Transitions Optical research shows Canadians are frequently bothered by light, but don’t talk about it with their eye care professional (ECP). Outdoor light and glare remain chief complaints.

The  “Light and Glare” online survey was conducted by Wakefield Research on behalf of Transitions Optical, among 1,000 Canadian adults, ages 18-69 between February 20th and March 6th, 2015.

Almost all Canadians (95 percent) questioned said they are bothered by light; and three fourths of those bothered say these problems frequently impact their ability to do or enjoy a task at hand, according to a new “Light and Glare” survey from Transitions Optical.  Despite the high frequency and impact of being bothered by light, less than 40 percent of Canadians discuss this issue with their eye care professional.

“Being bothered by light can easily be viewed as more of a nuisance than an eye health issue, but this research shows that it’s serious, potentially interfering with daily tasks, which can have consequences for work productivity and overall quality of life,” said Isabelle Tremblay-Dawson, senior marketing manager, Canada. “We hope sharing this research encourages more eye care professionals to bring up this topic with their patients, opening the door for them to educate patients on the range of lens solutions available to minimize glare and reflections, and help with sensitivity to light.”

Types of Bothersome Light

According to the survey, Canadians who say they are bothered by light most commonly cite “bright, glaring light” as the culprit.  When diving deeper into whether they are bothered by light due to reflections, 68 percent say they are bothered by light reflected off surfaces when outdoors, 35 percent cite light from a computer screen and 33 percent cite light from personal devices (smart phones, tablets, etc.).

“Our research shows that 70 percent of Canadians are spending more time on electronic devices than five years ago, so we were not surprised by the number of people saying they were bothered by light from computer and personal device screens,” said Tremblay-Dawson.  “It was interesting that outdoor light was the larger culprit, though, bothering people at more than twice the rate.”

All of the products found within the Transitions^® family of brands help reduce glare, especially when paired with an anti-reflective treatment. More specifically, Transitions^® XTRActive^® lenses provide unique benefits that can help eye care professionals satisfy the needs of patients who are bothered by light indoors, outdoors and even in the car. Transitions XTRAcitve lenses are uniquely designed for extra light protection even in the brightest sun and hottest conditions. Indoors, a hint of tint helps protect eyes from harsh indoor lighting, helping to reduce eye strain and fatigue. Plus, Transitions XTRActive lenses achieve up to category 2 darkness behind the windshield to protect eyes from sunlight while driving.

For more information about the company and Transitions lenses, visit TransitionsCanadaPRO.ca.

Luxottica a supporter of SIGHT: The Story of Vision hosted a sneak peek of the documentary directed by filmmaker Kris Koenig at Vision Expo East.

“Kris is a man of passion and conviction and he is telling our story and I couldn’t be more honoured and proud to be with you in this moment,” Holly Rush, President of Wholesale North America at Luxottica told film supporters and guests at a special reception at Vision Expo East.

In a heartfelt moment, the award winning filmmaker named his wife who had recently passed from breast cancer as the force behind the film, as she argued for the value and inclusion of a wider humanitarian approach. The film is all inclusive, said Koenig, “the film covers four main threads: the science, the medicine, the technology and the humanity of vision.”

The film takes viewers through the history of sight, the science and technology and medicine that allow us to see, as well as how to cure diseases of the eye and correct vision. It also looks at the humanity issue, the global vision crisis we face today, impacting half a billion people around the world.

The goal of the one-hour documentary film is to shine the light on vision health and create a better understanding of it. “The consumer doesn’t know the difference between an optometrist and an ophthalmologist. When they get done watching this film, they’ll understand the sequence,” said Koenig. The movie’s impact will be to create a better understanding of vision and hopefully create a call to action. “We want the viewer to end up in doctor’s offices, says Koenig “we want the viewer to do one thing, get your eyes checked.”

Koenig thanked the many sponsors including Luxottica, ZEISS the Vision Institute and Essilor. “ZEISS came on board with a phenomenal amount of support to create a story where a photon of light is generated in a star, travels across the galaxy, enters a child’s eye and goes into the retina and into the brain and shows how vision takes place in the brain and comes back out into a montage of all the beautiful things to see in the world,” said Koenig.

SIGHT was produced by Koenig Films in association with SOPTV for public television broadcast and distribution. It is expected to air in the fall of 2015 and will be accompanied by a special version designed to be shown in planetariums around the world. Koenig’s last PBS documentary “400 Years of the Telescope” was seen by tens of millions of viewers.

For more information visit: http://www.storyofsight.com