Increased exposure to electronic gadgets has become a rising concern in the digital age, especially with more people relying heavily on computers to accomplish work and school-related tasks.
In the United States alone, over 104 million people spend over seven hours in front of screens every day, according to a report from Deloitte Economics Institute and the American Optometric Association. These long hours of exposure can significantly impact vision health.
Prolonged screen use can lead to eye issues such as digital eye strain, which leads to dry eyes, blurred vision, and headaches.
One culprit behind these issues is the blue light emitted by the devices you use daily. But how? Below, we look at what blue light is and how you can manage your exposure to help preserve your ocular health.
What Is Blue Light?
Blue light has the shortest wavelength and highest energy in the visible light spectrum.
Because the human eye isn’t built to block blue light, nearly all of the blue light you’re exposed to is able to pass through your eyes and reach the retina – the light-sensitive layer of tissues at the back of your eye – and cause visual discomfort.
Digital devices like laptops, computers, cellphones, tablets, and TVs have LED technologies that emit high amounts of blue light.
Since this type of light also scatters more easily than other visible light, it can be more difficult to process, potentially causing eye strain.
Constant exposure could possibly lead to eye issues like age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts in the long run, as blue light can damage retinal cells.
Research has shown that blue light overexposure can lead to vision discomfort or digital eye strain, which affects 65% of Americans and even retinal damage in the long run.
Blue light exposure at night can also disrupt your sleep-wake cycle since it suppresses melatonin production and fools your brain into thinking it’s daytime.
This, in turn, can lead to other health problems associated with lack of sleep, such as high blood pressure, cognitive dysfunctions, type 2 diabetes, and even cancer.
While digital device use has become a necessary part of modern life, it’s still important to practice eye-safe habits, including habits that protect you from blue light. Here’s how you can manage your blue light exposure to reduce its effects:
Managing Blue Light Exposure
Wearing protective eyewear is one way to mitigate the effects of blue light exposure whenever you use your digital devices.
Whether you’re compelled to use a computer for work or leisure, you can wear blue light glasses from OPSM that block and filter blue light emitted by digital screens.
These glasses can be equipped with the Eye Protect System lenses, which offer UV protection and blue light filtering, or the Crizal Prevencia lenses, which have advanced filtering technology that blocks out blue light while letting essential visible light pass through.
Wearing these glasses allows you to look at screens comfortably without worrying about eye strain.
Another way to reduce blue light exposure is by adjusting the color of your screens.
Try turning on the dark mode of your mobile devices and frequently used websites or social media apps like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even Gmail.
Going dark mode inverts the usual color scheme of black text on a white background. This also reduces the amount of blue light emitted by your devices, which can help lessen visual fatigue or eye strain.
To use dark mode on your Android or iOS device, open your settings, click display, and select the dark option.
If looking at black or darker backgrounds is not your cup of tea, you can use a special screen protector instead.
Opt for blue light screen protectors from Eyesafe for your laptop and smartphone. The EyeSafe RPF60 technology can block 60% of the blue light in the 435-440 nanometer spectrum while retaining 80% of the screen’s brightness and keeping colors true to life.
These screen protectors are designed to reduce the blue light emitted by your devices and are scratch-resistant, making them the perfect option for protecting both your vision and digital devices.
Using a blue light screen protector on top of wearing blue light glasses guarantees ultimate protection from eye problems caused by excessive screen use.
As more people are exposed to digital devices that emit blue light, the risks of incurring ocular issues like eye strain also increase.
To reduce the effects of blue light exposure, be sure to follow these simple yet effective steps.
