How long can you use your computer or phone without experiencing eyestrain? With phones, laptops, tablets, and e-readers, countless adults and kids spend hours scrolling through their screens every day. Statistics show that the typical American adult spends six to seven hours on their screen daily, and kids consume upwards of five hours of screen time daily.
On top of the musculoskeletal and mental problems that can come from too much screentime, blue light can hurt your eyes. There is evidence that blue light can affect your vision and increase your risk for certain health problems.
What Is Blue Light?
Blue light is a high-energy electromagnetic wave that exists everywhere, both naturally and artificially. The sun’s rays emit natural blue light, while fluorescent lights and screens of digital devices produce artificial blue light. Blue light releases high energy all the time, whether it comes from the sun or LED lights, computers, televisions, tablets, or smartphones.
Why Is It Important To Wear Glasses With Blue Light Protection?
Prolonged exposure to blue light can be harmful to your eye health. The light is known to cause dry eyes and affect your circadian rhythm (the biological clock that tells you when to sleep or wake up). These issues can have devastating effects on your overall health.
Getting glasses with blue light protection can help combat the effects of too much exposure to blue light. These eyeglasses can help:
Ease Eyestrain
Looking at your phone or computer screen all day can make your eyes feel tired. That usually happens when your eyes overwork themselves to deal with the blue light. Over continuous periods, the exposure can strain your eye muscles. As a result, you may find it hard to concentrate on your screen and strain your eyes to maintain focus.
Improve Vision
Although your eyes have natural blue light filters, they are not fit to protect your eyes from prolonged exposure to blue light. You need to rest your eyes regularly to shield your eyes against damage from blue light.
However, it is easy to forget about resting your eyes after every 20 minutes as you focus on your work. Consequently, your vision may become blurry.
Improve Sleep
Blue light can disrupt your circadian rhythm and affect your sleep pattern. It does so by delaying the release of your sleep hormone, melatonin. This makes you have trouble falling asleep immediately after using your screen.
Improve Metabolism
Studies show that blue light can affect your metabolism at night. You need sugar to sleep. Exposure to blue light just before bedtime can slow your body’s ability to convert food into sugar. Your body needs this sugar to do everything from walking to thinking to sleep.
Lower Risk Of Heart Disease
Blue light can keep you up all night, stopping you from getting the deep, relaxing sleep your body needs.
Researchers suggest that irregular sleep increases your risk of atrial fibrillation. That occurs when your heartbeat is fast and irregular, causing poor blood flow. Atrial fibrillation makes you more vulnerable to heart failure, stroke, and other heart complications.
For more on why you should get glasses with blue light protection, call Eyecare Center Optometrist at our offices in Kentucky. You can reach us in Lexington at (859) 208-2020, Richmond at (859) 623-6643, McKee at (859) 272-2449, Beattyville at (606) 726-9321, or Irvine at (606) 287-8477.
