Protecting my eyes from LED screen glare with Crizal Prevencia lenses

This is not going to be a post full of shameless selfies, because, come on, how glamorous or awful I look in glasses has no bearing on the awesomeness of Crizal Prevencia lenses.

Did you know that when you spend long hours every day in front of a laptop, smartphone, tablet device or any LED-based gadget, you are putting yourself at risk of damaging your retinal cells?*

That’s because LED screens emit a large proportion of a particular wavelength of light called BLUE-VIOLET LIGHT. That’s what makes your eyes feel fatigued. But that’s not all. In the long run, combined with other lifestyle factors such smoking and obesity, this may lead to Age-related Macular Degeneration. (The sun also emits blue light.)

This is a chronic, irreversible condition whereby the light-sensitive cells on the macula, which is the central part of the retina, break down and result in blurred vision and dryness in the affected eye. A dry eye treatment can help if your eyes are irritated and overexposed to the screen.

This is where Essilor, the maker of Crizal Prevencia lenses, comes in.

Now, ophthalmic lens which block out blue light is not new on the market. Hoya has a product called BlueControl which also neutralises blue light! My regular optician, who isn’t short-sighted, puts on a pair of spectacles fitted with non-index BlueControl lenses before she looks at her computer screen or smartphone.

However, Essilor claims that Crizal Prevencia lenses don’t just block out blue light – they selectively filter out harmful blue light and UV rays while allowing good blue light (such as Blue-Turquoise) through. Beneficial blue light is essential to our body as it helps us balance our sleep cycle and keeps us energised and alert.

My optician also helpfully pointed out that Crizal Prevencia lenses are also coated with UV protection on both sides, offering the best UV protection on a clear lens. You already know that overexposure to UV rays can lead to cataracts, right?

Essilor offered me the opportunity to try out Crizal Prevencia recently and I was really happy because I’ve been wearing a broken spectacle frame for ages, after I’d lost a relatively new pair of glasses fitted with Transitions lenses. I was delighted to find out that Crizal Prevencia can be combined with Transitions, too! Click here to find out more about the range of combinations. Many thanks to Nanyang Optical for doing my eye exam and helping me get my Zio glasses done.

The lenses are tinted slightly yellow and reflect violet light off them. That’s sign of the lenses doing their job. On top of the blue-violet light protection, Crizal Prevencia lenses also offer the same qualities as the Crizal Forte UV:

1) E-SPF 25
2) Water repellence
3)  Dust repellence
4) Scratch resistance
5) Smudge resistance
6) Anti-reflective efficiency

Having worn my Crizal Prevencia for a few weeks now, I must say that they offer me more comfort than a regular pair of glasses, especially when I am in front of my laptop or smartphone for extended hours. The glare is immediately reduced, as you can see below.

Not content with my bookish-looking Zio frames, I allowed myself to be seduced by a cute pair of Kitterick spectacle frames at my regular optical shop and decided to get them. I was so tempted to fit them with Hoya BlueControl lenses + Transitions so I could do an apple-to-apple comparison of the two products! But Alvin’s “Don’t waste money” mantra played in my head and I figured that I can’t actually carry out a scientific experiment to actually prove which is better, so I just got Hoya Stellify (multicoated) lenses instead.

*According to recent research by Essilor and Paris Vision Institute.

Crizal Prevencia lenses in a nutshell:

Who should wear them – Children and adults over 45 years old
Where can one buy them – Good optical shops such as Nanyang Optical
Price – Starts at $170 from an index of 1.5
For more info go to: http://www.crizal.com.sg/