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Amarachi Okeh
Eye care specialists have cautioned Nigerians against using unprescribed blue-cut glasses, noting that it could cause serious eye damage.
According to the experts, such glasses should only be used after undergoing necessary tests and getting prescribed glasses tailored to meet the eye’s needs.
The experts stressed that going to an optometrist for tests was always necessary before getting glasses, adding that buying and using any kind of blue-cut glasses not recommended by an eye expert may cause serious eye problems.
Some blue-cut glasses, they said, often block out some helpful blue light from the eyes, noting that this may in turn disrupt the eye cycle and could lead to seasonal affective disorder (a form of seasonal disorder).
The experts cautioned people who work in front of electronic screens daily against buying and using blue-cut glasses that are not recommended by an optometrist.
Blue cut lenses are a type of glasses designed to absorb anywhere from 10 per cent to over 90 per cent of blue light.
Marveloptics.com, an eyecare blog said blue light is visible light with high energy in the range of 380 nanometres to 495 nanometres.
This type of lens, the site said, is designed to allow some blue light to pass through to prevent colour distortion.
Speaking with PUNCH HealthWise, the optometrists, Drs. Chinedu Njezi and Lynda Agu noted that consistently and continuously looking at an electronic screen can predispose a person to several eye damage.
Speaking with our correspondent, Njezi said it is safe for everyone who often uses electronic devices like computers and phones to get the right blue cut blocking lenses from a reliable source.
He said, “It’s good to note that the blue lights emitting from these devices reach the retinas of our eyes and can cause considerable eye health damage.
“People who work overtime in front of computers are advised by their optometrist after certain tests to adorn blue locking glasses that are right for them
“Prevention is better than cure hence we also advise everyone to practice the 20-20-20 rule. If you are working on your phone or computer for long hours, stare away 20 feet ahead of you every 20 minutes for 20 seconds.”
But he explained that not all blue lights are bad. “Some forms of blue light are good for the sleep-wake balance called the circadian rhythms,” he said.
Also speaking with our correspondent, Agu, noted that using appropriately prescribed blue cut glasses could help protect the eyes from harmful blue rays that are commonly seen on screens like laptops, phones, sun, and some other gadgets.
She, however, noted that such blue-cut glasses which offer the needed protection against eye conditions that could develop as a result of looking at a screen for a long time could only be known after the necessary tests by an optometrist.
The Abuja-based optometrist stressed that such glasses must be gotten from an eye clinic to ensure it is tailored to the person’s eye needs.
The experts warned that eyeglasses are medical devices, adding that using them wrongly can cause more harm than good.
Njezi said, “when you buy glasses in the mall, you deny yourself an opportunity for an interaction with a trained eye care specialist that can help you unravel certain medical conditions which may even need urgent intervention and management.”
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