title: Reducing Short-Wavelength Blue Light in Dry Eye Patients with Unstable Tear Film Improves Performance on Tests of Visual Acuity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether suppression of blue light can improve visual function in patients with short tear break up time (BUT) dry eye (DE).
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-two patients with short BUT DE (10 men, 12 women; mean age, 32.4 ± 6.4 years; age range, 23-43 years) and 18 healthy controls (10 men, 8 women; mean age, 30.1 ± 7.4 years; age range, 20-49 years) underwent functional visual acuity (VA) examinations with and without wearing eyeglasses with 50% blue light blocked lenses. The functional VA parameters were starting VA, functional VA, and visual maintenance ratio.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The baseline mean values (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution, logMAR) of functional VA and the visual maintenance ratio were significantly worse in the DE patients than in the controls (P < 0.05), while no significant difference was observed in the baseline starting VA (P > 0.05). The DE patients had significant improvement in mean functional VA and visual maintenance ratio while wearing the glasses (P < 0.05), while there were no significant changes with and without the glasses in the control group (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Protecting the eyes from short-wavelength blue light may help to ameliorate visual impairment associated with tear instability in patients with DE. This finding represents a new concept, which is that the blue light exposure might be harmful to visual function in patients with short BUT DE.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan.|Wada Eye Clinic, Houjyou, Tateyama-shi, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Minako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaido
authors.affiliation: Minamiaoyama Eye Clinic, Kitaaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Ikuko
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Toda
authors.affiliation: Minamiaoyama Eye Clinic, Kitaaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oobayashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Motoko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawashima
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yusaku
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Katada
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsubota
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015352:Dry Eye Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005139:Eyeglasses; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008027:Light / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013666:Tears; D014792:Visual Acuity; D055815:Young Adult