Blue Light-Blocking Glasses May Help With Sleep, Cognition

CHICAGO — Lenses that filter blue light almost doubled nighttime melatonin levels, reduced awakenings, and enhanced at least one measure of cognition in a randomized controlled trial that assessed these outcomes in wearers of BluTech Lenses.

“The concept of harmful blue light has been gaining attention. Blue light is made out to cause many health problems,” said Ryab-Quang Van, a student at Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. At Academy 2017, the Academy of Optometry’s Annual Conference, Van reported that blue light-filtering lenses, which are touted to ameliorate these negative effects, may indeed provide some protection.

In the digital age, blue light exposure is hard to avoid, as the average person now spends the evening hours staring at one device or the other. “You wonder why you can’t fall asleep.” he said. “Blue light has been your enemy for the past few hours, we are told.” Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells respond to short-wavelength light and contribute to circadian rhythm entrainment. Evening light exposure and/or changes in sleep/wake behavior can cause dysregulation of melatonin, which is associated with impaired mood and cognitive performance, he explained. According to manufacturers, blue light–blocking lenses can ameliorate these putative negative effects. One such device is BluTech Lenses, which purport to block ultraviolet and blue light rays from digital devices, improve depth and color perception, improve visual acuity and night vision, improve contrast, and reduce glare. Because BluTech Lenses are a popular product in this category, Van and colleagues chose to evaluate the efficacy of these glasses. The study was independently conducted.

 

For more information on the results of the study see: Click Here