With people spending more time in front of screens, it is essential to think about how blue light affects your eyes. Understanding how this frequency of light interacts with your eyes will help you take the right eye care measures. Use the guide below to use televisions, computers, smartphones, and tablets more effectively.

An Eye Care Guide to Blue Light

What It Is

Light is composed of a rainbow of colors, and combined, they create the visible light that we see. The red light on one end of the spectrum is low energy with a longer wavelength, while the blue light on the other end has more energy with shorter wavelengths. It is found in the highest quantities in sunlight. It is also found in fluorescent light, CFL bulbs, LED lights, LED televisions, computer monitors, smartphones, and tablet screens.

How It Affects Your Eyes

Like all other types of light, blue light passes through the cornea and lens to reach the retina. This is how you see it. While the eye will block most ultraviolet light to protect the cornea, it does not filter out any blue light.

The effect of this exposure has both benefits and drawbacks. It elevates the mood. It can also regulate the body’s circadian rhythm, or when it wakes and sleeps. The sunlight exposure during the day tells your body to be alert, while the lack of it at night tells the body to sleep. As a result, too much blue light from screens at night can affect your ability to get a good night’s sleep and lead to daytime tiredness. Too much exposure over time can also contribute to eyestrain and cause permanent damage to the light-sensitive cells in the retina, which may cause vision loss.

How to Protect Your Eyes

Some simple preventive measures can be beneficial for those who spend a lot of time outside or in front of screens. Take breaks every 20 minutes by looking away from the screen for at least 20 seconds. Buy yellow-tinted computer glasses, which filter out some of that blue light. Glasses with anti-reflective lenses can also block blue light while reducing glare.

Visiting your eye doctor once a year for an exam will help with monitoring and maintaining your eye health. They can tell you whether blue light exposure is becoming a problem for you and help with any vision changes you’ve experienced. The ophthalmologists at Tri-State Centers for Sight offer a full range of services, from LASIK to routine eye care, throughout the greater Cincinnati, OH, area. They have several state-of-the-art facilities throughout southwest Ohio and northern Kentucky. Contact them online or at (859) 331-6616 to schedule an eye care appointment.