By Do you ever experience binge watching too long on your smart phone? Or are you an employee who works in front of a computer screen from morning to night? You better watch out and give your eyes a break. Watching too much TV and long exposure to laptops and desktops can cause severe damage to the eyes. The light coming from these digital screens is called blue light.
Blue light is the visible light spectrum that the human eyes can see. Blue light is composed of short wavelength, which means it produces more amounts of energy. Prolonged exposure to blue light may cause eye strain, headaches, mental and physical exhaustion as well as permanent loss of eyesight.
A key point to remember is blue light is everywhere. The sun is the main source of blue light. Outdoors is where we get most of our exposure to blue light. The screens of your computer, tablet, laptop, and other digital devices release a significant amount of blue light.
Excessive exposure to blue light does not only affect the eyes, it also affects the brain and the body as well. It causes disruption to a person’s sleep schedule, which leads to distracted and impaired memory. Light exposure at night is somewhat related to the increased risk of breast and prostate cancer. There are doctors that state blue light with shorter wavelengths can cause sleep deprivation.
How can you protect yourself from the harmful effects of blue light?
There are smartphones that have the blue light filter. These filters lessen the amount of blue light emitted by the said electronics. There are also tempered glasses for screens that could be bought that protect the user from blue light exposure.
When under the exposure of blue light, it is important to rest your eyes. The Vision Council of the American Academy of Ophthalmology suggests the moderation of screen use. A person must adopt the 20-20-20 rule. This rule means that for every 20 minutes, you will look into an object that is at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
There are eye glasses that are specially made to decrease the effect of blue light. Blue light glasses are crafted to filter out the blue light emitted by digital devices. These special made lenses are said to protect your eyes from too much exposure, and reduce the harmful effect to the retina.
The main purpose of blue light glasses is to block the spectrum of light coming from electronic screens, the sun and some other bright lights such as fluorescent lights. These blue light glasses are often called computer glasses.
What are the benefits of using blue light glasses?
- Relief from eye discomfort
Long exposure and device usage may lead to digital eye strain. Blue light glasses can help you enhance your focus and reduce eye strain. It will make your eyes feel less tired. It could also help you improve your productivity at work.
- Reduce the possibility of AMD or Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Age related macular degeneration is a type of eye disease that gets worse as time goes by. It is considered to be the main cause of permanent loss of vision of elderly people over the age of 60.
- Prevent permanent eye damage
Staring at a monitor for too long can cause loss of vision. By using blue light glasses, blue light emitted by the screen will be reduced.
- Improves sleep
Blue light is said to negatively affect a person’s sleep patterns. Blue light is structured to have high energy frequency. This high energy frequency increases a person’s alertness that then delay the body’s release of melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that is primarily released by the body that regulated the sleep-wake cycle.
Ophthalmologists suggest that a person should not use blue-light devices an hour or two before going to sleep. By using blue light glasses, blue light exposure could be lessened, especially when you use your device before going to bed.
With today’s advancement in technologies, we are to take precautions like using blue light glasses to protect ourselves from the impact of blue light. It will not only lessen the discomfort, but it could also help in improving one’s sleep cycle.
