Crizal® launches first preventive lenses for selective protection against blue light and UV rays

Essilor, the world leader in corrective lenses, is launching the first lens to offer selective protection against harmful blue light and UV rays. Crizal Prevencia lens lets in essential light, which your body needs to function properly, while filtering out harmful light. It thus helps to protect your eyes against the risk of retina damage, caused by Blue-Violet light, and to reduce the risk of cataracts, which can result from overexposure to UV.

Prevention is essential, especially for children & adults over 45

Prevention with Crizal Prevencia is currently the first line of defence against the worldwide problems of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and cataracts. These conditions affect more than 350 million people around the world, a figure that may double in the next 30 years as the worldwide population ages.

Dr Emelita Roleda, General Manager of Essilor Philippines, sums up the importance of this new lens: “It is a landmark discovery in the field of optical science and we are very proud to have contributed, to this major step forward in the battle against one of the most devastating eye conditions. With Crizal Prevencia, we are pioneers in addressing the challenge of preventative innovation today. This perfectly fits in with Essilor’s strategy of playing a predominant role in the implementation of solutions for better visual health for everyone, all over the world.”

Children and adults over 45 are the most vulnerable to the dangers of light. Children’s developing eyes are very transparent, letting visible light and UV pass through the retina. This is a pressing matter, as they tend to spend their days outdoors, accumulating high exposure of UV. As for adults over 45, their eyes’ natural defence system is weakened and more susceptible to the effects of Blue-Violet light and UV.

Prevention is critical in current digital times

LED-based equipment such as the environmentally safer LED lights and LED screens of smartphones, tablets and laptops, have been shown to emit larger proportion of blue light as compared to the old incandescent lamps and fluorescent tubes. Out of the blue light emitted by these devices, it is the Blue-Violet light that is raising concerns.

With more people embracing digital lifestyles, exposure to Blue-Violet light increases. Over long hours, it can lead to eyestrain and fatigue, thus overexposure to Blue-Violet light may increase the likelihood of AMD.

Good and bad blue light

Emitted by the sun, as well as by artificial light sources, such as LEDs, blue light is part of visible light and is close to UV on the light spectrum.

A certain part of blue light, known as Blue-Turquoise light, is a natural form of light therapy. It acts as a “natural regulator” for our bodies, helping balance our sleep cycle and keep us energised and alert.

However, recent research by Essilor and the Paris Vision Institute, one of Europe’s largest eye health research centres, confirms that a specific band of blue light is more harmful for our eyes. The joint team developed a completely new protocol in this scientific domain: an in vitro test on retinal cells to determine the harmfulness of different light rays. This enabled them to identify Blue-Violet light as the portion of the visible light spectrum that presents the biggest risk of causing gradual degeneration of retinal cells, potentially leading to serious eye conditions.

A lens that selectively filters light to reduce the risks of AMD and cataracts

In response to this finding, Essilor has developed the Crizal Prevencia lens, which protects your eyes from the Blue-Violet light that contributes to retinal cell degeneration while allowing beneficial Blue-Turquoise light to pass through.

This is new category of preventive lenses developed thanks to Light Scan™, an exclusive technology that filters light selectively by letting beneficial Blue-Turquoise light pass through, filtering out harmful Blue-Violet rays that can contribute to AMD and UV rays that are a major cause of cataracts, while maintaining the transparency of the lens, ensuring an optimal visual experience for prescription glasses wearers.