When you are looking at your device and time disappears, thoughts and questions about the device’s effect on your eyes may flash into your mind. Is the computer damaging my eyes? Is my phone hurting my eyes? Why are people talking about blue light? What is blue light? Will blue light damage my eyes?
There is so much information, both good and bad circulating around the internet and normal conversation about how bad the computer is for vision and how the phone is ruining your eyes. Blue light has become the focus of that conversation. I am giving you the facts and the truth so that you can make the right decisions about protecting your eyes and your eyesight. Truthful knowledge is the best defense.
Here is what you need to know.
Blue light is the wavelength that is common in daylight. It is found in the sunlight that we see everyday. It is good for us during the day because it excites our attention, elevates our mood, boosts our energy level, and gets our brain in an active state that enables us to be productive. Blue light is found in computer screens, phone screens, TV, sunlight, and artificial lighting. So to avoid blue light, you would have to live in darkness in a cave somewhere with a red light bulb.
Is blue light bad?
Blue light is not bad. Since we are around it most of the time, it is not harmful. It is not like X-rays, radiation, or even UV light. It only creates a problem when you want to sleep properly at night. Our bodies need adequate sleep to recover and restore ourselves each night. If you are exposed to blue light and you want to go to sleep, your brain and body are confused because they are still in daytime mode. The brain and body are in an active state that will prevent you from falling into a good sleep. Blue light tells your body that it is daytime.
Poor sleep is the bad thing that happens when you look at blue light at night.
Your body thinks that it is still daytime and does not prepare itself for sleep. The body has rhythms that allow it to perform different actions at different times of the day. Blue light wakes the body up and gets it ready for the actions of the day. Darkness and less blue light , slows the body down and prepares it for sleeping. It takes time for the body to slow down and get ready for sleep. Once the body has gotten ready for sleep it then takes more time for it to enter a phase of sleep that enables the body to restore itself, build up brain capacity, fix damage from the day and prepare itself for the next day. Many health conditions such as diabetes and obesity have been linked to poor sleep. So getting good sleep is important.
Sleep is also good for the eyes. When the eyes are closed and the lids acts like a moisture chamber for the eyes at night. You may have felt eyestarin after a day of computer use or phone use. Eye strain is often caused by the eyes becoming dried out during the day. Eye strain can be caused by not seeing well also, but if you have seen your eye doctor and you are seeing the best you can, you may still get eye strain when using electronic devices because your eyes may get dry after using them.
So the 2 most common problems that happen from computer and phone use is eyestrain and poor sleep. Your next thought is naturally, how can I protect my eyes when I am on the computer? Keep your eyes moisturized and prevent them from drying out to avoid eyestrain. If you are like me, I want and try to put all devices away and dim the lights 2 hours before bed and then get 8 hours of sleep every night but it does not happen that way very often. Most of us end up using the devices late and then jumping into bed to try and get the most sleep we can.
Blue light computer glasses can help you by blocking those blue lights at night so that your body can slow down and get ready for bed. Gamers have the same concern: How do I protect my eyes during gaming? And the answer is the same. It is important to understand that there is nothing harmful coming out of the computer and the blue light info itself is not bad or dangerous. Blocking the blue light is mainly to help you get into a good deep lengthy sleep. Blue light glasses do this by blocking the artificial light and screen lights when you get ready for bed. But if you have incredible discipline, you can also just dim the lights and turn off electronic screens 2 hours before bed and get your 8 hours of restorative sleep.
