Blue Light is everywhere around us, the primary source being the Sun, should we really worry about it?
Lets’ go through some facts & myths about Blue Light.
Firstly, what is blue Light?
It is a type of visible light with shorter wavelengths and more energy than light at the other end of the color spectrum. The sun is the primary source of blue light. However, blue light also comes from computers, tablets and smartphones, fluorescent lights, LED lights, Television screens, etc.
Not the entire range of blue light is harmful, some part of blue light is required to be healthy too. Research has shown that high-energy visible light, such as blue light, boosts alertness, helps memory, improves cognitive function, and elevates mood. In fact, sometimes blue light is also recommended as a treatment option in certain diseases.
The reason computer and phone screens are so harmful to our eyes is that, while they only emit a fraction of the blue light emitted by the sun, they are usually very close to the user’s face for extended periods of time.
Researchers these days are putting every effort to analyse if there are any long-term effects of blue light exposure to eyes, especially because screens now have been a daily part of our lives across all age groups.
With more and more online studies, games and entertainment our kids are now at their highest point of blue light exposure than any time before.
Parents who worry about blue light from screens can limit their children’s screen time, teach them the 20/20/20 rule — looking 20 feet away for 20 seconds after 20 minutes in front of the screen — and buy their child authentic blue light glasses
Kids get much less blue light exposure indoors than they do outdoors. But children who spend a lot of time in front of screens may be more likely to develop digital eye strain, also known as computer vision syndrome.
Signs of digital eye strain in kids may include:
Changes in vision
Dry eyes
Eye tiredness
Fatigue
Headaches
Poor posture
Other risks of too much screen time for kids and too much blue light exposure include disruption of the body’s sleep/wake cycle. Which may lead to crankiness, sleepiness at school hours and other health issues.
Do kids' blue light glasses really work?
One way to protect our child’s eyes from blue light at home and at school is to make them wear blue light glasses. It can be with prescription or without and are specially designed to filter out portion of blue light.
Blue light ophthalmic lenses block a specific segment of light wavelengths and may have a slightly yellow tint to the lenses. They may help to protect kids from digital eye strain.
While blue light glasses do not filter out all blue light, they can reduce our child’s exposure to blue-violet rays by 80 percent or more.
Parents should also consider a good pair of children’s sunglasses, which is also essential for blocking UV light and blue light when the child is playing outside for hours or is doing an activity with lots of glare, like hanging out on the beach, skiing, etc.
