SOVS Paper of the Week: Blue-blocking lenses (BBLs) are being marketed by several ophthalmic lens manufacturers as protection against the damaging effects of blue light by selectively attenuating blue light. The selective reduction in visible wavelengths transmitted through BBLs is known to influence the detection of object contrast. There is limited knowledge about the consequences of wearing BBLs on colour/luminance contrast detection, which is the basis for visual perception. This study is about seeing the effect of a number of BBLs on colour contrast sensitivity in normal individuals under low and high contrast stimulus conditions.
Our results showed that colour contrast sensitivity was impaired only for blue colours, and this was most evident at low luminance contrasts. Also, the degree to which BBLs affect colour contrast detection was shown to be highly dependent on the brands of lenses (i.e., their transmittance characteristics). The BBLs with lower transmittance profiles led to greater reductions in colour contrast sensitivity.
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