AMD is a severe problem that is approaching epidemic proportions.

[Chris Ryser]

The largest American epidemiological study indicates that a moderate daily increase in exposure to blue light of young adults, in their teens and thirties, advances the onset of macular degeneration later in life by 10 years. This would double the likelihood of becoming blind in one’s lifetime^,.

Several specialists involved in macular degeneration research now recommend sunglasses that block blue visible light be used by people of all ages to limit the amount of blue light reaching the retina over a lifetime.

The largest American epidemiological study indicates that a moderate daily increase in exposure to blue light of young adults, in their teens and thirties, advances the onset of macular degeneration later in life by 10 years. This would double the likelihood of becoming blind in one’s lifetime^{7a, 7b}. Several specialists involved in macular degeneration research now recommend sunglasses that block blue visible light be used by people of all ages to limit the amount of blue light reaching the retina over a lifetime.

AMD is a severe problem that is approaching epidemic proportions. 25% of people in the developed world will have vision problems caused by AMD by age 75, (10% of people aged 65-74 and 25% over 75 have severe vision loss) ^8a. For people with a family history of macular degeneration, the prevalence of severe vision loss increases to 54% at age 75, and 64% at age 85^8b. As retinal oxidative stress is a causative factor for the development of AMD, increasing levels of exposure to blue light wavelengths from light therapy lamps can only increase the likelihood of developing AMD.

See all of it:

http://www.sunnexbiotech.com/therapist/main.htm

[Chris Ryser]

Actually do you want to absorb that blue light in your lenses , partially reflect it, or do nothing.

[Robert_S]

Thanks for posting, Chris.

[Chris Ryser]

Eye health experts have warned of a surge in cases of "high myopia". The rate of myopia has increased in the United States from 25% in the 1970s to over 40% in early 2000, while the current rate in Canada and Britain is 30% .

The increase is even more pronounced in Asian countries, increasing from 30% to almost 80%. It is feared that the unprecedented rise in cases is approaching epidemic levels.

Research has shown rates are highest in countries where they have an intensive education regime, forcing children to spend the majority of their time indoors.

see all of it ==========>
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/short-sight...ndoors-1498081

[Barry Santini]

Chris:

i did a primer on the myopia epidemic last year, and just turned it into a CE available online.

One of the most interesting issues is that the absolute best corrective lenses we make, i.e., the ones proving the sharpest vision, actually have been cited as a contributor to increasing myopia.

Go figure.

B

[fjpod]

I have issues with both of these topics. I'm not so sure of the real science behind them.

Anecdotally, which is the only way I can speak, as I do not perform clinical research, I have not seen a 20% -40% increase in the rate of myopia in my practice. When it comes to examining Asians, I have always seen them to have a high rate of myopia, even wayyyyyyyy back in the ancient 70s. Is it because there is better reporting of refractive diagnoses these days? Or is there a true uptick in the percentage of human beings with myopia. Sure...there are way more myopes today...but there are way more people in the world. Do they really represent a higher percentage of the whole human race? I am not convinced. The predominant refractive error is hyperopia....if you believe these statistics about the uptick, then there would be more myopes in the world than hyperopes, and I just don't think this is true. I could be wrong.....but you are going to have to prove it to me.

As far as the article on AMD...yes, UV light has been linked to contributing to it. But now the emphasis is on whether or not LED screens emit enough blue light or UV to be contributing. Does it....I suspect nobody truly knows.

When I was growing up, we blamed myopia on watching TV, wearing glasses makes your eyes get worse (right Dr. Bates?), then we worried about radiation from CRT monitors, brain cancer from cell phones, coffee was no good for you, now it's OK?

Very few things are proven. As rbaker would say....someday the QUACKS will figure it out, but in the meantime they will try to make a killing treating anything they can.

[Dr. Bill Stacy]

Since I practice very near a large Intel plant where everyone spends at least 8 hours a day in front of a monitor, I can tell you that I've observed a new phenomenon seeing many of these employees over the years.

