Special glasses marketed to filter out blue light likely do not make any difference to sleep quality or eye strain from computer use, according to a new review of studies. Blue-light blocking spectacles have been increasingly recommended, often by optometrists, since the early 2000s. Eye patients are frequently prescribed these lenses in many parts of the world with a range of marketing claims existing about their potential benefits. Some of these claims include that the special glasses may reduce eye strain associated with digital device use, improve sleep quality, and also protect the retina from light-induced damage. However, researchers, including those from the University of Melbourne in Australia, say there is “substantial debate” about whether blue-light filtering spectacle lenses have merit in ophthalmic practice. The research, published in the journal Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, assessed data from 17 clinical trials on the benefits offered by these glasses for improving visual performance, providing protection to the retina, and improving sleep quality. The review assessed data from individual studies from six countries, each including five to 156 participants, and the period of time over which the lenses were assessed ranging from less than one day to five weeks. Researchers found that there may be “no short-term advantages” with using blue-light filtering spectacle lenses to reduce visual fatigue associated with computer use, compared to non-blue-light filtering lenses. They say it is also currently unclear whether these lenses affect vision quality or sleep-related outcomes. The research review could also draw no conclusions about any potential effects on retinal health in the longer term. “People should be aware of these findings when deciding whether to purchase these spectacles,” study co-author Laura Downie said. “Our findings do not support the prescription of blue-light filtering lenses to the general population. These results are relevant to a broad range of stakeholders, including eye care professionals, patients, researchers and the broader community,” Dr Downie added. However, scientists said the quality and duration of the individual studies part of the review also needs to be considered. “High-quality, large clinical research studies with longer follow-up in more diverse populations are still required to ascertain more clearly the potential effects of blue-light filtering spectacle lenses on visual performance, sleep and eye health,” Sumeer Singh, another author of the study, said. The potential mechanisms by which these lenses might help with eye strain, sleep, and protecting the retina are also unclear, scientists say. “The amount of blue light our eyes receive from artificial sources, such as computer screens, is about a thousandth of what we get from natural daylight,” Dr Singh said. “Filtering out higher levels of blue light would require the lenses to have an obvious amber tint, which would have a substantial effect on colour perception,” he added. But the new research did not find any consistent reports of adverse side effects from using blue-light filtering lenses. Read More A bed bugs epidemic is sweeping the UK – this is why AI can predict Parkinson’s subtype with up to 95% accuracy, study suggests The return of schedules: How parents can make the most of back-to-school energy

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President Joe Biden would be vaulted to a massive lead over Donald Trump if the former president faces further criminal charges from the federal and state criminal investigations into his conduct, according to a new poll obtained by The Independent. The poll of 1,571 registered voters was conducted by WPA Research, a Republican polling firm. The CEO of WPA is an adviser to Never Back Down, the Super PAC supporting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, but the survey was conducted independently without his input and was not sponsored by the Super PAC. It found that voters currently prefer Mr Biden over Mr Trump by a margin of 47 per cent to 40 per cent, including a 14-point lead for the sitting president among registered Independents. That’s five points worse than the nine-point deficit among Independents that led to Mr Trump losing to Mr Biden in 2020. The twice-impeached ex-president would also be a drag for down-ballot Republicans if he appears on the top line of a 2024 general election ballot, with Democrats holding a five-point advantage on a generic congressional ballot, 47 per cent to 42 per cent. Although the WPA poll found dismal polling results for Mr Trump at the time of the survey, his chances of beating Mr Biden would become even more remote if he were to face charges from the state and federal prosecutors currently weighing whether to seek indictments against the ex-president. According to the survey, the seven-point deficit between the former and current president would grow by 10 points if he is indicted by Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis, the prosecutor who supervised a special grand jury probe into Mr Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the Peach State. Were Ms Willis to successfully seek an indictment against Mr Trump from a grand jury, Mr Biden’s advantage would grow to ten points, 49 per cent to 39 percent. Among Independents, Mr Trump’s deficit would grow to 21 points, with 50 per cent saying they’d vote for Mr Biden if he is indicted in Georgia compared with 29 percent who said they’d vote for the ex-president. The investigation into Mr Trump’s alleged unlawful retention of classified documents would put him in slightly more electoral peril if the prosecutor overseeing that probe, Special Counsel Jack Smith, convinces a grand jury to approve charges against the former president. If Mr Smith successfully obtains an indictment against Mr Trump, he would face an 11-point deficit against Mr Biden, who would lead him by a margin of 50 per cent to 39 per cent. Mr Biden’s advantage among Independents would be 21 points strong, 50 per cent to 30 per cent. The survey did find that 68 per cent of Republicans would “definitely” vote for the ex-president if he is indicted in either case, but Mr Biden’s margin against him would nonetheless grow because Mr Trump would lose five percentage points of support from GOP voters. Losing five per cent of Republican support would give Mr Biden two more percentage points of support from GOP voters, rising from five per cent to seven per cent. Mr Trump’s share of GOP respondents who said they’d “probably” vote to give a second term also falls from 13 per cent to nine per cent if he is indicted in Georgia, and the number of currently “undecided” self-identified GOP voters would increase from nine to 10 per cent if he is indicted in Georgia, with that number growing to 11 per cent if he is indicted by a federal grand jury; Amanda Iovino, a Principal at WPA, said in a statement that Mr Biden “would be spared a much-needed one-way trip to Delaware” if Mr Trump ends up the GOP nominee in next year’s general election. “Contrary to what one may hear on Truth Social, Trump’s indictment, in either the pending Georgia or federal cases, would energize Democrats, not Republicans, potentially producing the worst loss for a GOP presidential candidate in 60 years. In the process, Republicans would lose control of the House and forego pick-up opportunities in the Senate,” she said. Read More Nikki Haley calls for pardon for Daniel Penny in Jordan Neely chokehold death Republican-appointed federal judges grill FDA in mifepristone hearing Don’t look now, but Ron DeSantis just suffered some big losses Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky signals focus on family values in closely watched fall race Sunak to unveil agreement with Japan on closer defence, security and cyber ties New work requirements for federal aid? GOP pushes proposals in debt talks

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