All eyes on healthy vision

MANILA, Philippines - You apply sunscreen on the beach to protect your skin from the harmful effects of the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. But what do you do to protect your eyes?

“UV light can damage not only your skin but also your eyes,” says Dr. Emelita Roleda, Essilor general manager.

While the muscles of the eyes are among the strongest muscles in the body, the eyes are also among the body’s most sensitive parts, and these are extremely susceptible to UV damage.  Long-term exposure to UV radiation can accelerate eye aging, lead to cataracts and even cancer. It does not have to be sunny for UV rays, which are invisible to the human eye, to be present. UV exposure happens everywhere, even indoors, be it from natural sunlight or artificial UV rays.

“Every day, we are exposed to harmful blue lights, which are emitted by electronic devices and gadgets,” says Dr. Roleda. There is the so-called good blue light that helps increase feelings of well-being. But “repetitive exposure to blue light poses a threat to our eyes. It may cause oxidative damage and may be responsible for causing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which can result in blindness,” Dr. Roleda explains.

Wearing protective lenses can do a lot in preventing the detrimental effects of harmful light. “Essilor, the top global ophthalmic manufacturer that is present in more than 100 countries, develops a wide range of lenses — from design to manufacture — to protect and correct eyesight,” Dr. Roleda points out. “Crizal Prevencia is the only clear lens that selectively filters harmful blue light from gadgets while letting through the healthy blue light, while Crizal Forte UV lenses can protect the eyes from harmful UV rays.”

Crizal Transitions are adaptive lenses that “automatically adjust from clear to dark and every shade in between,” while Xperio polarized sun lenses are recommended for any kind of outside activities.

“Our mission is “to improve lives by improving sight,” Dr. Roleda asserts.

Essilor’s Seeing the World Better campaign was launched to raise awareness of the importance of healthy vision.  Headlining the campaign is actor Piolo Pascual who appears in a new TV commercial as Essilor’s brand ambassador. “This is what people need,” Piolo says. “Good eye health is a serious matter because it is essential to performing practically all our daily tasks.”

The strong lights while taping a show could cause a strain on the actor’s eyes. Piolo is aware of the need for protection and prevention. Although he enjoys 20/20 vision, he says, “vision changes with age, so there is a need for a regular eye check-up.”

 “Across the globe, four billion people need visual correction, and in the Philippines, over 20 million individuals need visual correction. As a leader, we feel it is our responsibility to do something to alleviate the situation and this is the reason we are doing this campaign,” notes Dr. Roleda.

The campaign has three important messages: 1) prevention — Essilor lenses help prevent age-related eye diseases, 2) protection — from UV rays and harmful blue light, and 3) correction — the initial purpose of Essilor, which is to help correct eyesight.

“Premium eyeglass lenses from Essilor are the result of more than 150 years of advanced research, innovation, and technology,” Dr. Roleda shares. “Essilor revolutionized the vision correction industry in 1959 with the invention of the world’s first progressive lens.”

The Varilux 5 series is the Essilor’s most sophisticated progressive lens, which was created by using the latest advances in optics and a deep understanding of the wearer’s physiology. The fundamental structure of the lens is reengineered during lens calculation to ensure the wearer’s equilibrium while in motion. The lens calculation also takes into account the physiological differences between the wearer’s eyes to guarantee a wide-angle vision. “How well the person doing the measurements and fitting does this is very important,” Dr. Roleda remarks.

Varilux lenses are engraved to easily identify them and are delivered with a certificate of authenticity.

 “Essilor’s Seeing the World Better campaign is our company’s way of helping the world see better by raising awareness about the importance of healthy vision and addressing the alarming number of visual impairment cases in the country,” says Dr. Roleda. “We hope that through this campaign, Filipinos will start paying more attention to their eyes so they can see the world with a clearer and brighter view.”