Blue Light Glasses - The Story So Far

The awareness of blue light and its effects has only received mainstream attention in more recent years, but blue light has been on the medical radar for a while.

This letter in the Harvard Health Publication in 2012 was already eluding to the possible dangers of too much blue light exposure, even at a time when smartphones were not as prevalent.

Now in 2020, three times as many people are using smartphones, and the average person is spending around 3 hours a day on their mobile device alone.

Factor in the additional time spent watching TV, browsing the web and working on laptops, and you could be looking at over 5 hours exposure to blue light waves.

But blue light can’t be that bad, because it comes naturally from the sun, right?

Well first of all, the light from the sun disappears at night, unless you live in Norway, and this night and day effect is directly linked to the body’s melatonin production.

Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland as the daylight hours begin to dwindle, and it flows into the blood stream and lulls you into an ideal sleeping state.

Several studies have shown that exposure to blue light in the evening when the sun goes down supresses melatonin production by up to 50%.

The studies also found that the melatonin production was extended over a much longer duration, meaning that the melatonin levels in the blood stream did not build up naturally.

This then means that people would take longer to fall asleep and the quality of their sleep is affected.

Let’s face it, technology allows us to do incredible things in our live, but we are now practically married to them.

If you are a serious smartphone user, your average screen time could be in excess of 4.5 hours a day, and the majority of this time is usually in the evening.

Smart phones are a firm part of our lives, and we like it that way, but our melatonin system doesn’t.

Manufacturers and developers have recognised the problem, and most phones now have dark mode and screen filters that limit the amount of visible blue light.

Screen glasses protect your eyes by filtering out the high energy blue light waves from your devices.

They have a specially treated optical lens that stops the blue light from reaching your eye.

They are especially effective when worn in the evening, since most people go on their device at this time and upset their melatonin production.

If you work in front of a screen all day, your blue light exposure is at the top end of the scale, at around 8 hours.

Even during the day, this extended exposure can affect your mood and hormone regulation.

Dry, tired eyes at the end of the working day is a common complaint amongst office workers, but blue light glasses can relieve these symptoms.

Screen glasses let you work for longer at your best when you are at work, and the exposure to the device is not as tiring.

The most important thing is to take regular breaks throughout the day away from your computer, and the same goes for your smartphone.

These devices are the tools we use to improve our lives and make a difference to the work, but we have only been using them widely for 20 years, and in that time, they have started taking their toll on our sleep and wellbeing.

Filtering out these pesky blue waves can help us improve our lives even further, getting the most out of our devices and protecting our eyes while we’re at it.