Hands-on review: Essilor Eyezen lenses

This month, I had the opportunity to review the Essilor Eyezen lenses. The Eyezen lenses in these prescription glasses contain new technologies that reduce blue light by up to 20% and make reading small text on mobile phones super easy. They're a great investment for anybody who spends a lot of time on multiple digital devices – or even just one.

Like most, I spend my life staring into digital devices.  My day begins with a smartphone clock app alarm. Actually, several. I then check and read any important emails before beginning my day. If there's a free seat on the train to work, I will sit down and read an ebook on the iPad. Meetings at work are spent glancing at presentations shown on a big screen TV on the meeting room wall.  Between meetings, I'm stationed in front of a computer screen crafting documents and replying to emails.

For the train ride home, I escape into my smartphone. It gives me my daily dose of Facebook while I chat to friends.  After dinner, if it's not a date night, I like to relax with some Netflix on a Smart TV and banter (on my mobile) with potential partners.

While we all differ in our devices and routine, I believe my day is typical of many office workers and students. Over the last decade, we've increased the time spent watching, reading and working on screens. Now, each of us owns laptops, smartphones, tablets, and a wearable. Digital screens are getting bigger too. And they seem to be almost everywhere; in meeting rooms, lifts, and on digital billboards. Google recently patented the tech to turn today's walls into digital screens. In the next couple of years, digital screens will be, literally, all around us.

Every day all those screens are placing increasing demands on our eyes. Our eyes struggle to focus in front of digital screens. The small text, pixelated images and multiple screens, force our eyes to work harder. It's uncomfortable for our eyes and it can concentration when our eyes get too tired.

Blue light is emitted by the sun, lights and digital screens. Blue light is beneficial to our eyes in small amounts. We need it to regulate our sleep, mood and ability to perform mentally. However, all those screens expose our eyes to increased amounts of blue-violet light that scatter inside our eyes, reducing contrast and making our vision uncomfortable.

Overexposure to specific blue-violet light can damage the retina and for certain people, may increase the risk of age-related macular degeneration (the leading cause of poor sight in the elderly).

In 2016, the tech industry finally acknowledged the blue light issue. Mobile phones now have night-time modes that can redden our screens at night. Before 2018, expect to see those same features appear on desktops too. This is a great start - however, it doesn't address the elephant in the room. Most of us are using our devices most well before night has fallen. So what to do? Thankfully, Essilor released their Eyezen lenses with Blue Light Filtering.

The Eyezen lenses contain two key technologies. Light Scan Technology selectively filters out 20% of blue-violet light emitted from digital screens.  The Focus Technology describes the enhanced focusing power in the lower portion of the lens. This is designed to ease eyestrain caused by close reading distances and assist viewing small text on handheld devices.

I wore the Eyezen glasses for a month. A new work project meant I worked long hours and late nights. I found that wearing the Eyezen lenses improved my overall eye comfort. My eyes are no longer as sore as they were at the end of the day. The lenses gave me an extra couple of hours at night to work before I lost the ability to concentrate.

The new features in the Eyezen lenses are not without their quirks. The Focus Technology did seem to slightly bend straight lines in my peripheral vision but I'm told this can be rectified by some minor adjustments. While the thinner lens material I chose creates subtle yellow and blue edges on white shapes, but I wouldn't want to have thicker lenses. These are both relatively minor.

You should consider Essilor Eyezen lenses with the Crizal Prevencia blue light filter. Your eye health is important. If you're currently suffering eye-strain, book in an eye-check with an optometrist who supplies Essilor lenses and learn more about Eyezen lenses and see if they can help you.

It's worth noting that the Eyezen lenses are not limited to just those of us who require a prescription. It can also be worn by those with perfect 20/20 vision to relax their eyes and improve their wellbeing.

I would also like to thank Dr Lai Huynh of Cammeray Optometrist who fitted the glasses. He's friendly, knowledgeable and really cares about patients. Dr Huynh took the time to ask some broad questions - and diagnosed an inherited medical condition that a half dozen other optometrists had missed. If you live or work on the Sydney's North Shore, he's well worth a visit for your next pair of glasses and is knowledgeable about Eyezen.