Blue Light Glasses: Do they work?
Blue Light Glasses: Do they work?
One of the most common problems in our day and age is the exposure that we give ourselves to screens like television, computers, and phones - exposure to these screens have seen to cause a lot of eye strain, headaches, and insomnia in some patients. You may have heard of a specific type of glasses called blue light glasses which claims to aid these problems. But do blue light glasses actually work and are they worth investing in?Do blue light glasses work?
One of the major things we hear about blue light is that blue light affects the way we sleep, and blue light filter glasses actually help with our sleep which is true. Studies have shown that blue light has an impact on the retinal cells in the back of the eye, which then communicate with the pineal gland in the brain, which makes melatonin. The presence of melatonin, also known as the sleeping hormone, helps you get a better night's sleep, which in turn influences a variety of health conditions, including your memory. As a result, those who don't get enough sleep are more likely to develop conditions like early dementia and Alzheimer's. The blue light on our screens has this effect because most of the blue light you will be exposed to in your lifetime comes from the sun, and so long lengths of time spent gazing at your computer, phone, or television, especially in the evening, has a comparable impact to staring at the sun in the morning - this sends a signal to your brain to wake up and stay awake, thus those who spend a lot of time in front of screens run the risk of decreasing melatonin synthesis and getting less sleep overall. This is particularly important for younger children for example who are us more and more digital screens especially with everything becoming more online based like their homework.Blue light glasses are advised for those who spend a lot of time in front of digital devices. However, a lot of health care professionals would recommend that we should first start by trying to reduce the amount of time that we are spending on our screens, especially in the evening - it is studied that not using digital screens at least 2 hours before your bedtime could help reduce the blue light stress we have collected during the day. Some devices come with a nighttime mode which should also be turned on in the evening, this adjustment blocks out any blue light that is coming from the screen, and you will notice that the screen turns slightly more yellow. Studies have found that these apps on our phones do reduce the amount of effect that blue light can have on your melatonin production, however, it is not 100% so people who are spending a lot of time in front of screens can consider investing in blue light glasses.
Is it OK to wear blue light glasses throughout the whole day?
There is a great deal of debate over blue light and how it could influence the retina, causing age-related macular degeneration and other eye conditions that may result in vision loss. There are several studies showing that blue light can affect the retina cells in the back of the eye but those studies were only done on mice and rats, with a high-energy blue light that was very close to their faces, therefore the study is not too feasible.Ultimately, it is okay If you are wearing your blue light glasses all day as most of the blue light we are exposed to comes from the sun, so those who experience eye strain that is caused by blue light should try to wear their blue light filter glasses all the time. Similarly so, if wearing your blue light filter glasses helps reduce the stress on your eyes you may also want to keep your blue light glasses on during the day and evening. However, if you are experiencing and noticing different side effects after wearing your blue light glasses then you should consult to your optometrists for some advice.
