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Many parents are concerned with the amount of time their children spend on screens. Whether it’s TV, games, videos on tablets or even computers for schoolwork, today’s kids live their life via devices. In fact, surveys show 42 percent of children in the United States spend more than 30 hours a week just on their phones. With this significant amount of screen time, prescribing the right eyewear for kids is more important than ever.

Harmful Effects of Blue Light

Many of your patients may be worried about blue light (also called high-energy visible light) exposure from digital devices. Multiple studies suggest potential long-term effects of blue light damaging the cornea, lens and retina. Kids may be more at risk for blue light damage to the retina, since the juvenile lens cannot absorb as much blue light as an adult lens.

It’s worth noting that digital devices emit far less blue light than the sun, which is the largest source of our blue light exposure. Even so, long hours of use and the close proximity of the screen to our eyes is a concern.

Although more research is needed to confirm how damaging digital devices really are to our eye health, there are certainly other side effects. Blue light exposure and digital device use can cause problems like dry eye, eye strain, blurred vision and disrupted circadian rhythms. For this reason, many researchers and clinicians agree that blue light blocking lenses still offer protective benefits.

Prescribe the Best Eyewear for Children

To reduce blue light exposure, asking parents to reduce their kids’ smartphone and tablet use is a good place to start. In addition, discuss the benefits of blue light and UV blocking lenses.

Our Bluloc lens is an excellent everyday lens for kids and adults alike. Its 100 percent UVA/UVB blocking and filters out 95 percent of harmful rays, including blue light. Our Premium Plus UV Non-Glare lenses offer additional dirt and smudge-resistance, as well as increased scratch-resistance making them great for kids who are tough on their glasses!

If you have young patients who also play video games, consider our BluTech blue light blocking lenses. BluTech is the gold standard in blue light protection, offering 41 percent, 45 percent or 59 percent blue-light-blocking properties! For amazing high-definition vision, consider our Visual Perfection digital lenses. These signature lenses offer unparalleled visual comfort in all gaze directions. Both of these technologies help to reduce digital eye strain.

SunShifters Frames

Sometimes, simply getting children to wear their glasses is the hardest part. Our SunShifters line will get kids excited about eyewear! Encourage your opticians to show them how the SunShifters frames change color when exposed to sunlight. We carry 22 unique frames in a variety of color choices perfect for everyone in the family.

We offer a large variety of premium lens products for kids and adults. Please visit our website RandDOptical.com or call us at 513-273-4034 to learn more about our optical products and how we can help grow your business. And don’t forget to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram or LinkedIn for our latest tips and updates!