Spending most of your time in front of a screen means prolonged exposure to artificial blue light. This affects your eyes and vision. Studies also show that too much blue light negatively affects your health, mostly by interfering with your circadian rhythm. As such, it is important to protect your eyes from blue light.
The good news is that you can now get glasses designed to filter or block blue light. These glasses feature lenses that don't allow light waves from your computer, tablet, or smartphone to enter your eyes.
Too much exposure to blue light from screens can decrease contrast, and this could result in digital eyestrain. Contrast is the difference in color, saturation, or brightness that makes an object distinguishable.
Blue light-blocking glasses have yellow-tinted lenses that reduce glare and increase contrast. Hence, these glasses don’t just help improve your visual clarity, but they also protect your eyes from digital eyestrain.
It will also help if you make it a habit to take a break from your screen every now and then. Long hours on your computer, tablet, or smartphone can decrease blinking, and this leads to fatigue and dry eyes. These, in turn, cause eyestrain symptoms like headaches, blurred vision, and difficulty focusing.
Artificial blue light can also mess with your circadian rhythm or body clock. This presents another reason why you should wear blue light-blocking glasses when using digital devices.
To understand how blue light affects your circadian rhythm, you need to know that not all blue light is bad for you. There is natural blue light, which is in sunlight, and you are exposed to it throughout the day. This natural blue light synchronizes your inner clock by telling your body what time it is.
However, blue light is also found artificially in fluorescent lights, LED lights, computer monitors, tablet screens, and smartphones. When you are exposed to too much artificial blue light, especially at night, your brain signals your body to stay awake when it should be at rest. Simply put, artificial blue light tricks your brain into thinking it is daytime when it is not.
Additionally, increased exposure to blue light decreases your melatonin production. Melatonin is the hormone in charge of your sleep-wake cycle.
A separate study suggested that wearing blue light glasses before going to sleep is effective at treating melatonin suppression.
Your circadian rhythm is involved in body processes other than your sleep cycle. These include heart rate, body temperature, and blood pressure. When your circadian rhythm gets disrupted, you will experience health issues like:
Extreme tiredness
Difficulty concentrating
Decreased alertness
Impaired judgment
Insomnia
Trouble staying asleep
Restlessness
Headaches
Body pains
Stomach problems
If you need blue light-blocking glasses to protect your eyes and your overall health while you are using your digital devices, get one that's custom-made for you. Visit Krystal Vision at our Logan, Utah office. You can also call 435-752-5796 to book a one-on-one consultation today.