DIGITAL VISION; In this 72nd issue of Points de Vue, we try to make sense of the latest trends and developments by once again calling on experts from around the world as well as digital artists, to give us a multi-faceted perspective on digital technology and its implications.

EXPERT'S VOICE

SCIENCE

CLINIC

MARKET WATCH

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ART & VISION

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EDITORIAL N°72 by Eva LAZUKA

DIGITAL VISION

Between the time spent drafting an editorial on your tablet, looking at your smartphone, checking traffic on your GPS, then arriving at the office and answering e-mails on your laptop, reading a few e-documents, attending e-conferences via hangouts, always with your eyes riveted to the screen -- then returning home and checking the news and social media on your PC or leafing through your e-book, you can spend several hours a day in front of screens of various sizes. These days it’s perfectly common to live in this ultra-connected and multi-screen environment.

If we’re to believe the latest research, nearly 61% of Americans spend more than five hours a day in front of a screen*. On average we use four different screens per person, either simultaneously or in succession**. That’s certainly a widespread practice, but it’s poorly suited to how our vision system operates. Human eyes aren’t biologically designed for near vision, which is supposed to be limited to a brief accommodation reflex. Staring wide-eyed into digital devices while maintaining a rigid and largely unnatural posture is bound to have physiological repercussions. Digital asthenopia affects up to 90% of all users**, and reports of physical pain, ophthalmic disorders and endocrine disruption affecting melatonin or cortisol secretion*** -- all potentially the result of overexposure to displays -- are multiplying. These findings underscore the paradox between a digital society and physiological reality, and prompt the question: can we live (well) in a connected world?

The vision health sector is offering a wide range of solutions for tackling that question: new diagnostic tools, personalized protocols and treatments, advances in ophthalmic optics and lens technology, patient education and awareness, and so on. The new technology itself is making a contribution, thanks to mobile apps, connected devices, big data, professional networks and sites that publish scientific studies and help in education, coordination and collaboration between stakeholders. And since the ophthalmic optics industry is first and foremost a field of innovation, there is a continuing focus on research and development, both to design innovative devices and to conduct clinical studies that will help us identify risks and outline new preventive or curative strategies.

In this 72nd issue of Points de Vue, we try to make sense of these latest trends and developments by once again calling on experts from around the world as well as digital artists, to give us a multi-faceted perspective on digital technology and its implications.

Our multi-screen existence is opening up a host of technical, cultural, social and entertainment possibilities that are changing the way we view the world and redefining our societies... and their relationship with vision health. It’s our role to anticipate needs and face up to the major challenges posed by the digital world, to live well while being Zen and connected!