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Blue Light Rays-Harmful to your Eyes

Blue light exposure to the eyes has increased largely due to our dependency on digital devices during our daily activities. Recent and ongoing research shows that these blue light rays can cause short term and potentially long term damage to the eyes.

Most modern screens for television, computers, tablets and smart phones are built with Light Emitting Diode (LED) backlights because of their long life span, brightness and energy efficiency. This same technology is also used in the high efficiency headlights that have also become more frequently used. This type of blue light is very powerful-it is right beside ultraviolet light (UV) in the energy spectrum. The same ultraviolet rays that cause sunburn, skin cancer and eye related conditions such as cataracts and macular degeneration.

Short Term Eye Effects of Blue Light

In the visible light range, blue light is the most difficult to focus on compared to other colours. After long exposure to any of your digital devices, you may experience:

The brightness and glare from the high intensity headlights is even more noticeable because these lights are much brighter compared to digital devices.

Long term Eye Effects of Blue Light

Because of its close location to UV light in the energy spectrum, there is concern that long term exposure to the blue light can cause similar UV effects to the eyes including:

• Cataracts
• Macular degeneration
• Ocular melanoma

Currently, there is no evidence to link blue light to these disorders but research is continuing due to the increasing use of these blue light rays. Of greater long term concern is for all the young children that are now starting years of blue light exposure from staring at tablets and computer screens.

Protection and Prevention from Blue Light

Our optometrists recommend ongoing short term and long term solutions to protect from blue light rays.

1. Follow the 20-20-20 rule when using digital devices. For every 20 minutes looking at your digital device, take a 20 second break and look at least 20 feet away.
2. Add a blue filtering tint to your glasses lenses to block blue light. Our doctors may recommend the Nikon SeeCoat Blue coating to their regular glasses and in many cases recommend a separate pair of glasses for use on digital devices that has the Nikon SeeCoat Blue coating.

Come in to any of our offices for a SeeCoat Blue demonstration.