Blue Light Glasses Help Prevent Digital Eye Strain

Posted on: 19 March 2020

Digital eye strain is a common eye condition, yet it's one that is often ignored. Although it's a temporary condition, digital eye strain can cause a series of issues. Make sure you take this condition seriously and take measures to limit your risk.

Blue Light Is to Blame

The people who are at the greatest risk of digital eye strain are those individuals who spend a large portion of their day looking at objects with blue lights. Objects within this group include tablets, computers and laptops, and smartphones. 

Blue light is an artificial light source that has a higher energy strength and shorter wavelength than natural light, and even the lights used to illuminate interior spaces, such as fluorescent lights. The increase in energy and decreased wavelength makes it harder for the eyes to focus. As a result, when you look at a blue light object, your eyes have to go into overdrive to focus. The extra work leads to strain. 

Eye Strain Symptoms

Digital eye strain affects people differently, but there are some telltale signs that are often common. One symptom at the top of the list is blurred vision. As previously mentioned, it's harder for the eyes to focus when looking at a blue light object. Combined, this increase in difficulty with eye strain, and the images you see on the screen in front of you will likely be blurry. It's also common to experience dry or irritated eyes.

However, the problems can extend beyond the eyes, as the strain can also lead to shoulder and neck pain, as well as headaches. If you notice this pain begins when you've been looking at the screen for a while, but stops after a break, digital eye strain is likely to blame. 

Blue Light Glasses

One of the best things you can do to lower your risk for digital eye strain or correct the problem is to upgrade to blue light glasses, often referred to as computer glasses. Blue light glasses look the same as traditional lenses, but these lenses have an enhanced anti-reflective coating that limits the amount of blue light that is absorbed into the eyes. 

The lens also expands the field of view you're able to see, which, in turn, somewhat magnifies the images on the screen. As a result, your eyes can relax and not strain. For any individual who spends a large portion of their day looking at a screen, these glasses help considerably. 

If you're concerned about your risk for digital eye strain, speak to your optician about blue light glasses to protect yourself. 

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