You are currently reading this article on a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer, but did you know that while you are reading, your eyes are being infiltrated by harmful blue light? Wait-don’t close your eyes just yet! While not all blue light is harmful, too much of it is, and it can be seriously damaging to our vision. Blue reading glasses can help dramatically reduce the amount of blue light to which your eyes are exposed. As such, you should be wearing a pair of blue light reading glasses this very moment.
What is blue light? Blue light, also known as high energy visible light, is part of the spectrum of visible light that we get from sources like the sun, LED light bulbs, and electronic devices. Blue light, however, can be damaging to our eyes. Blue light can penetrate past the cornea and reach the retina, which can cause damage to our retinal cells. In fact, there’s even a suggestion of a connection between macular degeneration and blue light exposure, so considering protective eyewear for blue light exposure is a really good idea. In fact, you may have heard of blue reading glasses from your eye care provider.
Blue light is virtually everywhere, but it is most present and most invasive to us from our electronics, due in part to the fact we spend a vast amount of time on them. The majority of office workers, for instance, use a computer for their seated work all day. Use of a computer for work, a smartphone or tablet for entertainment and/or business, and even watching an LED television screen or monitor can expose our eyes to large amounts of blue light, and the fact is, most of us never notice the exposure or the effects thereof.
Side effects of blue light exposure range from eye strain and pain to debilitating tension headaches and blurred vision. What you may write off as normal vision degradation might actually be a cue that you are being exposed to too much blue light. Especially if you know you have 20/20 vision, the following side effects could be from blue light exposure. Before you settle on a pair of reading glasses, be sure to try a pair of blue reading glasses to see if your symptoms are corrected with the use of those first.
Side Effects of Blue Light Exposure
The most common side effects of blue light exposure come from sitting at a computer without blue light glasses to protect your eyes. These side effects can be experienced together or separately. When they begin to become chronic, you may be suffering from computer vision syndrome, or “CVS.” The most effective treatment for CVS is to wear protective blue light glasses when using your computer and devices. Here are three common side effects of CVS and blue light exposure.
· Eye strain and fatigue. When your eyes are exposed to blue light on a continual basis, they may begin to feel tired, strained, or fatigued. This is because blue light scatters more quickly than other visible light, making it harder for your eyes to focus on what you see on screen.
· Blurred and/or double vision; inability to focus on images and text on screen. Prolonged viewing of a device that emits blue light can lead a user to experience double vision, blurred vision, or an overall inability to focus on the onscreen text. This can lead some to pursue corrective lenses or reading glasses, however blue light may be to blame.
· Tension headaches, neck and shoulder pain. When your eyes become strained due to blue light exposure from a blue light emitting device, you begin to change your entire body posture to compensate for the inability to focus as well as you can from a correct, upright seated position. This new posture can cause neck and back pain, and can even lead to painful and distracting tension headaches.
How Can Blue Light Readers Help?
Blue light readers, also referred to as blue reading glasses or blue light glasses, can help prevent much of the discomfort computer users experience. Blue reading glasses are crafted from specialized “retina-shield” lenses that can effectively filter the majority of the blue light emitted from a computer screen. The lenses are virtually clear and do not affect the way you view your computer or your surroundings.
While blue reading glasses are not vision correcting lenses, they are available in prescription strength lenses for computer users that need vision correcting and blue light protection. Available in a plethora of frames, you never have to sacrifice style to protect your vision while you are working on your computer.
By wearing blue reading glasses while you work on your computer, you will likely feel more energized throughout your day, and experience less discomfort with your eyes and vision. Over time, you may realize that you no longer experience these issues at all.