I rarely used to see myopia develop or increase past the age of 20 or so before personal computers came along, except in diabetes and early cataract development.

I now regularly see many heavy computer users developing and increasing their myopia well into their late 20s and even into their 30s. Not all, but too many to be a statistical quirk. I believe it's due to the unnatural stress of continuous near focusing, and there may be an electromagnetic component at work here too.

As for UV causing macular degeneration, no, that's corneal, skin and lens damage. UV doesn't ordinarily reach the macula. It's visible blue that is being implicated by all the studies I've seen so far for early macular degeneration.

And the increased myopia epidemic in Asia since the computer came along is well documented.

[Chris Ryser]

As for UV causing macular degeneration, no, that's corneal, skin and lens damage. UV doesn't ordinarily reach the macula. It's visible blue that is being implicated by all the studies I've seen so far for early macular degeneration.

Would that now mean that in full sunlight as sunglasses the full 100% "BlueBlocker" color would be the ideal lens to wear ?

[Dr. Bill Stacy]

Would that now mean that in full sunlight as sunglasses the full 100% "BlueBlocker" color would be the ideal lens to wear ?

I haven't seen a spectrograph of the brand "BlueBlocker" so I'm not sure, but I would expect it to be pretty much absorptive of blue. I know BluTech has a very yellow indoor version and presumably very yellowish brown outdoor version that should satisfy everyone.

BTW I am shipping 11 lenses for you to run on your spectrometer, including blue reflection coatings, transitions with and without AR, etc. A numbered key is included. Looking forward to seeing the results.

[Chris Ryser]

I haven't seen a spectrograph of the brand "BlueBlocker" so I'm not

sure, but I would expect it to be pretty much absorptive of blue.

It is actually 100% UV and full Blue Light range. It comes out as a orangy color, which we can tint over so it will look:

amber.................brown............chocolate brown................dark green

I will post a spectrometer printout, as soon as I can find it in the office or make a new one.

seee at: ==========>
http://optochemicals.com/blueblocker.htm

[Robert Martellaro]

AMD is a severe problem that is approaching epidemic proportions.

Cite. This study says there's a decrease in AMD. Maybe from less cigarette smoking?

Prevalence of Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the US Population

http://archopht.jamanetwork.com/arti...ticleid=426834

Conclusions Overall, the prevalence of any AMD in the 2005-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was 6.5%, which is lower than the 9.4% prevalence reported in the 1988-1994 Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. While this finding might be explained in part by possible methodological differences, these estimates are consistent with a decreasing incidence of AMD and suggest important public health care implications.

[Dr. Bill Stacy]

Here's a link to some info with lots of pretty good scientific references, for the blue skeptics, who may have to get over that it's used by Crizal in ads.

http://www.crizalusa.com/content/dam...hite-Paper.pdf

[fjpod]

Cite. This study says there's a decrease in AMD. Maybe from less cigarette smoking?

Prevalence of Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the US Population

http://archopht.jamanetwork.com/arti...ticleid=426834

This points out what I was saying in a previous post...at least as it relates to myopia...and probably also to ARMD. I don't doubt that there are more myopes in the world today than 30 years ago, and that there are more people with ARMD today....BECAUSE: THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD TODAY. What is not proven in my mind, is that the prevalence of either of these things is up or down in any given age group.

On the ARMD matter....30 years ago, most people died by age 75. Today people are easily living to 82 and beyond. The prevalence of ARMD in the 82+ crowd is high. We should all be concerned with this both as eyecare providers and as live human beings ourselves. We should take whatever preventative means we can to prevent any vision loss....but does visible blue light damage the eye?

reminds me of a funny story...once I was told that I shouldn't engage in jogging anymore, because..."...when we are born, it is already pre-determined by our creator how many heartbeats we are given in this life. The sooner we use them up, the sooner we are gonna die."

