Recently we have been speaking with the people behind MacuShield, the producers of a food supplement designed to help the eye protect itself from glare and the possible long term effects of blue light.
These days most people are aware of UV and the need to protect your eyes from it – but what about blue light?
Blue light has a short wavelength at the same end of the spectrum as UV and so blue light is classed as “high energy”.
It has been known for some time that blue light tends to tire our eyes – that is why sun lenses like ours have been designed to remove as much of that wavelength as possible whilst still retaining good colour acuity.
Over recent decades there have been a number of studies conducted to explore the potential link between blue light and macular degeneration.
Macular degeneration is a common cause of blindness in the developed world. It generally effects the elderly and there may be many potential causes. Here, we are focussing on the possible effects of blue light because many of us face it every day.
In extremely simple terms macular degeneration results in damage to the central part of the retina and the loss of one’s central vision – peripheral vision remains but you are unable to see the object that you are trying to look at.
Scientists have discovered that three chemicals within the eye are thought to be responsible for protecting it from glare and high energy blue light. These chemicals are derived from eating foods which are often absent from western diets.
MacuShield produce a food supplement which is designed to increase the levels of the three chemical compounds within the eye in order to help the eye protect itself from glare and the possible long term effects of blue light.
Recently studies have shown that supplementing all three chemicals can demonstrate real benefits and so the credibility of the product is now becoming widely accepted.
Why is this important to us? Well, macular degeneration is unpleasant and most people would rather protect their eyes if possible!
In fact, MacuShield have significant funding to continue research into this field – aviation included. Blue light is a significant factor in aviation and studies are planned to assess the risks.
There is an interesting article written by Dr Mark Kirby Phd explaining this on Bigatmo Life.