Adaptive Defense Part 3: Best Blue Light Defense for A Changing Environment

In Part 2 of our series, we introduced the various types of lenses and enhancements designed to reduce blue light exposure, how they work, and the unique benefits of each.  In Part 3, we’re going to delve deeper into two specific solutions that stand apart due to their advanced technology and always-on blue light defense in any environment. 

​Filtering Blue Light from Sun and Screens

To recap, regardless of where it’s coming from, blue light—also known as high energy visible (HEV) light— can cause a great deal of visual discomfort. It’s because our eyes aren’t designed to process blue light, but they work overtime trying to do so when viewing digital screens and LED lights, or spending time in the sun. All that fruitless work makes them strained or tired.  Dry or irritated eyes, blurred vision, eye fatigue, and even headaches can result after only two hours of exposure.[1]
 
Whether on the go, or in front of a screen, most people can benefit from some type of blue light lens or enhancement, whether it’s an anti-reflective coating, infused lens material, or a light-reactive lens. Light-reactive lenses offer a wide array of visual and lifestyle benefits that make them an ideal option for blue light defense.

A New Generation Overcomes Old Performance Issues

In the early days of light-reactive lenses, things weren’t too rosy when it came to their adaptability to different environments. In fact, previous generations left a lot to be desired, with opticians and patients alike discouraged by the slow fade-back, residual indoor tint, and insufficient outdoor darkness. However, a new category of ultra-fast light-reactive lenses overcame these challenges, making them the optimal solution for wearers who want a lens that adapts to their changing environments on the fly.  

​The pioneering lens in the ultra-fast category, SunSync® Elite  introduced fade back and activation in seconds rather than minutes, allowing for the first true “life-reactive” lens. With a clear indoor appearance, true dark-gray color outdoors, and 100% UV protection, SunSync Elite offers clarity, comfort, and confidence in one convenient package. Best of all, they provide wearers with “always-on” blue light defense.

A new category of ultra-fast light-reactive lenses overcame these challenges, making them the optimal solution for wearers who want a lens that adapts to their changing environments on the fly.  

Why Choose SunSync Elite for Blue Light Defense?

In addition to the aforementioned benefits, SunSync Elite features a list of specific blue light benefits, making them the perfect choice for any patient looking to reduce their exposure and combat eye strain.
 
Always-On Defense
Whether indoors or outdoors, day or night, SunSync Elite’s blue light defense is always on, filtering blue light from sun and screens as wearers move between environments.
 
Adaptive Filtration
SunSync Elite’s technology intelligently adjusts the amount of filtration to the specific needs of the environment, balancing visibility and blue light defense in any environment.

Exceptional Defense Across the Entire Blue Light Spectrum
As discussed in Part 2 of our series, SunSync Elite reduces blue light by absorption, attenuating blue light across the spectrum as shown in the spectral transmittance graph below.  To read the graph, simply select a wavelength along the bottom, then reference up vertically.

Dual Defense
In addition to great blue light defense, SunSync Elite also offers 100% UV protection, so wearers enjoy the confidence of knowing the lenses are defending against eye strain and the effects of UV exposure, e.g., cataracts, pterygium, sunburned cornea, etc. simultaneously.

Why Choose SunSync Elite XT for Blue Light Defense?

For wearers who want great blue light filtration with extra-dark outdoor color and in-car color retention, SunSync Elite XT is the ticket. This ultra-fast, extra reactive lens provides ultimate lifestyle adaptability with excellent performance indoors, as well as on the road, on the trail, or on the water. SunSync Elite XT also offers faster fade-back speed than both the top-selling conventional photochromic and its extra reactive counterpart.[2]
 
Maximum Filtration
SunSync Elite XT provides the greatest indoor and outdoor blue light defense in the SunSync ultra-fast portfolio due to their extra-dark outdoor color and touch of tint indoors (a small price to pay for an extra boost of blue light defense)! If a high degree of defense is priority one for your patient, this is your lens.
 
Defense Across the Spectrum
As shown below, SunSync Elite XT filters out 95% of blue light at 410 nm and 90% at 420 nm.[3]  With their clear and extra-dark capabilities, these lenses provide great defense across the blue light spectrum.

Always-On Defense
Like SunSync Elite, SunSync Elite XT’s blue light defense is always on, filtering blue light from sun and screens as wearers move between environments throughout the day and into the night.
 
Adaptive Filtration
SunSync Elite XT features the same intelligent technology as SunSync Elite, automatically adjusting the amount of filtration to the specific needs of the environment.
 
In-Car Blue Light Defense
When it comes to drive time, there’s no better option than SunSync Elite XT, especially for those long road trips. Even passengers wearing these extra-reactive lenses enjoy great blue light defense while working or playing on their tablets and smartphones during the ride.
 
