What is blue light and why is it harmful?
1. Blue light is part of the visible light spectrum: AKA what the human eye can see. It has the shortest wavelength and the highest energy. The most significant source of blue light is sunlight.
2. There are some benefits of blue light including increased alertness, as well as helping to improve your memory and cognitive function. Prolonged exposure to artificial blue light is thought to be harmful.
3. Continued exposure to artificial blue light is thought to damage retinal cells and cause vision problems and eye strain. It can also disrupt sleeping patterns as it affects when the body creates melatonin.
- 43% of adults have a job that requires them to use a computer most of the time
- 74% of teens use electronic devices at least occasionally
- 70% of adults that regularly use electronic devices report symptoms of digital eye strain
Source: https://blutechlenses.com/blog/what-is-blue-light/
Where is blue light from?
As mentioned above, the sun is the main source of blue light. However, artificial blue light is present in all of our favourite electronic devices such as television screens, computer monitors, tablets and smartphones. The concern surrounding blue light is the amount of time we spend looking at these devices each day, and how close they are to our eyes.
Who needs blue light glasses?
Professions
Anyone who uses screens for a large amount of their work day would benefit from blue light glasses. This can be anything from programmers to graphic designers or data analysts.
Hobbies
If your hobby involves using screens, you could see the benefits from investing in blue light glasses. Examples of these include avid gamers and those who use tablets such as Kindles to read books.
Ages
People of all ages can benefit from blue light glasses. Children and young adults have sensitive developing eyes, are particularly prone to technology addiction and overuse, so their eyes need protection. Our eyesight starts to deteriorate at middle age, and so precautions should be taken about artificial blue light exposure.
Symptoms of blue light sensitivity
There are a number of symptoms to look out for that may be caused by blue light sensitivity.
- Eye strain
- Blurry vision
- Dry eyes
- A disrupted sleep pattern
How blue light glasses can help
Blue light glasses have lenses that are specifically designed to block or filter out the worst of the blue light from getting into your eyes.
Blue light glasses can help minimise the amount of disruption.
The blue light filter in these glasses can help to increase the contrast on your scream, reducing eye strain.
Wearing blue light glasses can help reduce headaches and migraines.
Of course, you can avoid many of these issues by reducing your amount of screen time. However many of us need to use our devices as part of our everyday lives, which is when blue light glasses can help you,
- Children who sleep near their phones lose an average of 20 minutes sleep per night
- Statistics from Columbia University suggest that those who wear blue light filter glasses get an additional 50 minutes of sleep per week.
- Blue light statistics show that nearly 100% of blue light rays reach the retina, as compared to less than 1% of UV rays.
Source: https://comfyliving.net/blue-light-facts/