27 August 2021

Why is Blue Light Protection Important?

What is Blue Light? 

Sunlight is made up of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet light. When combined, it becomes the white light we see.  Each of these lights have a different energy and wavelength. Rays on the red side have longer wavelengths and less energy. On the other side, blue rays have shorter wavelengths and more energy 

Light that looks white can have a large blue component, which can expose the eye to a higher amount of wavelength from the blue end of the spectrum. 

Where Are You Exposed to Blue Light? 

The largest source of blue light is sunlight. In addition, there are many other sources: 

  • Fluorescent light 
  • CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulbs 
  • LED light 
  • Flat screen LED televisions 
  • Computer monitors 
  • Smart Phones, and Tablet Screens 

Blue light exposure you receive from screens is small compared to the amount of exposure from the sun. And yet, there is concern over the long-term effects of screen exposure because of the close proximity of the screens and the length of time spent looking at them. Children’s eyes absorb more blue light than adults from digital device screens. 

What Are The Benefits of Blue Light? 

Blue light is needed for good health: 

  • It boosts alertness, helps memory and cognitive function and elevates mood. 
  • It regulates circadian rhythm – the body’s natural wake and sleep cycle.  
  • Exposure to blue light during daytime hours helps maintain a healthful circadian rhythm.  

Not enough exposure to sunlight in children could affect the growth and development of the eyes and vision. Early studies show a deficiency in blue light exposure could contribute to the recent increase in myopia/near-sightedness. 

Too much exposure to blue light late at night (through smart phones, tablets, and computers) can disturb the wake and sleep cycle, leading to problems sleeping and daytime tiredness. 

How Does Blue Light Affect the Eyes? 

Almost all visible blue light passes through the cornea and lens and then reaches the retina. This light may affect vision and could prematurely age the eyes. Early research shows that too much exposure to blue light could lead to: 

Digital eyestrain: 

Blue light from computer screens and digital devices can decrease contrast leading to digital eyestrain. Fatigue, dry eyes, bad lighting, or how you sit in front of the computer can cause eyestrain. Symptoms of eyestrain include sore or irritated eyes and difficulty focusing. 

Retina damage: 

Studies suggest that continued exposure to blue light over time could lead to damaged retinal cells. This can cause vision problems like age-related macular degeneration. 

Who are the most affected by Blue Light? 

IT Professionals:

 People from Information Technology and or those who constantly look at the computer screen more than 8 hours a day. 

Designers/Professionals: 

People who use Computers/Tablets/Smart Phones are the ones most affected by the blue light emitted by digital devices. 

Students: 

People who attend online classes are the most affected as well, they have to be in front of the Computer/Tablet/Smart Phones constantly to attend online classes for hours 

What Can You Do to Protect Your Eyes from Blue Light? 

If constant exposure to blue light from smart phones, tablets, and computer screens is an issue, there are a few ways to decrease exposure to blue light: 

Screen time:

 Try to decrease the amount of time spent in front of these screens and/or take frequent breaks to give your eyes a rest. 

Filters: 

Screen filters are available for smart phones, tablets, and computer screens. They decrease the amount of blue light given off from these devices that could reach the retina in our eyes. 

Computer glasses:

 Computer glasses with yellow-tinted lenses that block blue light can help ease computer digital eye strain by increasing contrast. 

Talk to an eye care professional about options about ways to protect your family and your eyes from blue light. 

Most Important tips to consider! 

Blue Light Filters:  

While enabling the blue light filter in computer/tablet/smartphones are good, they have some negative implications, it varies on the users. Blue light filters cut the blue colour completely thus making the screen look yellow and with less brightness and contrast. 

People who use detailed colour perception (Graphic Designers, Product Designers, Developers and IT professionals) cannot see colours properly with the filters turned on. 

There is no point in buying expensive full HD and 4K monitors while the blue light filter cuts out all the blue colour that needs to be displayed. 

The essential blue light which is necessary to control the sleep rhythm will be stopped. In these cases, Blue Light filter in computer/tablet/smartphone is not advisable. 

Computer Glasses:  

There are two kinds of computer glasses, Material-based blue light filter and Coating-based blue light filter. 

Material-based is like a tinted glass, which filters the blue colour from the light source. This makes the glasses slightly tinted and makes it not usable for night times or for outdoor activities like driving. 

Most material based lenses are cheaper and you need to be careful while choosing the Blue Light filter lenses. This is because some companies show the UV flash light demonstration of the lenses that cuts the blue light 100%. That’s a problem because we need some good blue light also. So, completely blocking them completely is not recommended. 

Coating based Blue Light filter lenses filter harmful blue light and allows good blue light which is essential for our eyes. 

Brands like ZEISS Blue Protect, ZEISS Blue Guard, BluLenz ULTRA are a few brands which are meticulously engineered to filter the harmful blue light based on their wavelengths and allow the good blue light which is essential for regulating sleep cycle in our body. They also maintain full colour perception while blocking the dangerous blue light, this is recommended for children and adults. 

These brands design the lenses that give clearer, sharper vision and don’t cut the colour out completely. This enables the full RGB colour perception and have multiple coatings like Anti-Glare, Anti Reflection and is easy to handle. 

Conclusion  

Don’t turn a blind eye to the invisible enemy crouching from the light source. Blue Light can cause considerable damage to our eyes, which can easily be identified and prevented in the early stage. 

Just like how we use UV creams for our skin, choose some UV blocking shades for sunny days outdoor and have an efficient blue light blocking lenses which adds style and protection to your eyes indoor. 

Enjoy the colourful world without missing on every hue! 

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