The Benefits of Blue Light Blocking Glasses

On average, a normal person spends most of their waking hours in front of a digital screen, be it a laptop or a mobile phone. Many studies were conducted which suggest that about 60-65% of people spend at least 6-7 hours a day in front of a screen. The trend has even increased among teenagers who have to do all the school/college work on laptops, and then they have to socialize on their phones for a longer period. Studies have shown that about 74% of teenagers that are aged 12-17 have direct access to the internet on their digital devices. The only victims here are our eyes. Increased period of screen time has caused a strain on our eyes, which has resulted in a gradual decrease in the eyesight of the masses and many other eye-related problems, including blindness in the long term. 

Having strain on our eyes means that we are not able to be as productive as we can be, and this can have a potential effect on our work life too.

Blue light and its sources

Light is a wave of electromagnetic particles. We only see one part of the light, which is the visible light. Blue light is one of the colors in the "visible light spectrum," which can be seen by naked eyes. Blue light has a wavelength of about 380-500 nm, making it the part of the light with the shortest wavelength but the highest energy.

Normally blue light emits from many things, for example, the sun, all the digital screens (TVs, computers, smartphones, tablets, and laptops), electronic devices, fluorescent, and LED lighting.

Why is blue light exposure concerning?

As discussed earlier, blue light is an integral part of the visible light is present everywhere. It is, however, in its natural form useful for us. Our body uses this light to regulate our daily sleep and wake cycles, and it influences our moods and many other things inside our bodies. However, the blue light emitted by all the digital screens is artificial blue light. This blue light flickers more due to its shorter wavelength than all the other longer wavelength light waves. The continuous flickering of this light forms a glare that damages the eye; by reducing visual contrast and affecting the sharpness of the visual field.

Our eyes are not strong enough to filter the blue light that is coming from the sun, let alone the artificial one, which is more damaging. Due to this, continual exposure to the artificial blue light has made us vulnerable to these eye-related problems. Furthermore, a sustained period of exposure to this damaging light can be even worse; it could lead to retinal damage and can become a contributing factor in age-related macular degeneration. All of it was eventually leading to loss of vision in the end. This is how detrimental this could be. This is where the role of blue light blocking glasses kicks in.

Effects of blue light on our overall health

Normal exposure to this light, although it is good, it boosts our mood and regulate our sleep and wake cycles. The problem arises because we are not able to control the amount of time we spend in front of the screens and this mainly because of either office or school work which constantly requires the internet.  Chronic exposure has been seen to result in disturbing the secretion of a hormone called melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone that regulates these cycles, which get disrupted, and a person cannot sleep well.

Many researches were conducted at Harvard University, which concluded that chronic exposure to blue night, especially at night, has links with developing many kinds of cancers; breast cancer, prostate cancer, etc. At the same time, the risk for developing other diseases like diabetes, obesity, heart diseases, and depression increases.

It is not confirmed yet that why exposure to blue light at night is that detrimental, but researchers believe that this might be due to low levels of melatonin. Since blue light at night disrupts secretion of melatonin, it can be hence, a reason for developing all these illnesses.

A new term, digital eye strain or computer vision syndrome, is used nowadays to describe the effect of blue light on our eyes. Symptoms of this condition are difficulty in focusing, blurry vision, dryness, and irritation in the eyes, headaches, neck and back pain. This condition has now crossed carpal tunnel syndromes and has become the number 1 problem related to using computers
  blue light blockers Australia Computer Glasses Block Blue Light

Importance of blue light blocking devices

Now, more than ever, it has become immensely important to protect our eyes from the harmful effects of the blue light.  Blue screen/blue light glasses have an anti-glare ability that can limit our exposure to the blue light that is constantly emitted by our laptop or phone screens.  Whether you are a student or a businessman, using the computer has become a must, and that also for longer periods at a time. Though there is no way to escape this, the various blue light blocking devices available around us offer the best type of protection for our eyes. With the help of these devices, you can improve the symptoms of computer vision syndrome along with the added benefit of increasing your productivity as these devices open up your eyes, making them feel more awake.

There are many types of blue-light blocking glasses, and you can choose the one that meets your requirements. For example, "computer glasses" are available on the market and as you can guess they are meant to reduce the light from your computer screens from reaching your eyes.  These glasses are available without an eyeglass prescription. And if you happen to be wearing prescription glasses, they can also be modified in ways to reduce the glare of the blue light from harming your eyes.

Recently photochromic lenses have become popular; these lenses can block UV rays and blue light, whether you are indoors or outdoors. Also, the photochromic lenses can darken when they are exposed to UV rays outside so that you can see more comfortably along with reducing glare. 

To Summarise, in todays rapidly expanding technological age, we are being exposed to more blue light than would naturally occur during out evolution. This is particularly prominent at night time, due to increased exposure to blue light in the form of television, computer screens, tablets, and the biggest culprit... mobile phones! This unnatural light exposure, particularly at nighttime, can trick the body in to thinking that it is daylight, and thus disrupt the delicate circadian rhythm in the user. This is the reason that you may find it so hard to get to sleep, after you've been using an electronic device. Blue Light Blockers are a wonderful innovation to prevent this problem, and give the user peace of mind while enjoying their technological devices.

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