Blue Light and Eye Health: How to Protect Your Eyes in the Digital Age
As we all know, today’s world is filled with different types of screens. Right from bed in the morning, our eyes are constantly exposed to screens by checking our phones for time and other notifications to late at night when we scroll on tablets, phones, or computers to catch up with our favorite shows or other work. Digital devices have taken over 90% of life’s activities, and it is gradually turning into a concern.
Electromagnetic Waves
From studies, you are taught that electromagnetic energy is everywhere. Some of them travel around us and some pass through us, but we cannot see them with our human eyes because they are invisible. They exist in various wavelengths and the longest are radio waves, microwaves, infrared, and ultraviolet, also known as UV waves. The shortest wavelengths are X-rays and Gamma rays. The longer the wave, the less energy it transmits.
You should be familiar with the word: Blue light. It would have popped up in your net surfing, educational classes, or discussions at least once in your lifetime. Nitrogen and oxygen particles in the atmosphere are there to deflect blue light, making the UV light richer in blue light. In this article, we will be talking about what this blue light means and other information surrounding it.
The Blue Light in Humans’ Affairs
You’ve probably heard of the UV light coming from sunlight. This light is not just one color, but consist of a rainbow of colors which is also called the visible light spectrum. It consists of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet light.
In this electromagnetic spectrum, blue wavelength light falls on the higher-energy and it falls within the 380 to 500 nanometer (nm) range of the visible light spectrum, making it the shortest wavelength light. Interesting, isn’t it? That being defined, it is important to understand that there are two types of blue light; the natural and the artificial.
One interesting fact is that about one-third of all visible light is considered blue light. For the natural blue light that is gotten from sunlight, it is helpful in controlling our human circadian melatonin rhythm that is in charge of our sleeping schedule, memory and cognitive function, and next morning alertness.
How Do I Get Exposed To This Blue Light
When it comes to artificial blue light, we get exposed to a lot of it through artificial means, i.e., the light coming from our Light Emitting Diode (LED) light screens. A study exposed that 32.4% of the population used for the study, used a blue-light-emitting device 9 to 11 hours per day in 2020. Below is a list of channels that emit blue light:
- Laptop and PC screens
- Flat-screen Televisions
- Light Emitting Diode and fluorescent light like lamps or bulbs
- Light Emitting eReaders
- Gaming Systems
- Smartwatches
So many exposure channel, isn’t it?
Implications of Blue Light Exposure to Our General Health
Our eyes structure is not designed to filter out blue light intensity. This is the exact reason why we must be intentional about the eye health.
Retinal Cells Damage
Nowadays, there is so much awareness about the implications of this blue light for our eyes health. This is due to the fact that it has high energy that is not good for constant exposure to the eyes. One of the biggest worry is that it causes damage to our retinal cells, which is the powerhouse for sight.
This visible blue light passes through the cornea and lens, and then reaches the retina. Long term exposure to blue light can lead to vision problems and may increase the risk of macular degeneration. if care is not taken, even though the long term range is still under research.
Sleep Cycle Mess
Like you have always heard, acute exposure to blue light in the evening tricks the brain to believing it’s still daytime. This messes with the human circadian clock and the sleep cycle so bad because it suppresses the release of melatonin which signals to your body that it’s time to sleep. What happens when this becomes continous? the circadian rhythm’s disruption can lead to poor sleep quality, making it harder for you to fall asleep.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
As you know, poor sleep will affect other body functions like your memory and cognitive function, which have ties to conditions like seasonal affective disorder (SAD). This is the biggest reason why night shift workers or people using devices at night feel tired during the day but are super active at night.
The most interesting part of this claim is that this same blue light wavelength is used in blue light therapy treatment of SAD, which is a kind of depression that happens during the dark months i.e., when the daylight hours are shorter and the night are longer, most especially during winter.
Eye Strain
Another downside of blue light exposure is the digital eye strain. This is when you have looked at screens for long periods. Blue light is not the sole culprit here though, it is aided with the reduced blinking, close focus to the screen and the enriched light from digital devices which can play a role to tired, dry, and irritated eyes.
As you must have experienced at one time in your life, all these cause blurred vision and headaches because of the no breaks in between long screen time. So, the eyes have to work harder to process this light and causes discomfort.
Skin Aging
This light can contribute to premature aging and other skin problems because of the oxidative stress that leads to skin breakouts because of the breakdown of collagen and elastin. This will in turn cause wrinkle, sagging skin, and fine lines.
It also has the potential to break down skin barrier function leading to moisture loss that will cause dryness, sensitivity, and irritation. Epigenetic alterations happen in the skin cells due to the triggering of this light, contributing to aging process.
It can also cause hyperpigmentation that is highly responsible for uneven skin tone especially if you do not follow or practice any skincare routine or procedures.
