Phillip Yuhas, an assistant professor of optometry at Ohio State University, agrees. The science into the harms from blue light is mostly done with retinal cells in a petri dish, he said, "or taking a poor mouse and and shining a blue light ray intensely into their eyeball for hours on end." No evidence lenses are neededīoth Khurana and Garg told Marketplace there's no research that suggests blue light filtering lenses are necessary. "People will quote that blue light can hurt retinal cells," Garg said, "but what they're not telling you is that it's not been shown in any group of people who are using their screens." "I can't fault them I'm sure they're getting a little info sheet that says here's three talking points about blue light-blocking lenses, but it's not based on scientific data," Garg said. He doesn't blame the staff at these chains for spreading these claims, however. "Maybe those are decisions made in different boardrooms across the country and around the world," Garg said, "but from a science perspective, I don't think people need to worry about this at all." 'Not based on scientific data' Garg's research has led him to conclude that far from benefiting customers, these lenses are mostly benefiting the companies that are selling them. "I think a lot of this is just to create fear and confusion and when people have fear and are confused, they end up spending money on things they don't need to spend money on," said Garg. Retinal damage and macular degeneration are "serious" claims, Garg said, "but the blue lights from your screen is not the cause of that stuff." He was concerned about how salespeople and opticians were "misleading" customers with claims about how the light from screens can damage eyes. Marketplace asked Garg, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology and an ophthalmologist at the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, to review the hidden camera footage. Sunir Garg, an ophthalmologist at the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, reviewed Marketplace’s hidden camera footage and is concerned that optical chains are using scare tactics to sell blue light filtering lenses. Watch Marketplace go undercover at optional retailers:ĭr. One optician said blue light has "very sharp rays, penetrating at the back of the eyes," while another salesperson said "it tears the eyes right out of you." Several dispensing opticians and salespeople told the producers that blue light from digital screens can lead to fatigue and headaches. Marketplace producers went undercover and visited multiple Hakim Optical, Vogue Optical, Hudson's Bay Optical's Glasses Gallery and LensCrafters locations in southern Ontario to see how the companies market the lenses to consumers. "But there's no evidence to show it's truly dangerous and blocking it has not ever shown to any benefits." Going undercover "Blue light fear, paranoia, is really out there," said Khurana. Rahul Khurana, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, said the idea of blue-light blocking is "flawed on so many levels." (CBC)īut experts in the fields of optometry and ophthalmology say there's no evidence that blue light from digital screens is harmful.ĭr. Marketplace visited four major optical chains in Ontario and heard from salespeople who cautioned that digital screens could damage retinas and even lead to serious eye diseases such as macular degeneration. Hudson's Bay Optical's Glasses Gallery later told Marketplace the pamphlet is "incorrect" and will be pulled from Hudson's Bay Optical stores. Two opticians at Hudson's Bay Optical suggested a link to cancer based on an in-store pamphlet provided by lens manufacturer VisionEase, while Vogue Optical's website suggests blue light may increase the risk of " certain types of cancers." Staff at four leading chains cautioned buyers that digital screens could damage their retinas and could lead to serious eye diseases such as macular degeneration and cataracts. And it turns out it's not just eye strain they want to warn us about.Ī hidden camera investigation by CBC's Marketplace found sales associates at some of Canada's largest optical chains making "misleading" health claims about blue light from digital screens, but experts say there is no scientific evidence that blue light from computer monitors and screens is harmful. Optical chains say they protect our eyes from blue light emitted from digital screens, and consumers are buying in. It's no secret that we're spending more time in front of screens than ever before.Ĭanadians say they spend almost 11 hours a day in front of them - at their desks, on their laptops and especially on their smartphones.īut after a long day at work, our eyes often start to feel dry, tired and strained, and many people are desperate for a solution.Įnter blue light filtering lenses.
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