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Blue light filter glasses?

Boots Opticians Protect Plus Blue Lenses cost an additional £70, Boots

THE blue light given off by tablets and smartphones has been linked to agerelated macular degeneration (AMD). A blue tint on the lens of your glasses is said to screen out 20 per cent of ‘bad’ blue light.

EXPERT VERDICT: Blue light’s ability to penetrate to the back of the eye causes the damage. Professor Robert Scott, consultant ophthalmologist at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, says our eyes have natural protection against blue light in the form of pigments in the macula, part of the light-sensitive area at the back of the eye, which absorbs blue light. He says: ‘We can build these pigments quickly by eating foods that contain compounds called xanthines, such as carrots, spinach, kale and broccoli, or with xanthine supplements. Doing that is enough to protect eyes without this finish but if you are worried you could try it.

‘If I wore glasses, I would have a blue tint. A lot of glasses screen blue light anyway and some have the blue tint on. You can adjust computer screens to emit less blue light and put filters in front.’