[fjpod]

Here's a link to some info with lots of pretty good scientific references, for the blue skeptics, who may have to get over that it's used by Crizal in ads.

http://www.crizalusa.com/content/dam...hite-Paper.pdf

Some pretty big names on that "study"...but company sponsored....as you said.

[Dr. Bill Stacy]

I've never seen a scientific paper that didn't spell out the sampling (for mac. degen. that would include demographics by age, etc). Nobody would use raw numbers. And changes would always be in percentages for comparisons.

[Robert Martellaro]

One of the most interesting issues is that the absolute best corrective lenses we make, i.e., the ones proving the sharpest vision, actually have been cited as a contributor to increasing myopia.

So, the prescribers that write "match base curves" might be unwittingly helping very young, genetically predisposed, asian, progressive myopes?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20622703

Hopefully, medical research will concentrate on prevention and treatment of degenerative myopia.

[AngeHamm]

I've never seen a scientific paper that didn't spell out the sampling (for mac. degen. that would include demographics by age, etc). Nobody would use raw numbers. And changes would always be in percentages for comparisons.

+1. I don't think any reputable scientist is claiming that the sheer number of people experiencing these problems is evidence of an epidemic, it's the percentile increase that concerns them.

[Dr. Bill Stacy]

my comment was directed at fjpod who asserted that increases in mac degen could be ascribed to the population growth and greater longevity alone.

[Barry Santini]

So, the prescribers that write "match base curves" might be unwittingly helping very young, genetically predisposed, asian, progressive myopes?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20622703

Hopefully, medical research will concentrate on prevention and treatment of degenerative myopia.

Check out Zeiss Myoptics Lenses. Their Singapore study showed a 45% reduction in the rate of myopic progression.

B

[Robert Martellaro]

Check out Zeiss Myoptics Lenses. Their Singapore study showed a 45% reduction in the rate of myopic progression.

B

It looks like Zeiss and Vision CRC. MyoVision? One parent must be myopic it seems. 45% is significant, as long as the end point is also a significantly less elongated eye.

An age forty-ish client was just diagnosed with myopic macular degeneration. About -15.00 D. So it goes.

[fjpod]

Many foreign studies don't hold up to rigorous US standards.

[Chris Ryser]

Many foreign studies don't hold up to rigorous US standards.

That is one of the strongest statements ever made on this forum.

Other institutions of higher learning, like those of ancient Greece, ancient Persia, ancient Rome, Byzantium, ancient China, ancient India and the Muslim world, are not included in this list due to their cultural, historical, structural and juristic dissimilarities from the medieval European university from which the modern university evolved. In lists based on broader definitions, Al-Karaouine, founded in 859 as a madrasa and in 1963 as a university, is sometimes considered as the "oldest university".

Foreign studies started many hundreds of years before the US even was populated by people coming to this continent from the ones that had high education levels for their time span.

[fjpod]

Didn't mean to offend. Hardly the strongest statement ever made. Most studies, from whatever country, don't hold up at the end of the day.

[kittyeyes]

Has anyone got good data on HOW MUCH blue light is being emitted from ipads, etc. ?

[Chris Ryser]

Has anyone got good data on HOW MUCH blue light is being emitted from ipads, etc. ?

Here is a starter..........

TECHNOLOGY

Why the light from your smartphone is keeping you up at night, and what to do about it.

Takeaway: Exposing your eyes to too much blue light (from your smartphone, tablet, or computer) before bed is detrimental to your sleep. The fix: pick up a pair of blue-blocking sunglasses, limit your exposure to blue light before bed, and ritualize shutting off your devices past a certain time every night.

what to do about it

Posted by Chris Bailey × February 13, 2014 at 9:12 am

Another study measured the actual melatonin levels Exposure to
blue light before you go to bed significantly affects your sleep quality,
because it prevents your body from releasing melatonin, a chemical in your body
that helps you sleep. Unfortunately, all of those electronic devices you use before
bed (your tablet, cellphone, computer, and TV included) bombard you with an
incredible amount of blue light, which can significantly hamper your sleep quality
if you’re not careful.

