Published Macular Disease Society Digest 2006

Blue Light – Is It Glaring At You? by Ian Pyzer FBDO(Hons)CL

In 1996 a patient came to me and told me that their little 3 year old boy Charles (who had started losing his sight due to a rare genetic disease), found their ceiling spot lights as well as sunlight so painful he would scream. I simply did not have a clue what to say but was determined to try and help.

With a bit of reading up, I soon learned that glare, loss of contrast and slow adaptation when moving from sun to shade, all of which he was also clearly having problems with, are in fact all symptoms commonly experienced amongst those with degenerative retinal conditions.

Looking in to this some more, I came across work done by a Professor Marshall and others who had found that while ultra violet light should be protected against, it does not however reach the retina and can’t be blamed for damaging the cells there. Instead, it was the blue light, which is next to ultra violet that is to blame. These high energy blue light waves do reach the retina and the research reveals that it is 100 times more damaging to the receptor cells than that in other light waves - he called it the ‘Blue Light Hazard’.

So it seems that blue light can harm the eye, and the evidence is mounting. Retina International which funds large research projects into the causes of blindness issued a strong recommendation that people with degenerative retinal conditions such as AMD and their children, should protect their eyes from blue light. But can it also be responsible for those symptoms Charles was getting too?

To answer this, let me explain a little about the way that blue light behaves. The sky is blue (well not much at the moment admittedly!) and the reason for this is that when sunlight hits the upper atmosphere it is the blue light that scatters, resulting in it dominating and blotting out all the other colours. It does the same thing when it enters the eye, and whereas in a healthy eye the pigment that lines the retina absorbs the scattered blue light, with AMD and other eye conditions it does not. This not only causes glare, but also results in a loss of contrast and definition. As if that’s not bad enough, the retinas receptor cells become over exposed to the blue light, and is the reason for slow adaptation experienced by people when moving from somewhere bright to somewhere a little bit darker.

The Retina International recommendation goes on to say that by using glasses that block out the blue light, people with AMD and other degenerative eye conditions will not only be protecting their eyes from the harmful effects, but also benefit from the improved contrast and definition that they provide.

The question then is do regular sunglasses, photochromic or tinted lenses filter out the blue light? The answer is unfortunately ‘no’ which was why my quest for a solution to little Charles’ problems in the sunlight and under the spotlights was not an easy one to solve.

Finding that there was one company that could supply lenses that filtered the blue light, I was disappointed to find that they were made of glass rather than plastic, making them a danger to him should he fall, and on top of this they would cost a small fortune. At this I came to realise that if, as an optician, I had to search this hard for the information and an answer (unsatisfactory as it was), how much more unlikely was it that patients would manage to receive the help they needed!

The decision to start a company which I called MediView was the result of all this and Charles was it’s first ‘customer’. When he took delivery of his new glasses, his world took on a much happier dimension, allowing him to venture out once again in the sun, better able to see things than before and without having to stop when back inside for his eyes to adapt to the darker surroundings. He was a different little chap, and over 4000 people since then have been supplied with MediView filters, and all have Charles to thank for it.

Unlike ordinary tints and photochromics, because they specifically filter the blue light, but allow the rest of the light to reach the eye, you get the protection plus the benefits previously mentioned, but without the world being made to look dark, which is especially important with AMD where the loss of central vision means light is so critical.

MediView recommend 2 filters for AMD: ‘Hi-View lite’ for regular indoor lighting and typically dull days and ‘Hi-View Extra’ for brighter sunnier days. Whether it is to help protect the retina from the ‘Blue Light Hazard’ or to combat the problems such as glare, loss of contrast and slow adaptation associated with AMD, wearing the right filter makes a noticeable difference and they are available made to prescription if required.

All the information on these, the variety of frames we provide (many of which have the option of side-shield protection), prices, how to order and our money back guarantee can be obtained by contacting us at: 20 Longcrofte Rd, Edgware,

HA8 6RR Telephone 020 8933 7914 or email or visit the web site at www.mediviewspecs.co.uk