In an effort to clear up confusion around the performance of blue light filtration products, HOYA VISION CARE has published a white paper, “What We Know—and Don’t Know—About Blue Light: Evidence-based Guidelines for Recommending Blue Light Filtration for Your Patients.” The white paper and accompanying tools for independent practitioners are based on Hoya’s study of peer-reviewed research.
“We have been listening to our customers express confusion over what to do about blue light. They are bombarded with new blue light products, demonstration methods and studies,” says Grady Lenski, chief marketing officer of Hoya Vision Care, North America. He continues, “We saw a need to simplify the data and offer independent practices objective information and tools so they can confidently discuss blue light with their patients. The effects of blue light are an evolving subject that will require ongoing study. Anyone claiming to have definitive answers at this time is premature.”
The paper was written by a team from Hoya and Vision Ease, including Thomas Gosling, OD; Richard Blacker, PhD; and Anne-Marie Lahr, OD. It offers a global perspective on blue light, with advice from our European counterparts and an exhaustive review of the available literature, with more than 50 sources referenced.
“Looking at the online and in-person conversations around blue light, it became obvious our industry needed to take a step back and have a reality check on the subject. We needed to get back to the science of blue light. We also needed to admit we don’t know everything yet. The white paper and tools work hard to put it all in perspective,” says Anne-Marie Lahr, OD, Hoya Vision Care’s director of education.
The new resources include a two-page abstract that accompanies the 10-page white paper. In addition, there are patient-friendly infographics that help explain the sources and effects of blue light, as well as risk factors and solutions. “Our practice has been talking about the impacts of blue light with our patients since 2013. Over the years we have pulled knowledge and information from multiple sources to develop our standard conversation to discuss this with all of our patients—young and old. This new tool from Hoya simplifies the conversation and makes it so that our patients can understand the problems—and really understand the solutions we have today. This comprehensive layout of blue light will insure that our entire team of practitioners and staff are on point with the current knowledge and are efficient with their discussion of blue light,” comments Heidi Pham-Murphy, OD, independent practice owner in Sacramento, Calif. Hoya customers can contact their local Hoya territory sales manager to schedule a blue light “lunch and learn” and receive the patient-friendly infographics. To download a PDF of the white paper, visit info.hoyavision.com/us-blue-light-white-paper.
–Andrew Karp
