As the world continues to work from home, consumer demand for blue light protection rises globally; screen time has increased by 76% during the pandemic.
Ocushield creator Dhruvin Patel is set to feature on Dragons’ Den alongside business partner Asad Hamir on BBC One, pitching to Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, Sara Davies and Tej Lalvani, with the hope of securing investment in the Ocushield company. In an exclusive interview with Asian Voice, Patel spoke about his idea.
Q - Please briefly explain the concept of Ocushield.
Ocushield is a brand that wants to let eyes thrive in the digital age. Our hero products are medically-rated screen protectors that cover digital device screens such as smartphones and monitors, the Ocushield screen protectors filter out harmful blue light which is known to cause eye strain, headaches and poor sleep. By doing so, users can have fresher feeling eyes and improved sleep.
Q- What is your take on doom-scrolling and massively increasing screentime? Is this pandemic driven or this already existed?
The pandemic has certainly increased the amount of time that has been spent on screens. From children to adults - we have all spent more time learning, playing and working on our devices which is surely here to stay due to new habits and processes. For example, flexible working means more time on devices having meetings and working or children learning on their tablets. Blue light from screens impacts young eyes more than developed ones, therefore children have to be even more protected as their lens only develops as they get older, which absorbs some UV and blue light.
Q- As an entrepreneur, what are the challenges of creating a product like this? What is the future of such products?
The largest challenge for us was getting the medical registration with the (MHRA) medicines and healthcare regulatory agencies. Their job is to make sure any drugs or medical devices on the market do what they say and are safe for the market. After 12 months of work and a 500-page document, our filters were registered as class 1 medical devices and we were confident our products were the best of their kind. Making sure the Ocushield products selectively filtered out harmful blue light, whilst not changing the colours on the screen. As, the software does exist to filter blue light, but turns your screen an orange colour. So, 90% of consumers don't use it as they should. With Ocushield we had to put customer experience at the front, therefore research and development around creating the best product was one of the most difficult tasks.
Q - What is the efficacy of Ocushield? What kind of terms and conditions do customers need to know?
Developed by qualified optometrists, our medically-rated screen protectors for smartphones and tablets effectively block up to 99% of harmful UV & blue light emissions between 300-400nm and up to 40% of harmful blue light between 400-470nm. The highest amount of blue light reduced by any screen protector or filter of its kind.
No T&C's customers NEED to know but - Product efficacy does not change for any time of use. Warranty 2 years on manufacturing faults and defects.
Q- As an expert, what would be your advice to our readers who may be addicted to their screens?
Five key tips to reduce blue light impact:
1. Proximity, have devices an arm’s length away reducing the intensity of blue light
2. Brightness, turn the screen brightness down where possible, reducing the intensity of light
3. Use a blue light filter like Ocushield
4. 20/20/20 - every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break looking 20ft away. Outside the window or down the corridor, it refreshes the visual system.
5. Blink, when on devices you blink only 3 times - normally this is 15 times a minute. Put a post-it note on your monitor screen to remind you. Reduction in blinks causing tired, dry eyes.
