We all seem to have them. Laptops, mobiles, televisions, and other electronic devices. But, did you know that looking at screens late at night can have a negative effect on the health of your eyes? This is because of blue light, something that a large amount of us are not always informed about.
Feel Good Contact Lenses are dedicated to eye care and, as such, have researched and compiled all the knowledge you should bear in mind when it comes to protecting your eyes.
What is Blue Light?
Without getting too technical, blue light rays are essentially rays of light with a very short wavelength (the shorter the wave, the more energy it has, and the harder it is to look at directly). As you can see from the picture above, blue light is just below UVA light and is one of the strongest visible colours of light.
The Negative Effects of Blue Light
A number of long-term eye-related problems have been linked to over-exposure to blue light, and include macular degeneration amongst others. However, research has notably established a direct correlation between exposure to the light and sleep-related problems. Smartphones and other digital devices are well-known emitters of blue light, and using them right before heading to bed can actually be the main reason that a lot of people struggle to get to sleep.
How Can I Reduce My Exposure to it?
With most of us working in environments where computers are as necessary as oxygen, it can be quite difficult to limit your exposure to blue light. However, the fact is that blue light is everywhere, and that we should be managing when we look at it rather than how we look at it.
Try adding a dim red light bulb to your bedside lamp, or better yet, don’t look at your phone or laptop for a few hours before going to sleep! Well, we know you might not be so keen on that second idea, so we want you to know that there are a number of mobile apps you can download that alter the light from your phone from blue to red in the later hours of the day. This makes it much easier to adjust your eyes to dimmer light before you head to bed.
It is also worth noting that blue light that comes from the sun is actually of benefit to you (in the right doses), so make sure to spend some of your day outside and not hiding away with your eyes glued to the screen!
We hope that we’ve alerted you to the difficulties that exposure can cause, and that we’ve been able to provide a few tips to help you limit the effect that blue light has on you, and on your sleep pattern.
