JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — “Innovation” is a key word during the pandemic and why shouldn’t it apply to safety measures?
That’s the thinking for Jacksonville business owners who are starting to use UV-C lights to disinfect their businesses. Bowden Eye and Associates began using theirs this week.
UV-C lights are used in places like hospitals, but small business owners didn’t have to think about it much before. Now they are.
"We're selling to gyms, we're selling to retirement communities, we're selling to medical offices," said Brandon James Thompson, CEO, and co-founder of BNB Aesthetic Innovations.
Thompson’s company is a national distributor of VioUV UV-C lights now being made for smaller businesses. Bowden Eye in Jacksonville is the first in North and Central Florida to get theirs from him.
"[It] works by affecting the DNA, RNA, of the virus so stops it from replicating,” said Dr. Sarah Darbandi, an ophthalmologist at Bowden Eye.
UV-C light has the shortest wavelength and the greatest amount of energy.
"It's especially important in our world as eye doctors,” Darbandi said. “Because the particles, the respiratory droplets from the coronavirus staying in the air for a while, it's not only known to cause illness but also conjunctivitis, pink eye, issues with the eye. And it can be transferred from the air to hands to surfaces and then if somebody touches their eyes then they have a problem there as well."
First Coast News spoke with a woman who has used UV-C light in her home for years. Clara Sowers put them in her air conditioning units six years ago to try to help with her daughter's allergies.
“She immediately, when she goes outside you can tell,” Sowers said. “It starts acting up. She's fine at home."
Whether that's because of the UV bulbs installed at her home or other measures they've taken, Sowers isn't sure and it's unclear how much this would really help disinfection when it comes to the coronavirus.
But the fact businesses like Bowden Eye are using UV-C light, previously mostly just used in places like hospitals, makes Sowers feel hopeful.
"Feel reassured that we are doing everything we can to keep them safe,” Darbandi said about her patients.
Darbandi says the light does not substitute for wiping things down.
“The UV-C light, it could cause burns, irritation,” she said. “So in that way, I would say for now I think leaving it to people that have been trained in its usage because you want to make sure you're using it right and you're not getting that false sense of security."
Sowers just hopes the innovation in fighting the virus continues.
"I just don't wanna risk finding out if we're one of the ones that are gonna survive it,” Sowers said about her family.
The light being used at Bowden Eye is UV-C light and can be harmful to you so a room must be empty when it’s used. Researchers are now studying the impact of far-UVC light on COVID-19 because it is safe to use around people.