Dual Defense
In addition to SunSync Elite XT’s boosted blue light defense outdoors from the extra-dark color, they also offer 100% UV protection, so patients not only benefit from reduced eye strain, they enjoy peace of mind knowing their eyes are shielded from UV-related eye problems. 

Our goal has always been to enhance a person’s entire visual world, not just their vision. SunSync Elite ultra-fast light-reactive lenses achieve that by quickly adapting to a wearer’s every need as they move from one environment to the next.
Alan Burt, Vice President of Product Management

​Blue Light Benefits for a Lifetime

Blue light exposure is no longer bound by age. Young and old alike have become increasingly dependent on technology, even more so since the COVID-19 pandemic began as digital devices proliferated as tools for working, learning, socializing, and entertainment. While every age group has unique needs, the bottom line is that everyone can benefit from always-on blue light defense.

Early School Daze (Kids & Teens)
SunSync Elite and SunSync Elite XT are ideal blue light recommendations for young patients due to their excellent defense combined with a variety of other kid-friendly benefits.  With a single pair of glasses providing benefits of clear prescription lenses indoors, prescription sunglasses outdoors, and blue-light reducing lenses in both environments, kids won’t need to remember to change between multiple pairs. Parents can rest easier knowing that their kids’ eyes are shielded throughout the day and won’t lose a second pair of prescription suns or blue light lenses.  

For teens, appearance is everything. SunSync Elite’s ultra-fast fade back to a clearer indoor state offers confidence in the way they look, while providing the blue light defense they need throughout their school day as they interact with computers and tablets. After all, a blue light lens or enhancement doesn’t do them much good if they’re so embarrassed by its appearance that they take them off…which can and does happen.

Growing, Learning and Working (Young Adults)
Fortunately, the move toward increased distance learning in college has been an easy one for Gen Z students. Unfortunately, their eyes aren’t any more adept at naturally combating digital eye strain, so an effective blue light solution is a must. They’re also an image-conscious age group, so the clearer indoor appearance of SunSync Elite is a big winner. And for students on a budget, SunSync Elite and SunSync Elite XT offer life-reactive benefits and blue light defense all rolled into a single pair of glasses. 

For young adults who’ve either graduated or foregone college to immediately enter the workforce, SunSync Elite and SunSync Elite XT are perfect solutions for many vocation or work environments.

The Adulting Years (Adults)
Many adults, especially those who began working remotely during the pandemic, spend many hours every day in virtual meetings, managing emails and instant messaging, and other online tasks and activities, instead of attending in-person meetings. SunSync Elite helps prevent the effects of eye strain caused by digital devices and sunshine as they move from indoors to outside through the day. Workers with primarily outdoor or mobile occupations can benefit from the darker lens of SunSync Elite XT with 100% UV protection and in-car color retention.​

The Golden Years Arrive (Seniors)
Senior-age adults have also embraced digital devices in growing numbers—more out of necessity than desire due to the Covid-19 pandemic—replacing in-person activities like socializing, shopping, medical appointments, and more with virtual experiences.  The increase in screen time results in increased exposure to blue light. This has made lens solutions to alleviate the symptoms associated with increased screen viewing especially vital.

SunSync Elite and SunSync Elite XT provide the blue light defense they need and the light-reactive properties to take them from indoors to out and back with ease.  They’re also helpful for older adults who experience difficulties with light and dark adaptation (adapting between light and dark environments due to ocular changes, gradually responding to changes in light conditions). ​​

​Helping Patients Make the Right Choice

​Your patients rely on you to provide the best eye care and the most optimal eye wear for their needs.  When discussing vision correction with a patient, ask them what’s most important to them. Is it around-the-clock blue light defense? Fast activation when going outside? How about clarity indoors? Or maybe it’s maintaining a more aesthetic, truer gray appearance? A patient questionnaire is an extremely valuable tool for gathering this kind of information. You can also get the answers to these questions through a quick chat if your practice doesn’t use a questionnaire.

Understanding the technology and combining patient needs and wants will elevate their experience.

Armed with this valuable knowledge of light-reactive lens options and your patients’ preferences, you can offer expert advice to provide the best solutions for blue light defense with a host of other benefits!

In our next post, we’ll reveal the secrets to successfully dispensing ultra-fast light-reactive lenses as a blue light solution and hear from opticians and patients on how these versatile lens solutions have improved their vision experience in all walks of life. Read Part 4 now!

[1] The Vision Council.
[2] In independent testing, SunSync Elite XT fades from fully activated to 31.6 %T in 60 seconds compared to 31.1 %T in 60 seconds for Transitions® Signature® Gen 8™ and 24.0 %T in 60 seconds for Transitions® XTRActive®. Testing conducted in Polycarbonate to ISO 8980-3 standard. 
[3] “Blue Light Basics-Benefits of a Photochromic Lens.” UUniversity course. ©2021 VSP Optical Group, Inc.