The effect of blue‐light blocking spectacle lenses on visual performance, macular health and the sleep‐wake cycle: a systematic review of the literature

Lawrenson, John G; Hull, Christopher C.; Downie, Laura E

doi:10.1111/opo.12406

Cited by 130 publications

(99 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…With regard to the role of blue light-blocking spectacle lenses in alleviating symptoms of eye strain associated with computer use, the evidence for their efficacy is relatively poor, and any potential mechanism of action remains unknown. 19 This is consistent with most practitioners considering a placebo effect to contribute to the clinical performance of these devices in at least some patients ( Figure 6), and that such beliefs were associated with lower prescribing rates ( Table 2).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Insights into Australian optometrists’ knowledge and attitude towards prescribing blue light‐blocking ophthalmic devices

Singh

Anderson

Downie

2019

Ophthalmic Physiologic Optic

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Purpose The aim of this cross‐sectional study was to survey Australian optometrists regarding their attitudes towards, and knowledge of, blue light‐blocking lenses designed to attenuate blue light transmission to the eye. Methods A 29‐item survey was distributed at a major national optometry education conference and through professional networks. Respondents provided information regarding their demographics and practice modalities, knowledge about the potential effects of blue light, and attitudes towards prescribing blue light‐blocking ophthalmic devices. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the factors that predicted optometrists’ prescribing of blue light‐blocking lenses. Results Of 372 respondents, 75.3% indicated prescribing blue light‐blocking spectacle lenses in their clinical practice. Forty‐four per cent of optometrists considered daily environmental exposure to blue light as a potential cause of retinal damage, and approximately half of respondents thought blue light emitted from computer screens was an important factor in causing computer vision syndrome. About half of optometrists considered placebo effects to potentially play a role, at least sometimes, in patients’ experiences with blue light‐blocking lenses. Most optometrists estimated that they first prescribed a blue light‐blocking lens in 2016. The most common reason optometrists prescribed these devices was for patients who were computer or electronic device users (87.9%). The two main sources of information used to guide practitioners’ management approaches were conference presentations and manufacturer product information. Practitioners were significantly more likely to prescribe blue light‐blocking lenses if they considered blue light to cause either retinal damage (odds ratio, OR 2.28, 95%CI 1.34–3.88, p = 0.002) or computer vision syndrome (OR 2.52, 95%CI 1.41–4.50, p = 0.002) compared with practitioners who did not consider such factors to be relevant. Conclusion Prescribing trends by Australian optometrists in relation to blue light‐blocking lenses reflect the inconclusive nature of several aspects of the evidence in this field. Blue light‐blocking lens prescribing has increased since 2010, despite practitioners acknowledging the lack of high‐quality evidence to support their use and also commonly believing that placebo effects may have a role in patient responses to these lenses. Information from this study will help inform the development of resources to guide evidence‐based prescribing of blue light‐blocking lens products.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Insights into Australian optometrists’ knowledge and attitude towards prescribing blue light‐blocking ophthalmic devices

Singh

Anderson

Downie

2019

Ophthalmic Physiologic Optic

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“…There is currently a scientific debate on the effect of blue light on the development of eye conditions such as AMD and there is a evidence that the use of digital devices that emit visible blue light may impact sleep . In an in vitro study , the response of RPE cells to a nonlethal dose of blue light was evaluated.…”

Section: Noncancer Ocular Pathologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ultraviolet radiation oxidative stress affects eye health

Ivanov

Mappes

Schaupp

et al. 2018

Journal of Biophotonics

152

132

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In the eye, ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is not known to contribute to visual perception but to mainly damage multiple structures. UVR carries higher energy than visible light and high dose exposure to UVR causes direct cellular damage, which has an important role in the development of cancer. This review provides an overview on the most recent knowledge on the role of UVR in oxidative stress (OS) in relation to noncancer ocular pathologies: various corneal pathologies, cataract, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. Possible OS signaling streams and mechanisms in the aging eye are discussed. Excessive exposure to UVR through live may seriously contribute to increase in OS of various eye tissues and thus lead to the advancement of serious ocular pathologies. Children are especially vulnerable to UVR because of their larger pupils and more transparent ocular media: up to 80% of a person's lifetime exposure to UVR is reached before the age of 18. Therefore, efficient everyday protection of the sensitive tissues of the eye by wearing of sunglasses, clear UVR-blocking spectacles or contact lenses should be considered from early age on. Many initiatives are taken worldwide to inform and raise the population's awareness about these possible UVR hazards to the eye.

