For many of us, it is an addictive ritual to use our smartphones late into the night, even when in bed. We forget that this sustained exposure to blue light can be damaging to the health of our eyes. To start with, let us spare some time to look at what blue light is.
To start with, we’ll go a bit technical by talking about the electromagnetic spectrum. This spectrum ranges from high energy gamma waves, all the way to low energy radio waves. Waves of blue light preeminently douse the physical reality as they scatter more readily than others. This explains why large water bodies and the sky naturally appear blue. So what is the connection between this blue light and our eyes?
Blue light comes with the greatest intensity (among the visible light coming just on top of UV radiation). Looking more critically at this, we can infer that with even the proximity of blue light to UV radiation, (on the basis of wavelength), it could be harmful to our eyes as it could potentially deteriorate our vision. Although the sun trumps our phone screens in the intensity of both blue light and UV radiation, by the time we start spending the bulk of our time directly staring at our phone screens or computers, danger could be unleashed on our eyes in the long term. Most particularly, blue light is a dedicated contributor to macular generation, which is an incurable eye pathology that causes eventual blindness, especially as we age.
The truth is that with the way we are so attached to our mobile phones and computers in this revolutionary digital age, it is difficult to cut the devices from our use permanently. Yet moderation would be of immense help. For instance, talking about reducing the exposure of our eyes to this blue light, it is incredibly helpful to restrict usage of the above named devices up to two hours before going to bed. And never, ever, use your mobile phone in bed, as it tricks your brain into thinking it’s daytime, which interferes with your circadian rhythm, and your ability to go to sleep.
Next, consider using warmer lighting in your house instead of using bright lighting. So rather than going with the bright white lights, you can go choose LED light bulbs, which are less intense. On the other hand, if you must work for long stretch of time in front of your computer, you can coolly wear some glasses preferably orange tinted to filter out the blue light. Sound geeky? You can alternatively use screen protector. Lastly you can use screen filters or apps for your mobile device, which cuts of the emission of blue light. This way the screen would be more friendly to your eyes in the evenings or when it is late.
In all blue light from our computers, mobile phones and laptops do affect the health of your eyes. While the means of cutting down on the exposure to blue light may not sound convenient, or even fashionable, we must stress that the sustainable health of our vision is worth the effort.
