How to Combat Digital Eye Strain
Digital eye strain is a real problem for many people. Whether your screen time is spent in front of a computer monitor, smartphone, watching TV, or gaming – the truth is, if you’re like most contemporary Americans, then you’re probably spending as much as half a day exposing your eyes to blue light.
The blue light emitted by tablets, televisions of all types, smartphones, monitors, and other screens can damage your eyes. The answer, according to some sources, is special glasses that block blue light. But other sources suggest that blue light is no more or less harmful than other wavelengths of light. So what to believe? Read on to find out how to take good care of your vision, despite all of the screens in front of us each day.
The Harmful Effects of Prolonged Blue Light Exposure
Our electronics emit light, which is blue. We spend an inordinate amount of our lives staring at screens that are blasting our eyes with blue light. Too much light, especially at night can have harmful effects.
Blue light from monitors and screens can disrupt a person’s sleep, cause or exacerbate eye strain, and even damage the eyes of otherwise healthy people. And that refers to all kinds of light; not just blue light. But blue light is what our screens emit, hence the need to protect ourselves from too much blue light.
What You Can Do to Help Prevent Digital Eye Strain and Its Effects
There are many things that you can do to prevent digital eye strain and the effect that exposure to light at night can have on your ability to get to sleep and to sleep well. Most of them are free and easy; they include:
- Increase the text size on your devices where you can.
- Reduce the glare coming from your screens.
- Clean your screens.
- Dim surrounding lights.
- Keep your distance from screens.
- Remember to blink.
You can also purchase special glasses that block some of the blue light being emitted by your screens.
Are Blue Light Glasses Worth the Investment?
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, there is no evidence that the kind of light, or the amount of light coming from computer and other screens will damage your eyes. Neither has the radiation coming from computer monitors been shown to cause any type of eye disease.
It is important to note, though, that eye strain is not an eye disease per se. And, purchasing special computer glasses, if they help you to feel better and suffer less from experiencing eye strain due to too much screen time, can only be considered a good thing.
Fighting Digital Eye Strain With Blue Light Glasses
So, are blue light glasses really worth it? They very well may be – in many ways, only time will tell for certain. To sum up, blue light is no more harmful to your eyes than any other kind of light. But, exposing yourself to excessive amounts of light – like those coming from all of those screens we use – can have negative health effects. This is the important part to remember.
So, while wearing blue light glasses may not prevent any specific eye disease from occurring, it may help you to cope with digital eye strain. There are, however, many other ways to cope with digital eye strain, most of which are free. Whether or not blue light glasses are worth may require a personalized conversation with your eye doctor.