The Harm of the Blue Light and How to Protect Yourself From It
Nowadays, we cannot deny the fact that smartphones and tablets prove to be quintessential. Almost all of us carry at least one mobile phone at all time, while some have both a phone and a tablet.
No matter where you are or where you will go, you often see, or sometimes even bump into, people flicking through their phones mindlessly with their heads down. To be frank, these devices are useful with functions for talking, texting, e-mailing, browsing the internet, watching new clips, listening to new tunes, online shopping, checking the stock market update, etc. The list can go on as well as the time you spend with it.
If you’re one of those who always lose track of time in front of digital screens, know this. Using a smartphone or tablet continuously for a long period of time is actually harmful to your eyes. This harm is basically caused by blue light emitted from smartphone or tablet screen. To protect yourself from this blue light, you first need to understand what it is and how harmful it can be.
In general, there are two types of blue light that we are exposed to. The first one is actually beneficial, while the other is not. The good blue light, known as the blue-turquoise, usually comes from the sun and helps regulating your natural sleep and wake cycles. It boosts alertness, elevate moods, and increase the feeling of well-being – keeping you fresh and ready. The bad blue light, known as the blue-violet, has wavelengths of around 380-500 nanometers, making it one of the shortest, highest-energy wavelengths. It flickers more easily than longer, weaker wavelengths and creates a glare that can reduce visual contrast and affect sharpness and clarity, resulting in eyestrain, headaches, physical and mental fatigue. Moreover, medical research also found that this high energy of the blue-violet is enough to stimulate free radicals in the eyes, which are the cause of aged-related macular degeneration. Patients who suffer from this condition struggle to see things in the middle of their vision. As of now, there is no way to completely cure it. The best thing you can do is protect yourself from the blue light.
First, ask yourself how many hours you spend in front of digital screens? If the answer is from your waking to sleeping hours, then you need to read further. First and foremost, you should rest your eyes from digital screen every hour, eat food that contains vitamin A and beta carotene and have an annual eye examination. Next, get help. Blue light blocking lenses are necessary. If you already wear glasses from your existing vision problem, we suggest coating your lenses with blue-cut coating. As a saying goes, the eyes are the windows to the soul and prevention is always better than cure. So keep them safe and bright and let them speak your mind for many years to come.