In the era of the digital world, it is impossible to avoid a digital screen with bluelight. This is why more and more people are buying blue light filters to protect themselves. However, recent research shows that about 40% of those facing common health issues while working with computers have nothing to do with the blue light filter at all. So, do you still need to buy a blue light filter? Does a blue light filter even protect your eyes? Or is it just a scam to increase sales?
In this post, I'll talk about how blue light can and cannot affect your health and how you can protect yourself from it.
Blue light, like any other light (red, green, yellow), is a visible-light-spectrum, which exists within the range of 420 to 480 nm. What makes blue light of concern is that its wavelength is very close to Ultra-Violet or UV light. UV light is a cause of different health issues. Also, Blue Light has more energy per photon than other spectra of light. This is the reason that bugs so many people. And some believe it can lead up to a damaged retina as well.
No data shows blue light alone can cause any health hazards. When research is performed, there are always other factors involved like daily life activities, behaviors, and diets of the research subjects that make it difficult to conclusively say whether blue light damages your eyes or not.
However, blue light can cause sleeping disorders in some people. Since blue light is associated with brightness and more energy, whenever your body, and especially your eyes, are exposed to it, your body reduces the production of melatonin (hormones that control the internal clock and sleep), and your brain gives a signal that it is time to stay awake even during night-time when you are already tired.
If blue light doesn't affect our health, then don't smartphones and computer screens affect our health? Yes, they do. Researchers have proven that prolonged usage of smartphones and computers can have both physical and psychological impacts on the body.
Some of the commonly seen problems include dry eyes, eye strain, short-sightedness, headaches, anxiety, depression along with neck and shoulder pain.
Some experts hypothesize that electromagnetic waves from these electronic devices disrupt signals within the human body. This cause irregularities like a lack of pain responses even when there is already a problem to be addressed.
One easy way to avoid problems caused by screens is not to look at them too much. A general rule of thumb is that if you look at the screen for 20 minutes, then you need to look at something 20 feet or more afterward for 20 seconds or longer before looking back at the screen.
There is another rule in which you take a break for a 5-minute break for every 40 minutes of work sitting in the same place. In these 5 minutes, you can freshen up, do pace walking & stretches with light eye and body exercises. There are many apps to give you alerts and notifications on this as well.
It may be appealing to watch movies in a dimmed room. And using smartphones under the comfort of a blanket feels really nice as well. But these sorts of things put a lot of stress on your eyes. While once or twice might not be a big deal but continuously doing so can have adverse effects. So, it is best to keep your surroundings well-lit while you are looking at the screen.
There is a phenomenon called computer vision syndrome in which people don't blink for a long time when looking at a screen. This happens subconsciously and it could be happening to you right now. The only way to solve it is to observe and remind yourself to blink.
If it is unavoidable, then you can always try some eye drops or artificial tears to soothe your eyes from dryness.
It is well-known advice given to kids not to stay close to the screen. It is recommended to sit at 1.5 - 2.5 times farther than the diagonal width of the TV screen to get both a quality view and good eyesight. For smartphones and computer screens, it is at a reading distance of 12-14 and 20-24 inches from the eyes respectively. Also, after finding a comfortable spot, you need to adjust the display settings according to your surroundings and distance.
Nowadays you may find various high-resolution screens with in-built filters designed to address eye strain. With low-resolution images, your eyes will have to focus more. So, a better-quality screen can improve your odds with better eyes.
Did this article change your perception of Blue light and Blue light filters? Or was it your first time even hearing about it? And what about the 20/20/20 and 45+5 rule - which one do you prefer? Feel free to let me know your views on this.
Intern Nepal - Recruit Nepal is a visionary project aimed to link education, industry and human resource. We intend to reinvent internships & bring unique alignments in talent acquisition.
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