Did you know that your eyes are sensitive to the blue light on your phone and laptop screen? This visible wavelength created by the sun and our electronic devices provides basic illumination which is known to improve our mood, but it can also be very harmful to our eyes. And with our ever-increasing use of electronic devices today, our eyes have experienced a stark increase in exposure over the past few years. These screens are your enemy, causing eye strain, retina damage, and other health issues. To find out more about how blue light can impact your eyes and what you can do to reduce the effects, read on.
Eye Strain
Blue light from your devices can decrease the contrast on the screen which can contribute to eye strain. That’s why people who stare at their screens for long periods of time experience issues with focusing, tired and dry eyes, and an increase in headaches and migraines.
Retina Damage
Our eyes readily absorb blue light where it passes through the cornea and lens until it reaches the retina. Consistent exposure to blue light can eventually lead to damaged retinal cells. This can cause serious vision issues like age-related macular degeneration, which can further lead to permanent vision loss over time.
Circadian Rhythm
Exposure to blue light can also throw off our circadian rhythm. Our eyes also contain cells that provide information to our body in order to regulate our sleep patterns. Constant exposure to blue light can disrupt those receptors and send messages to our brains to reduce our melatonin secretion. This in turn disrupts our sleep patterns and impacts our overall mood and health.
Harmful To Children
As we age, our eye lens starts to turn yellow, which helps to block out some of the blue light from our devices. However, children are still developing and do not have this ability to filter the blue light in the same way. Scientists are more concerned than ever that children who use smart devices are more at risk of developing irreversible eye damage.
If your eyes are at risk of damage because of blue light from your device, you should try to decrease your exposure. You can also reduce your risk to eye problems by purchasing glasses that have yellow-tinted lenses that block blue light and reduce eye strain. Anti-reflective lenses can also help to increase the contrast and block blue light emitted from your devices and the sun. Talk to one of our eye care professionals at Laurier Optical about our selection of lenses designed to help protect your eyes from the damaging blue light.