Dr. Neil Gailmard - The Medical Aspect of Eyeglass Lenses The Medical Aspect of Eyeglass Lenses We are seeing the very early stages of a change in how we think about ophthalmic lenses. This is exciting stuff for optometrists! In addition to the traditional use of lenses for refractive correction, which have been the life blood of our profession for hundreds of years, we now see true scientific studies showing ophthalmic lenses can provide an additional health benefit by blocking certain wavelengths of light. They are often referred to as therapeutic lenses. Optometrists have long known that ultra-violet light can damage ocular tissue and contribute to many eye diseases, including macular degeneration and cataract, but we are now seeing that many health problems can be exacerbated by specific wavelengths of visible light. Most of the lenses being developed right now block a part of the blue spectrum, but some disorders are treated by blocking other colors. Here is a partial list of health issues that have shown some improvement with light filtering lenses: · Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) · Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) · Prevention of migraine onset · Reduce epilepsy triggers · Pre-menstrual syndrome · Bipolar disease · Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) · Myopia prevention · Dyslexia The lenses Many lens manufacturing companies and laboratories already produce lenses that are designed to filter wavelengths of light beyond ultraviolet. Many more will be working on developing new lenses for this field. These lenses are not sunglasses, but are meant to be worn at any time, including indoors and at night. The increased use of technology, electronics and fluorescent lighting introduces new challenges in this field. The specific wavelengths of light that are filtered appear to be quite important and more research is needed. Some lenses block 100% of a specific light range, while others are designed to filter 20% or 40% of the damaging rays. Traditional blue-blocking lenses have a yellow or amber tint, but it is possible to block some blue light without a tint. Essilor recently launched Prevencia, which is a Crizal antireflective (AR) lens product that blocks UV and portions of the blue spectrum and it is completely clear. While the antireflective sheen on most AR lenses is green or blue, this lens reflects light that is more of a blue-violet hue. BluTech, Zeiss, Gunnar Optiks, Rodenstock, Hoya and many other companies are pioneering their own products in this field. The impact on our practices The mission for all of us is to provide the best eye health care to our patients. Anytime we can provide new services or better products that help us achieve that mission, we will be more successful and rewards will naturally follow. We must demand true science as we explore this new field of therapeutic spectacle lenses, just as we do in other areas of optometric practice. I want to thank two friends who are quite knowledgeable about therapeutic lenses and who introduced me to this concept at a meeting last weekend: Drs. Jerry Legerton and Howard Purcell. This field is in its infancy and there is much more to come in the way of research and development. I eagerly anticipate the future growth. Best wishes for continued success, Neil Gailmard, OD, MBA, FAAO
Posted on: Sun, 03 Nov 2013 07:46:49 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015