Don’t look into the blue light

We are all guilty of using our phones right before bed. Throughout the day, we might not have enough time to look at our phones due to work, our kids or any other responsibilities. It is not healthy for us to start this habit. We want to go to sleep and wake up on time. Staying up late looking at that last social media post is not going to help.  

What is blue light?  

Blue light is part of the visible light spectrum. About one-third of visible light is considered blue light. The sun produces blue light, but the more common and artificial source is from fluorescent lights such as smartphones, LED TVs, computer monitors, and tablet screens.   

How harmful blue light can be 

The amount of harmful exposure to blue light from your screen compared to the sun is small. A lot of people think our smartphones, TV screens or our computers are going to strain our eyes and give us permanent eye damage. While there might not be severe permanent damage, there is a possibility of blurred vision, burning, stinging or tearing of the eyes with too much use of digital devices. The University of Alabama at Birmingham states these symptoms are common with digital eyestrain and can lead to dry eyes or straining muscles that help our eyes focus. Digital eyestrain is caused when we do not blink as much as usual when we look at screens that produce blue light.  

Special glasses can help 

There are blue light glasses that can help with digital eyestrain. The lenses in the glasses have an orange or amber tint to help filter more blue light. The glasses are becoming more and more common since most of us look at screens all day due to jobs or for personal use. 

20-20-20 rule 

The American Academy of Ophthalmology has come up with ways to help with digital eyestrain if you do not have blue light glasses. The 20-20-20 rule is when you take a break every twenty minutes to look at something, that is not a blue light screen, twenty feet away for twenty seconds. The rule causes you to blink more and helps battle digital eyestrain.  

We want you to take digital eyestrain and the effects of blue light into consideration for your everyday life. If you do not want the glasses but still want to take prevention, then we recommend giving the 20-20-20 rule a try. Sometimes, we just need to unplug from blue light screens and enjoy the nice weather outside.  

If you want to learn more about eye strain, check out our other blogs: 

3 Ways to Reduce Eye Strain | Genesis Healthcare System (genesishcs.org) 

The Eyes Have It! How to Maintain Good Eye Health | Genesis Healthcare System (genesishcs.org)