If increased screen time was a concern prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic shot that concern straight into the stratosphere. This goes for both adults and kids, who are now sitting in front of their screens for the better part of their day working, online learning, or relying even more heavily on digital devices for entertainment in lieu of going out. Thanks to the pandemic, consumers have become all the more aware of just how difficult it is to escape the blue light they’ve heard so much about in the news—and it’s putting eye health at top of mind in ways never seen before.
Saffron extract (Crocus sativus L.) is quickly becoming a popular tool for preventing blue light damage. Julia Diaz, head of marketing for Pharmactive Biotech Products (Madrid), says the COVID-19 pandemic has coincided with increased demand for Pharmactive’s branded, fast-absorbing saffron ingredient, affronEYE.
Diaz says consumers are beginning to understand saffron’s eye health support properties, particularly as more studies reveal its mechanism of action. “Last year, we conducted and published an in vivo study demonstrating affronEYE’s effect on preventing glaucoma development, which we plan to investigate further in another clinical study,” Diaz explains. “We anticipate there will be significant interest in the area of eye protection moving forward, including finding protective solutions against sun damage and pollution.”