Watchdog finds multiples offering 'frightening' blue light advice

An undercover BBC One Watchdog investigation has revealed that staff at Boots Opticians and Vision Express practices made false claims over the risks surrounding blue light. Watchdog reporters posed as patients shopping for glasses in five Boots and five Vision Express branches across the country. There were six reported health claims reported across the ten stores, which a panel of experts told the programme were not backed up with evidence.

The programme comes just one year after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that Boots exaggerated both the threat from blue light and the effectiveness of its lenses.

Advice provided in some branches of Boots Optician was described as ‘frightening’ and one member of staff said the ‘dangerous’ blue light killed retinal cells in the back of the eye. Both multiples offered patients lens coatings claimed to filter blue light.