How to protect eyes from blue light

How many times do you have to rub your eyes while binge-watching your favourite show on Netflix? Or do you spend hours in front of your laptop, trying to meet the deadlines at work? Perhaps you are a social butterfly who is constantly glued to Instagram, Snapchat, and other social media platforms.

No matter what age, occupation or habits, many of us spend countless hours in front of a digital screen; be it smartphones, tablets or laptops. But all of this comes with a cost. These digital screens emit blue light, which has been linked to digital eye strain and multiple other issues in the long run.

What exactly is blue light?

Blue light is a high-energy visual (HEV) light with short wavelengths and is also available in the sunlight. Blue light isn’t harmful in itself but it’s the overexposure that becomes a concern. And let’s face it – most of us are overexposed to it today. It wasn’t a concern earlier when we weren’t hooked to digital devices – the sun would go down and our eyes would get a break.

But now that we’re on our phones and laptops constantly, our eyes don’t get that much-needed break. Next time you have tired, achy or strained eyes after working on your computer for a long time, you’ll know what the reason is.

If you want to know the effects of high-energy visible light on the eyes, read our blog!

What’s the effect of Blue light on your eyes and your overall health?

The natural blue light that we get from the sun is responsible for keeping us active during the day. That’s one of the primary reasons why we feel so energetic and active in the sun. Similarly, when there is a lack of sunlight or you can say lack of HEV like blue light, our brain starts to think that it’s nighttime. The brain gets the signal that it’s time to wind down and start releasing a sleep hormone called melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone that is responsible for making us feel sleepy.

When you continue using screens during the nighttime, they continue to emit blue light. It fools your brain into thinking that it’s still day and suppresses the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. As a result, your natural sleep-wake cycle is affected.

Although there are no directly proven link between blue light exposure and any health diseases, but the interruption in the sleep-wake cycle (circadian rhythm) plays a role in the development of conditions like sleep disorder, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and more.”

Another obvious and most common problem due to overexposure to artificial blue light is digital eye strain. It makes your eyes dry and can make it difficult to look at screens with other symptoms like headache and pain in the neck and shoulder.

How to protect your eyes from blue light?

The first and most effective solution is limiting your screen time at least after sunlight. In case you have to use screens during the night, make sure to wear a pair of blue light glasses. However, blue light glasses are important even during the day if you spend a significant part of your day on digital devices. Our X-Blue lenses offer a state-of-the-art design where the blue light filter is built into the monomer of the lens itself instead of applying a coating on the lens surface. It ensures better protection against harmful blue light and simultaneously saves you from the risk of damaging the coating for long-term uses.

You can simply select “digital blue protection” while buying both prescription and non-prescription glasses during the checkout process. The best part is all our lenses also come with free anti-glare, anti-UV, anti-scratch, impact-resistant, smudge-resistant and water-repellent coatings for free.

You can also follow the 20-20-20 rule with these practices to get the best possible results. According to this rule, you’re supposed to look 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes. It decreases the chances of eye strain and saves you from multiple problems that you can face due to higher screen usage.

Read about different types of blue light-blocking technology.