THE eye wear business is booming these days as the cases of eye disorders are on the rise. The rise in use of digital devices and gadgets by the people has led to upsurge in the number of eye disorders, thereby increasing thedemand forblueraylenses that block the harmful ultraviolet radiation and infra blue radiation emitted by computer monitors, mobiles and laptops. “The eyewear products like eyeglasses,spectacles,sunglasses and contact lenses are witnessing a strong growth in demand,” said Krishna Pande, ownerofPandeOptics,Sitabuldi and Secretary of Vidarbha Optical Association. During the COVID-19 phase whenGovernment had imposed restrictionson themovementof people, online school and colleges and work from home concept was at its peak.

 

From those day till now there is a surge in demand for blue ray lenses and spectacles that block the harmful radiation. People are preferring blue ray lenses as compared to ordinary lenses because of their advantages. Blue Ray glasses are being used to reduce the harmful affects of rays emitting from these digital devices. The Blue Ray lenses are available from Rs 650 to Rs 700 and branded ones are available from Rs 1,500 onwards, depending on the brand and quality, he pointed out. Students and others had excessivelyusedmobilephones, laptops, tablets,computers and other devises which affected their eyesight negatively.

 

With this the demand for eyeglasses shot up. “Todaywe can seemany children have eye disorders which is due to prolonged exposure to these digital gadgets,”he pointed out. The eyewear business is booming in the city. About 10 years ago there were about 50 shops which has now increased to more than 450 shops in the city.Almostall themajordomestic and international eyewear brandshave theirpresencehere. Earlier, glass was used in eyeglasses and spectacles but now with technological advancementothermateriallike fibreand plastic is being used. The regular eyeglass frames are available from Rs 350 onwards. For people who require comfort, flexibility,lightweight,sturdiness and high quality spectacle frames generally buy the spectacle framesmade from titanium. These frames areabit costly and are available from Rs 600 to Rs 50,000. It is estimated that 400 to 500 eyeglasses are made here every day, he added. Eye specialist, Dr Pradip Temurnikar, Diploma in Ophthalmic Medicine & Surgery (DOMS), FSLI is practising at Sanjay Opticals, Chhattrapati Square, said that the young generation is experiencing surge in eye problems because of the prolonged use ofmobiles, computers and laptops.

 

The lifestyles of people has changed dramatically after COVID-19 and not only students, professionals but also housewives are now regular users of mobile phones. Apart from this, therearepeopleabove 40 years of age with cataract, diabetics, thyroid and other lifestyle diseases have also affected their eyesight. “Combination of all these factors have contributed in the escalation of demand of eyeglasses, he said. Dr Temurinkar having a rich experienceofmore than30years in this field said that eye specialists prescribe blue ray glasses or blue light blocking glasses that contain lenses specifically designed to reduce the amount of bluelight thatreaches the eye. These lenses filter blue light rays to help prevent them from entering the eyes and causing potential damage. Depending on the disorder in the eye, doctor may also prescribe miyosmart lenses to correct myopia (nearsightedness) and slow its progression. Heurges people to consult an eye specialist at the earliest if they have any eye problem.