17 July 2019

Elon Musk’s girlfriend Grimes reveals bizarre eye surgery claim leaving experts baffled

Read our comment on a recent story about Grimes' experimental surgery to eliminate blue light.

The recent training regime advice from Grimes, given as part of Adidas’s training campaign, includes some comments about experimental surgery to eliminate blue light. Whilst we absolutely respect any person’s choice to try new or alternative treatments, the comments, which have been received as health advice have caused some confusion. Firstly, it is very important that you do not try to perform eye surgery yourself. If you have concerns about depression, we recommend you seek advice from a registered councillor or your GP in the first instance. If you are concerned about the effects of blue-light, on your eye health and sight, we recommend you speak with your optometrist for advice.

There have been various claims made about blue light, with regards to seasonal affective disorder. A recent gold standard Cochrane review concluded that here is little evidence overall that light therapy is useful for treating seasonal affective disorder. Separately, there have been various claims made about blue light and long-term eye health, but using blue light–filtering eye implants to impart health benefits to the eye is currently not supported by the best available clinical research evidence.

If Grimes did have a blue-blocking, orange coloured filter implanted into her eye, the surgery is not supported by scientific evidence.

Related further reading

Kaye McIntosh on managing patients with nystagmus in the consulting room – patience is key in examinations.

Offering your skills to local communities abroad can be a life-changing experience. In the final article in a mini-series on volunteering in optometry, Sophie Goodchild looks at what optometrists need to consider before they go.

Optometrists can play a vital role in encouraging patients to change unhealthy lifestyle choices and behaviours, says Kellie Smith.