Does Blue Light From Devices Really Affect Me?

Find out whether the blue light from devices really does affect you!

If you think of the colors in a rainbow, the blueish color furthest from the red is the “Blue Light”, which is all around us.  The sun, which is the source of the light we live in emits “Blue Light”.

You may notice that after a day in the sun your eyes may be watery, or itchy, or dry.  You may also feel headaches, and have problems sleeping. In most cases these problems called Digital Eye Strain (DES) are not really of great concern.

That being said however, the possible longer-term effects can be devastating though usually not evident until a person reaches around age 65.

Where Else Does Blue Light Come From?

As we stated above, the sun is said to be the source of all light, but “Blue Light” is also emitted by our favorite electronic devices, such as, computers, cell phones and television sets.

Why are ophthalmologists (Eye Doctors) concerned about over exposure to these “Blue Light” devices? 

Well, the average person today is estimated to spend 3-6 hours per day looking at a “Blue Light” source.  

Think especially of those working with a computer in an office, or a younger person playing video games for hours on end!!  

Now, we know we need the wonderfully useful devices to do our jobs, or with which we watch our favorites TV shows, or the games our kids are playing, all of which lead to long term overexposure to “Blue Light.”  

So, is “Blue Light” Really Harmful?

Those who study such matters, are pretty much in agreement that the answer is, Yes!  

Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), that is permanent Cellular damage and possible loss of sight has been linked to overexposure to “Blue Light”.

Of course, those individuals who are being drastically over exposed to “Blue Light” are the younger members of our population.  Those who have not yet reached the later years, in which the AMD is most often diagnosed.

That being the case, it would seem prudent to seek out possible ways in which this exposure can be reduced or eliminated, hopefully without drastically changing our lifestyles.

20/20/20 “Blue Light” Solution

Today, there are on the market  “Blue Light Glasses” which quite effectively filter out or reduce “Blue Light” without altering the integrity of the material being seen.  Colors are not distorted which would be disconcerting if that were the case.

Avoiding “Blue Light” is a bit more complicated . Lifestyle changes are not easy, so we found that the “20/20/20” process can be very helpful.

Take a break from your devices every 20 minutes, look at something that is 20 feet away, for 20 seconds.

Just being aware of the presence of “Blue Light” and taking the steps we have discussed, may reduce the possible ill effects.

Certainly, as time goes on there will be other new solutions to the “Blue Light” problem.