Amazing Benefit of This Light
As it is always said, to every cons, there are corresponding pros. All the concerns we have discussed above doesn’t make blue light entirely bad and harzardous. There are also some helpful benefits attached to this light too. Such as:
- Boosting of mood and making you alert
- Improving your memory
- Supporting your normal circadian rhythm
- Very useful in the treatment of depression by using the blue light therapy, and
- Regulating your sleep cycle.
All these mentioned above are to tell us that moderate exposure to blue light is very healthy for us as humans. We just need to know when to stop. However, is that simple? we all know it’s not easy to say yes to that question.
Safe Ways to Handle Blue Light
Yes, I understand that it is hard to avoid blue light totally but there are ways we can also suppress the effects on our eye health. Here are some helpful tips that will guide you through the usage and exposure to this light without damaging your health.
Dark Mode at Night
There is a “Dark Mode” or “Night Mode” settings on devices now. This in-built feature comes with your smartphones, tablets, and some computers so that you can reduce blue light coming from your screen. You must have noticed this setting has a warmer tone like amber or orange light, instead of the bright light.
Toggling on this feature in the evening is one of the best things you can do for yourself because it will have lesser impact on your sleep cycle and make your brain understand that it is night time. You must be thinking you can forget to toggle it on right? That is why you can set it to turn on automatically because technology is amazing.
Blue Light Blocking Glasses
Do you handle screen-related jobs? It’s high time you considered blue light glasses. These glasses have special filters for the light and this in turn blocks or absorbs some of the blue light coming from your screen devices. Well, it’s not entirely the safest way to go because there’s no scientific evidence of how far it can prevent damage from developing, however, it helps with eye strain reduction.
If you are planning to get one, get computer glasses that specifically state that they filter a significant percentange of the intensity of this light.
Screen Filters
Another option you can also consider is blue light filters for filtering your screens. How can you do that? Buying screen protectors or software that behaves like filters for your gadgets is the way to go. They are also alternatives to blue light glasses because the suppress the light intensity coming from your screen. You should add it to your shopping cart right now.
Regular Screen Breaks
Take regular breaks. Stop stressing your eyes for a long period of time. Look away from your screen every twenty minutes and stare at any object or someone that is about 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. Your eye muscles will relax this way, causing less eye strain that is a product of prolonged close focus.
Safe Distance Use
The distance between you and your digital devices matters a lot. Hold or place them at a comfortable arm’s length so they can be away from your eyes. When you hold them too close, this puts a strain on your eyes because they work harder to focus.
Blink More
Practice blinking more often when you are staring at your screen. As you must have observed, you blink less when you are using your screens, and this leads to your eyes losing moisture and dry eyes setting in. Through a conscious effort, you should blink regularly to keep your eyes lubricated.
You can also go for artificial lubricants like eye drops and room humidifiers to keep your eyes moist, lessening the effect of the light on your eyes.
Room Lighting
Don’t put off the light in your rooms when you are using your digital devices. Ensure that there’s a certain level of lighting in your environment so all the attention from the bright screen will not strain your eyes. You should leave some ambient artificial light sources on to help your eyes to reduce blue light exposure.
Stay Away
For at least an hour or two before you retire to sleep, stay away from using electronic devices with bright screens to give your body the chance to start producing melatonin naturally. This will help your sleep quality and human circadian rhythm. And if you must use devices, don’t forget to put the night mode on.
Wear Sunglasses
When stepping out of your house, wear sunglasses. Although artificial blue light is the center point of this article, the sun also emits a lot of the natural form of this light with other harmful UV rays. Putting on sunglasses can block both off to a safe level.
For you to achieve this goal, look for lenses that offer good UV protection and anti-reflective lenses that reduce glare and eye strain by shielding your retinal cells and reducing light exposure.
Select the Right Light Bulbs
For your home, go for light bulbs with warm or amber light. You can change the color lighting in the evening to get rid of blue light LEDs and keep your health in balance.
Final Take
We have discussed several tips, processes, channels, and safety practices on blue light and its exposure. From experience, we all know it is impossible to escape blue light emission from electronic devices but mindfulness and putting the smart habits in practice will significantly reduce the effects of the visible light.
Your sleep quality, eye and general body health depends on how best you block this light from affecting your routine. A good and quality sleep is the first step to having an excellent and productive day as we all know.
Modern life comes with its own implications but they can all be managed. You can enjoy technology without falling victim of its downsides when you follow good practices, you can do it!
Bibliography
https://global.canon/en/technology/s_labo/light/001/01.html
https://www.thoughtco.com/understand-the-visible-spectrum-608329#:~:text=Colors%20of%20light%20that%20correspond,ROYGBIV%20acronym%3A%20red%2C%20orange%2C
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