When I chatted with my buddy Ari about sleeping hacking the other week, one
of his top suggestions for something I should experiment with surprised me: that
I should wear a cheap pair of blue light-blocking sunglasses a couple of hours
before I went to bed.

I was a bit skeptical, so I decided to wear them two hours before bed for a
few weeks to see if they produced any results (besides making me look like
a doofus). But back to that experiment in a second.

Pretty much every study that has analyzed blue-blocking sunglasses has
found them to be incredibly effective in helping you sleep.

Take these two that I stumbled upon recently:

One study had participants wear “either blue-blocking (amber) or yellow-tinted
blocking ultraviolet only) safety glasses for 3 h prior to sleep”, and “[o]nly
individuals who reported sleep difficulty were included in the study”.
Even though the study used a small sample size, what they found was
incredible: participants who wore the blue-blocking glasses observed
more than a 50% increase in the quality of their sleep, and they
were 40% happier after they woke up.

Another study measured the actual melatonin levels produced by
participants who wore blue-blocking sunglasses and regular sunglasses
(for comparison). Participants who wore regular sunglasses had their
melatonin levels drop 46% (not a good thing), while participants who
wore the blue-blocking glasses had a 6% increase in melatonin
production (a very good thing). But the results are even better than they
sound: participants wearing the blue-blocking glasses were blasted with
25% brighter light compared to the control group!

Here’s what to do about it

In hacking around with my sleep, I noticed something fascinating: I
could literally use all of my devices up until the moment I went
to sleep without any adverse effects, as long as I wore my
blue-blocking sunglasses. I usually don’t like to stare at shiny
screens late into the night, but for the sake of this experiment I
was able to do so without any adverse effects with blue-blocking
sunglasses on.

It might sound crazy, but blue-blocking sunglasses will help you fall
asleep faster, and then sleep better throughout the night. You’ll look
like a total doofus wearing sunglasses indoors, but if you want to look
at bright, blue light-emitting screens late into the night, you should
throw on a pair of blue-blocking sunglasses so you don’t compromise your sleep.

The Harvard Medical School recommends avoiding blue light 2-3 hours before you go to bed.

Here are a few other ideas on how to eliminate blue light from your
nightly ritual, and how to use blue light to your advantage:

• Limit your exposure to energy-efficient lighting before bed. In
• addition to the LED screens in your electronics, energy-efficient
• lighting emits a lot of blue light, which can also compromise your sleep.
• Expose yourself to a lot of blue light during the day. xposing
• yourself to blue light during the workday has been shown to
• boost your alertness, performance, and sleep quality.
• Ritualize shutting off your devices past a certain time. When
• I’m not experimenting around with different routines, I’ve
• created a habit of turning my phone on airplane mode between 8pm and 8am (I wake up at 5:30). This forces me to be more mindful and slow down before bed, but it also has the added benefit of helping me sleep better.

• Download f.lux (free). F.lux won’t completely eliminate how much
• blue light your computer monitor emits, but it will change the colour temperature of your screen after the sun sets in your location, which will reduce the amount of blue light your screen emits, helping you sleep better.
• Invert the colours on your iPhone/iPad. This will make your screendarker, so it emits less white and blue light. Navigate to Settings ->General -> Accessibility -> Accessibility Shortcut -> Invert Colors.
• Now, whenever you triple-tap your home button, the colors on your
• device will invert.

The bottom line: exposing your eyes to too much blue light before bed
is detrimental to your sleep. The fix: pick up a pair of blue-blocking
sunglasses, limit your exposure to blue light before bed, and ritualize
shutting off your devices past a certain time every night.
Purple smartphone image source.

see all of it: ============>
http://alifeofproductivity.com/smart...ou-up-at-night