What Is Blue Light And Why Should You Protect Yourself From It?
Most people know that UV radiation is dangerous for their eyes and skin and thus take steps to protect themselves, like wearing sunglasses outdoors. But what about blue light? If you've heard of this term but don't know much about it, this guide will explain what it is and how it's dangerous for your vision.
What It Is
Blue light is simply a part of what makes up the spectrum of visible light. Unlike ultraviolet rays, blue light is visible to the naked eye, which is why screen filters built into phones and some computers often make the screen look red when blue light is disabled.
Blue light is a short wavelength on the spectrum of visible light, which means that it contains more energy than other kinds of light that have longer wavelengths. This is important because it's directly connected to how blue light can impact your vision.
Eye Strain
One of the short-term problems that blue light can often induce is eye strain. Most people who have used computers and other electronic devices like phones have experienced eye strain at least once in their lives — and likely much more often than that. Excessive exposure to blue light can make your eyes feel tired, strained, and even out of focus. Taking breaks from the screen can help, but you're still being exposed to blue light whenever you go back to it, which can lead to much bigger problems in the long run.
Macular Degeneration
The most dangerous condition that blue light can cause may not impact you until much later on in your life. By the time it develops, it's too late to prevent damage from happening, and the only thing your eye doctor will be able to do is to treat the condition to prevent it from worsening.
The condition in question here is macular degeneration. It's a condition where the central vision of your eye is damaged, preventing you from being able to see things in the center, while still maintaining some peripheral vision, or the vision out of the corner of your eyes.
Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in older people. Unfortunately, it's often caused by excessive exposure to blue light. While you won't develop this condition in just a few days of using electronics, you may find out later on in life that you have this condition after years of exposure if you don't take steps to protect yourself.
The good news here is that you don't have to risk your vision and you also don't have to put up with color distortion on your screen. Talk to an optician about blue light glasses. These types of lenses can filter out excessive blue light, protecting your eyes, without changing the way the world looks around you. It's a small investment that may keep you seeing clearly in the future, so take steps to get help now.
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