Boots advert banned over eyesight claims

AN advert for Boots Opticians has been banned over its claim that blue light from many modern gadgets can harm eyesight.

Boots: Ad ban. Picture: PA

The national press advert said: “Have you seen the (blue) light? Did you know that some blue light, from smartphone screens to sunshine, can affect your eyes?”

A pharmacist and another reader complained that the claims were misleading and unsubstantiated.

Boots Opticians said research had identified two types of blue light – blue-violet light which is harmful to the human eye, and blue-turquoise light, that is not.

The Advertising Standards Authority said consumers would interpret the advert to mean that by filtering out harmful blue light in particular, they could reduce the deterioration of their vision later in life.

It found the evidence submitted by Boots was not enough to establish a direct link between harmful blue light and retinal damage over time, and ruled the advert must not appear again in its current form.