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“…Collectively, these studies suggest that BBLs have the potential to affect the visibility of targets at low lighting levels, which poses a risk for visual behaviors such as driving and visual search under twilight and night-time conditions. However, the full extent to which BBLs, particularly newer generation lenses, affect visual perception, remains unclear despite their commercial availability and prescription by optometrists [9, 13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies have begun to address this paucity in knowledge by investigating how newer generation BBLs might affect a number of visual judgements such as colour, contrast sensitivity, and visual acuity [13, 14]. Of particular note are studies that investigated whether BBLs (typically as yellow intraocular lenses (IOLs)) contribute to the time required to recover from a brief exposure to an intense light source, in the so-called photostress test [11, 12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The effect of blue-blocking lenses on photostress recovery times for low and high contrast chromatic and achromatic stimuli

Alzahrani

Khuu

Ali

et al. 2019

Preprint

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1 2 3 4 The effect of blue-blocking lenses on photostress 5 recovery times for low and high contrast 6 chromatic and achromatic stimuli 7 8 9 Hind Abstract 24The selective reduction in visible wavelengths transmitted through commercially available 25 blue-blocking lenses (BBLs) is known to influence the appearance and contrast detection of 26 objects, particularly at low light levels which may impact the human retinal receptor response time 27 to dynamic light changes during phostress events. In the present study, we assessed whether BBLs 28 selectively affect photostress recovery times (PSRTs) in 12 participants for chromatic and 29 achromatic stimuli presented under low and high contrast luminance conditions. Four types of 30 commercially available BBLs were evaluated, and their effects on PSRTs were investigated. Our 31 results showed that PSRTs required to detect high contrast chromatic and achromatic stimuli were 32 unaffected by BBLs when compared to a clear control lens. However, PSRTs were significantly 33 affected by BBLs and were longer when chromatic and achromatic stimuli were of low contrast. In 34 addition, BBLs had the greatest impact on the PSRTs of blue coloured targets, and this was 35 dependent on the spectral transmittance profile. These results indicate that wearing BBLs under 36 low contrast conditions can have serious implications for visual behavior, particularly under low-37 light levels and in situations in which the observer is directly exposed to bright light sources. For 38 example, during night time driving, the driver might be briefly exposed to bright lights by glancing 39 at the headlights of a passing car. This increases the time required for vision to be restored after 40 bright light exposure, resulting in delayed object detection, and therefore stoppage and reaction 41 times, which might pose a safety risk for a driver. 42 43 Introduction 44 Blue-blocking lenses (BBLs), particularly so-called yellow BBLs with cutoff wavelengths 45 between 450 nm and 512 nm, have been designed to provide protection against hazardous blue light 46 [1]. These yellow BBLs have become popular in recent years and are used to aid vision in tasks such 47 as shooting [2], skiing, aviation [3], hunting and sailing [4]. It has been suggested that BBLs benefit 3 48 vision with reported improvement in visual tasks such as visual acuity [5, 6] particularly enhancing 49 the clarity of vision [7], and decreased glare [5, 8]. However, at present, the benefit of BBLs have 50 yet to be fully verified by empirical and independent evidence [9]. 51 Despite the potential benefits of BBLs, previous studies have shown that BBLs may impair 52 vision, particularly affecting the ability of the visual system to detect contrast under different visual 53 conditions [5, 10-12]. For example, Thomas et al. have shown that while BBLs do not affect 54 sensitivity to high-contrast photopic stimuli, detection of low-contrast mesopic stimuli is impaired 55 by BBLs [5]. BBLs also dramatically reduce contrast sensitivity under scotop...

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The effect of blue‐light blocking spectacle lenses on visual performance, macular health and the sleep‐wake cycle: a systematic review of the literature

Cited by 130 publications

References 34 publications

Insights into Australian optometrists’ knowledge and attitude towards prescribing blue light‐blocking ophthalmic devices

Insights into Australian optometrists’ knowledge and attitude towards prescribing blue light‐blocking ophthalmic devices

Ultraviolet radiation oxidative stress affects eye health

The effect of blue-blocking lenses on photostress recovery times for low and high contrast chromatic and achromatic stimuli

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