BLUE LIGHT PROTECTION
Is lutein the next new ‘vitamin’? Humans’ reliance on eyesight is almost absolute. It is taken for granted that over the course of a lifetime, the eyes will continue to relay the surfeit of visual information required by the brain to help navigate environments and interact with the world around us. But because we live in a blue world, vision comes at a cost exacted daily when the eyes are open. Luckily, with Lutein, there is a protective solution.
T
here are known and cost-effective interventions, including early and adequate dietary intake of the macular carotenoids lutein, RR-zeaxanthin and RS [meso]-zeaxanthin. Consistent and daily intake of these nutrients plays a key role in visual function and protection, especially from consistent exposure to blue light. When asked, most people rank vision loss as one of the worst possible health outcomes, more than losing hearing, memory, speech, or a limb.1 It is not difficult to understand why because vision impairment and blindness are less about the physiological outcome (i.e. not being able to see) and more about the consequence of a disconnection from the world and the loss of independence that healthy vision provides.
LIVING IN A BLUE WORLD The scientific consensus is that visible light is both necessary for vision and harmful due to excessive or prolonged exposure. Light-mediated damage plays a role in many common forms of blindness, including agerelated macular degeneration (AMD).2 Photooxidation – the production of free radicals induced by exposure to radiant energy like light – is akin to the sunburn that results from ultraviolet light. Photooxidation from blue light is the most common form of damage that can occur in the retina. Like UV light, sunlight continues to be the major contributor of blue light but the increasing reliance on digital devices has extended exposure into almost every facet of daily life. It is the daily exposure to blue light and the ensuing photooxidation which leads to small, imperceptible changes in retinal cells over a lifetime. These changes can manifest as age-related visual impairment. To mitigate the effects of blue light, the eyes have evolved to have mechanisms to help reduce the effects of blue light by incorporating filters that
30
MAY 2022 // WWW.PHARMACOS.CO.ZA
"Promoting the essential nature of macular carotenoids in the “digital age” can be a new avenue to broaden their demand" absorb high-energy wavelengths and reduce photooxidation.
BLUE LIGHT AT A GLANCE • unlike UV light, blue light penetrates deep in the eye, impacting retinal cells directly • AMD risk increases about 38% with sunlight exposure2 • the average adult spends 10 hours per day on digital devices3 • short-term effects of blue light exposure from digital devices include eye strain and physical discomfort.
CLOSING THE GAP There continues to be a gap between consumer understanding and scientific consensus, especially among younger demographics. This is reflected in poor dietary intake of foods rich in macular carotenoids.4,5 The gap also provides a new opportunity, especially with the convergence of greater exposure to blue light from digital devices, for growing awareness/ concern about the effects of blue light and the willingness of younger consumers, such
as millennials, to choose supplementation to proactively manage their health. Consumers are aware of the importance of supplementing with essential/conditionally essential nutrients as reflected in purchases. Vitamin/mineral supplements remain the most popular category among supplement users (98%) and 83% of consumers aged between 18 and 34 take a multivitamin.6
