From the Greek for old eyes, Presbyopia is a naturally occurring result of the weakening of the eye muscles and a resultant flattening of the lens. It has been thought (and taught) that Presbyopia begins at or around the age of 40, when seeing close up becomes increasingly difficult, and reading materials must be held further and further from your eyes to be in sharp focus. It is at this age and point ofvision annoyance that reading glasses are recommended. However, new evidence is showing an increase in what is clinically diagnosed as Early Onset Presbyopia (or Incipient Presbyopia) that is being linked to our ever-expanding exposure to digital screens. The weakening of the eye muscles starts much earlier in life and can be offset by wearing low power magnification lenses. Most stores start their reading glasses at a 1.00 power, best suited for the 40 and over consumer. This is as much due to space limitations on their display racks as it is an industry standard. Seeing Glasses® are available in powers ranging from 0.00 for eye protection from CVS and then +0.25 to +3.00 in quarter power increments to accommodate the needs of everyone with close-up reading deficiencies.
The latest and potentially greatest potential threat to our eyes as we spend an ever increasing amount of our time in front of our ever expanding array of digital devices is the light discharged by the devices themselves. Scientists and Optometrists refer to the effects as Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) which also includes the study of our complete relationship with our digital screens. Whether the user is 5 years old (being given an iPad as a virtual babysitter), a teenager chatting, watching videos or (if you are lucky) doing homework at home or at school, or a senior citizen trying to stay current with the news and forced to interact with the latest technology, we are all effected. And whether it be SmartPhones, Tablets, Laptop/Desktop Computers or Flat Screen TV’s that we stare at incessantly, our eyes are being assaulted by brightness, glare and, as studies show, an increasing amount of Blue Light that penetrates deeper into our eyes than any other part of the light spectrum. High Energy Violet (HEV) Blue Light is being researched as a potential cause of retinal damage, cataracts, glaucoma, and, in certain wavelengths, it has been implicated in the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which often leads to blindness. While those long term effects are being studied, no one contests that the light emitted from digital screens is a cause of dry, red, scratchy and tired eyes, fatigue, a change in our Circadian Rhythm (effecting sleep patterns) and a resultant loss of productivity at work and at school. While adjusting our posture to avoid sore necks and shoulders calls only for a change in habits, wearing eyewear that filters out blue light while eliminating brightness and glare is an easy step towards protecting your vision.
People are now aware of the need for Ultraviolet protection in eyewear. For years, the scientific community in general and dermatologists in specific, warned of the skin cancer (melanomas) resulting from even limited unprotected exposure to the sun. As a result, and over time, suntan lotion went from an oil based product that helped increase the penetration of the sunlight through the upper layers of your skin for a dark tan, to formulations that would block out the rays from damaging the skin. The healthy tan, while still a preference for most, comes with a steep price later in life. Ophthalmologists studied UV Radiation and its long-term effects on the eye and found that it could lead to cataracts and macular degeneration. Short term exposure to extreme UV radiation can lead to photokeratitis (a sunburn of the eye). It took nearly 10 years of charging customers (profiteering) for UV protection in Sunglasses for it to become a standard feature. What most people don’t know is that UV Radiation is invisible to the human eye and present even on cloudy days and the darkness of the lens is not the determining factor of how much UV will be blocked from entering your eyes. For that reason, The Everything Lens®, used for our Seeing Glasses® and Screen Hawks® collections offer 100% Full Spectrum UV400 protection.
On the electromagnetic spectrum, sitting right next to invisible UV Radiation is HEV (High Energy Visible) Blue Light. While not invisible like UltraViolet it is being viewed as nearly as dangerous. Though present in sunlight that approaches your eyes from 93,000,000 miles away, the HEV Blue Light we are most concerned about comes from Flat Screen TV’s at 8-10 feet away, Desktop Computers at 24"-30" away, Laptop Computers at 18"-24" away, Tablets at 14"-18" away, Smartphones at 8"-14" away and by far the closest... VR glasses at 2’’-3" away from your eyes. While scientific studies of the negative effects of HEV Blue Light on your eyes began just recently it has already been confirmed that in the short term they are responsible for eye strain, blurred vision, dry red scratchy eyes, headaches and double vision, along with disrupting sleep patterns. While these are mainly temporary discomforts, further research is finding a connection between increased digital screen exposureand a potential increase in the number of people effected by Glaucoma, Cataracts and Macular Degeneration (which can lead to blindness). While removing virtually all Blue Light can be accomplished only with a yellow or dark amber/yellow lens, people are not comfortable wearing them. Additionally, colored lenses effect the true colors of nature and of digital devices, making them unrealistic for those who work with photos and people who overall prefer true colors. Also, part of the Blue Light spectrum is good for you and helps regulate your sleep and waking cycles (Circadian Rhythm) so in blocking 100% of Blue Light you upset the body’s natural rhythm. New technologies have allowed for a nearly clear lens to block out the bad Blue while filtering the good Blue and allowing it to pass through the lens.