PHOTO COURTESY OF NIKON
“ Nikon developed SeeCoat Blue : the first & only clear lens coating in Canada that filters harmful blue light to optimize contrasts , reduce eye strain and , most importantly , help protect your visual health ,” he said adding most people are now familiar with blue blockers found in optical shops and even big box stores .
These have an orange tint and are designed using similar materials as sunglasses .
Conventional Lens
He said people are spending far more time indoors and are increasingly exposed to artificial light . “ SeeCoat Blue was specifically developed with this changing lifestyle in mind . SeeCoat Blue is not a tint , instead it ’ s an advanced clear lens AR coating with a blue light filter .
Modern artificial light emits peaks of HEV light ( or blue light ) at around 450nm , and this is where SeeCoat Blue is most effective ,” he said adding the lens reduces eyestrain associated with digital device usage , so you can work for long hours in greater comfort .
It is important for eyecare providers to convey the dangers of blue light and the over use of digital devices to their patients from an early age . Children in particular are now being submitted to blue light exposure in far greater numbers than previous generations .
“ Most blue light can have a devastating effect on your eye ’ s health . Since its energy level is very high compared to other types of light , it is one of the sources of premature ageing for the eye , which can lead to
Cut blue light and optimized transparency
SeeCoat Blue
macular degeneration ( AMD ) and cataracts ,” said Alexandre Goulet , Brand Manager — Sunwear & Xperio with Essilor . “ Customers should also be worried because while blue light comes from the sun , it also comes from another source we are increasingly subject to such as LED screens , which you can find on the cell phone , computer or tablet that many of us are using every day for increasingly long periods of time .”
Goulet said adding people should not fear blue light but rather take steps to control their exposure to it . He said the light is not harmful enough that contact should be avoided all together .
“ It would be a mistake to think that all blue light is harmful and that we need to block it off completely . Within some wavelengths , it can actually have some positive effects on our health since it regulates our biological clock ,” he said .
Essilor has actively developed a range of products that help clients block both UV and blue light including the soon-to-be-launched Crizal Prevencia , which are the first lenses in the world to block both UV and harmful blue light .
The company has been working for several years on the project at the Institut de la Vision in Paris , France .
These teams put together a scientific protocol that had never been seen before in order to identify which blue light wavelengths were harmful to our eyes .
“ After two years of development , our research and development teams have enabled us to market a new type of preventative lenses with the exclusive Light Scan technology , which lets through beneficial blue light , eliminates harmful UV and blue light rays and preserves the transparency of the lens ,” said Goulet .
According to Goulet a stronger effort must be made on the part of the industry and health care professionals to continue to develop new technology to address what will only be growing use of blue light emitting devices .
36 OPTICAL PRISM | APRIL 2013