood B, et al. Applied Ergonomics. 2013;44(2).