HEV Light – Concern for Our Eyes

Exposure to powerful forms of light is a safety hazard.  This hazard concerns doctors more and more as people are continuously surrounded by an increasing variety of artificial light sources.  In particular, we’re suspicious about the type of light emitted from computers, digital devices, fluorescent lights and LED sources.  These unnatural forms of light release large amounts of powerful radiation known as High-Energy Visible Light.  Scientists call this HEV light, HEV radiation or sometimes they just call it HEV.

High-Energy Visible (HEV) Light is made up of certain colors that you can see.  When you look at a rainbow, these particular colors are visible as a thin edge of deep purple and blue on the one side.  HEV light is very closely related to Ultra-Violet (UV) light and it has similar physical characteristics.  We know that invisible ultra-violet (UV) rays cause sunburn, tissue damage and eye disease.  Doctors now suspect that HEV light also causes similar eye damage, contributing to diseases such as cataracts and macular degeneration.

Up until recently, the sun was the only significant source of HEV light.  In ages past, the sun would go down and our eyes would get natural relief from its damaging rays.  Now, we are surrounded by artificial high-energy light waves that bombard our eyes at all hours day and night.  Some of the sources of HEV light we’re most concerned about include computers, digital devices, flat-screen TVs, smart phones, fluorescent lights, CFLs (compact fluorescent lights), LED lights, night lights, barn lights, gas industrial lights and the high-intensity lights that illuminate parking lots, stadiums and recreational parks.  HEV is also being studied as a possible cause of sleep disturbance.  HEV seems to inhibit melatonin secretion, which is triggered by the solar cycles and important for restful sleep.

In our eyes, HEV rays do not focus as clearly as the other colors of the rainbow.  For this reason, it is suspected that HEV light causes images to be more blurred, leading to visual fatigue and eyestrain.  Doctors are all too familiar with complaints from patients regarding the fatigue they experience in fluorescent lighting.  Evidence now suggests that people subjecting themselves to long hours of computer or digital device use, especially students and children, may develop long-term health complications related to a lifetime of HEV light exposure.

At Adamstown Eye Care, we take HEV light exposure very seriously.  To protect our eyes, we should all consider adding features to our eyeglass lenses that block HEV light.  We have partnered with an industry-leading developer of HEV products here in the United States and are now able to add HEV protection to practically every form of eyeglass lens made.  This is a first of its kind.  We can even add it to lenses that were made elsewhere, including Transitions lenses.  With this patented process, the protection is barely visible.

Stop by our office and allow us to demonstrate the benefits and effectiveness of HEV protection.  You’ll be able to see and compare all of the newest forms of HEV protection from all of the major manufacturers.