Blue light is emitted from many sources in our environment, but the blue LEDs used in screens and other electronics emit a more powerful form of this light. The amount of time we spend looking at these types of devices has increased dramatically over the last decade or so, and research shows that it can lead to serious health problems. In this article, we will go over some ways you can protect yourself from blue light exposure so you don’t have to live in fear anymore!
What Is Blue Light?
Blue light is a specific type of visible light that occurs naturally, usually around dusk. It is also used as the backlighting for many screens, but the LED lights have a more powerful effect on our eyes than natural blue light, emitting a wavelength of between 380 to 500 nm. The experts at blockbluelight.com.au explained that this type of artificial blue light has also been linked with depression and other mental health problems. When we are exposed to blue light in high doses, it can lead to serious eye damage over time.
Blue light exposure can be very harmful if you aren’t protecting yourself from it. If you spend too much time looking at an electronic screen without any form of protection or adjustment of your environment, you could be at risk for some very serious eye problems.
Why You Need To Protect Yourself from Blue Light Exposure
The amount of time most people spend looking at screens has been increasing rapidly over the last decade or so. This can be a very bad thing if you aren’t protecting your eyes. People who spend a lot of time staring at screens have been shown to have an increased risk of macular degeneration and cataracts later in life. Other studies have also found that using devices with blue light exposure before bed might make it harder for some people to fall asleep, as well as reduce their overall sleep quality during the night.
There are many different ways you can go about trying to protect yourself from electronic screen blue light exposure, but some methods work better than others do. If you are spending a lot of your time in front of screens, it is definitely something you will want to consider.
Use Blue Blocking Glasses
These are glasses made with lenses that have been treated to block out specific wavelengths of light. This means they will prevent your eyes from being exposed to harmful blue light emitted by screens, so they are a great option if you spend a lot of time working on your computer or looking at mobile devices during the day. These glasses are an excellent choice if you work overnight shifts because they will effectively eliminate all forms of blue light while still allowing enough brightness into your eyes to see properly. The only downside is that they are more expensive than other options, but it is an investment well worth making.
Use Anti-Blue Technology On Your Devices
If you use screens at home or especially at work, then this is a great option for protecting your eyesight. Many modern televisions and computer monitors will emit blue light, but the intensity of that light can be controlled to some extent by the user. For example, if you have a TV that allows you to adjust color settings, simply choose one which has anti-blue properties to reduce exposure even further.
Most computers also have similar settings under display properties so check them out! You can also download apps that give you control over how much blue light these devices emit while in use. This is just an added layer of protection but can be very beneficial especially if you use your computer for a lot of tasks that require the use of blue light.
Turn Down The Blue Light At Night
You may be surprised to learn that smartphones do emit blue light, and the intensity of this light can interfere with your sleep cycle if you use these devices at night. Even LED alarm clocks that are designed to wake you up in the morning with a slowly pulsating glow tend to produce large amounts of blue light which can interfere with your rest. If you like to look at screens before bed, make sure they don’t emit any blue light by using apps like f.lux (which will adjust color settings on your computer) or Twilight (which does the same for Android-based mobile devices).
You could also simply download an app that completely turns down your screen brightness as this is another way of protecting yourself. These are just a few ways you can protect yourself from the dangers associated with blue light exposure, but it’s important to remember that not all of them will be effective in every situation.
No matter what you do to protect your eyesight it’s important to remember that blue light isn’t the only thing that can damage your vision. You still need to be aware of these other factors and take proper precautions, but this extra layer of protection will ensure all of your hard work doesn’t go to waste!