If there’s any two words that make patients and doctors alike turn white as a ghost they are “macular degeneration.” Medicine has made incredible leaps and bounds over the past decade with anti-VEGF intravitreal (into the eye) injections but getting a needle in the eye every month isn’t a fun prognosis.
True medical miracle but I’m not signing up unless I HAVE to
So why don’t we deal more with prevention? Because it’s difficult and we don’t see results for many years. No 40 year old thinks they are going to be an 80 year old with vision loss. It’s simply human nature to take care of today while neglecting tomorrow. Who wants to eat spinach and kale when you can have DQ Blizzards and $5 Hot N Ready pizzas?
We know that poor nutrition, obesity, smoking and UV exposure all increase risk for macular degeneration but there is a new risk factor being identified: high energy visible (HEV) light. HEV light is also being implicated in sleep disorders since it may affect melatonin production.
Prisms and rainbows: not just cool for Pink Floyd
“OK so blue is bad. I’ll get some of those ‘blue blockers’ from the 90s.” Not so fast.
Equivalent technology to “Blue Blockers”
Mobile phone and eyeglass technologies have changed a lot since then. We don’t want to eliminate all blue – only the most damaging wavelengths. “Good” blue is what affects melatonin and sleep schedules.
Our new Blutech lenses block this bad HEV light. The lenses are a light champagne color which is barely noticeable on most skin tones. If you make Frosty the Snowman look like he’s got a killer tan, then they’d be pretty noticeable. On me (Dr. Bundy), with my olive skin tone, most people can’t even see the tint.
Just a hint of champagne
We have a couple of demo pairs in the office that you can try on to see how you like them before having your prescription made.
I’ve never liked fluorescent lights and computer screens make my head swim. My staff laughs when I leave the lights off in my back office. I love natural light and am happy with just the window shades open. For me, my eyes immediately relax when I put on my new lenses….and not just because I know I’m lowering my risk of blindness and insomnia.
Click here for the best compilation of info I’ve seen on HEV and the eye. It’s a 7 page PDF that goes into much more detail than I care to recreate.