What Is Blue Light? Should I Be Worried About It?
These days 60% of people spend more than 6 hours a day looking at a digital device that emits blue light. But what is blue light? Should you be concerned about the blue light streaming into your eyes?
What Is Blue Light?
Blue light has very short, high-energy waves. In fact, they’re only slightly longer and less powerful than ultraviolet (UV) waves (which are too short for people to see with the naked eye). Health experts have warned against the harmful effects of UV rays, which can damage your skin and your eyes. High-energy blue light waves are nearly as powerful.
Blue light, like other colors of visible light, is all around you. The sun emits blue light. So do fluorescent and incandescent light bulbs. Human beings are exposed to more blue light than ever because of the widespread use of devices that rely on light-emitting diode (LED) technology. Computer and laptop screens, flat-screen televisions, cell phones, and tablets all use LED technologies with high amounts of blue light.
How Does Blue Light Affect Your Eyes?
Your eye is equipped with structures that protect it from some kinds of light. Your cornea and lens protect the light-sensitive retina at the back of your eye from damaging UV rays, for example. Those structures don’t keep out blue light. And you’re exposed to a lot of it — the natural blue light from the sun far exceeds the amount from any one device. Nevertheless, some ocular health experts have expressed concern about exposure to blue light from back-lit digital screens and devices because people spend so much time using them at such a close range.
Using digital devices up close or for long periods can lead to digital eye strain. Research has shown that when people use computers, laptops, and other digital devices, they tend to blink less often than normal. Fewer blinks can mean less moisture and more strain on your eyes. When your eyes are strained from staring at a blue-light-emitting screen, you might notice:
dry eyes
sore or irritated eyes
tired eyes
headaches
facial muscles fatigued by squinting
Exposure to blue light in the evening hours disrupts your sleep cycle, which can cause other problems such as an elevated risk of hormone-related cancers and metabolic changes.
What Can You Do?
Practice the 20/20/20 strategy. While you’re using a device that emits blue light, stop every 20 minutes to focus on objects that are around 20 feet away. Study those objects for 20 seconds before you return to your up-close viewing.
Keep your eyes moist. Eye drops, such as artificial tears, and room humidifiers are all good ways to keep your eyes from becoming too dry and irritated while you’re using blue-light-emitting devices.
Wear blue light blocking glasses. A blue lens blocking filter is designed to reduce blue light entering your eyes without any colour distortion. They are an affordable and effective strategy to reduce digital eye strain and improve your sleep.
At Grapevine Optical we can add blue light filters to almost any lense type and prescription. Give us a call or come in to find out more!
