Lots of beauty brands and eye wear brands are creating special blue light products, but what exactly is blue light, and why should we care? Blue light is a type of visible light that has a shorter wavelength and produces more energy than other colours. The blue part of the spectrum is most energetic and the shortest in length. Blue light is harmful because it can cause sleeplessness, headaches, and disrupt your circadian rhythms.
Blue light filters block out certain wavelengths of blue light to reduce eye strain from looking at screens for long periods of time. They are used by people who work with computers for their job on a daily basis, or people who use their screens at night before going to sleep.
The Dangers of Blue Light & How it Can Harm Your Health
Blue light is a form of electromagnetic radiation that has a very short wavelength and produces a spectrum of colours. It falls in the lower part of the visible light spectrum, just next to violet.
Blue light is emitted by all of our digital screens, TVs, phones, and tablets. So it’s something emitted from all of the digital devices we use on a daily basis, so it’s difficult to avoid blue light exposure.
Those of us that work in front of computer screens for long hours every day are at risk of eye conditions such as cataracts and macular degeneration, which can lead to blindness if not taken care of early enough. Not only does blue light hamper sleep, but it also has been proven to reduce sleep quality, as well as causing headaches.
What Exactly is a Blue Light Filter?
A blue light filter is a piece of hardware that blocks out all wavelengths of light except for blue. It has been proven that the blue light we see from our electronic devices causes more eye strain and fatigue than any other colour of light. These blue light filters are meant to reduce the intensity of the screen by cutting out the blue light, to minimise the risk of eye strain and digital eye strain.
What Are Blue Light Glasses?
Blue light glasses are a pair of sunglasses or clear glasses with a filter on the lenses to filter out the harmful blue light from your devices. The filter is designed to protect eyes from the harmful effects of blue light, such as eye strain, insomnia, and other vision and headache issues.
In addition to using blue light glasses, experts recommend reducing your screen time by up to two hours every day, which has been proven to have a positive impact on both sleep duration, and the quality of your sleep too.
Putting on a pair of blue light glasses might be just what you need, to reduce your exposure to blue light, thus reducing potential eye strain, and disruption to your sleep patterns. So try using your blue light glasses for an hour or two before bedtime to see if they’ll help you sleep better.