Blue-Light Filtering Lenses Seem Not to Be Beneficial

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 23, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Blue-light filtering lenses, which filter ultraviolet radiation and claim to improve visual performance with digital device use, seem not to attenuate symptoms of eye strain, according to a study published online Aug. 18 in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

Sumeer Singh, Ph.D., from the University of Melbourne in Australia, and colleagues examined the effects of blue-light filtering lenses compared to non-blue-light filtering lenses in adults in a systematic review. A total of 17 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), with sample sizes ranging from five to 156 adult participants, were included. The primary outcomes were change in visual fatigue score and critical flicker-fusion frequency (CFF).

The researchers found that at less than one week of follow-up, there was no difference in subjective visual fatigue scores with blue-light filtering versus non-blue-light filtering lenses. In one RCT, there was no difference between the intervention arms, while two studies that measured visual fatigue scores showed no significant difference between intervention arms. CFF measured at less than one day of follow-up showed little to no difference with blue-light filtering versus non-blue-light filtering lenses. No significant difference between intervention arms was reported in one study, while another showed a less negative change in CFF (indicating less visual fatigue) with high- versus low-blue-light filtering lenses and non-blue-light filtering lenses.

"Our findings do not support the prescription of blue-light filtering lenses to the general population. These results are relevant to a broad range of stakeholders, including eye care professionals, patients, researchers and the broader community," senior author Laura E. Downie, Ph.D., from the University of Melbourne, said in a statement.

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