5 Reasons Blue Light is Bad For Us and What We Can Do About It

Scrolling and swiping on social media. Watching TV. Reading emails or watching videos on your laptop.

It’s safe to say most of us spend a lot of time staring at screens, which can be bad for our health, particularly our vision. Blue light from electronics is linked to fatigue, sleep disruption, headaches, and eye issues such as blurry vision, eyestrain, dry eye, macular degeneration, and cataracts. If you spend a lot of time on screens, you might consider getting a pair of computer glasses with special lenses that can lower exposure.

The yellow-tinted lenses increase contrast on your screen, filtering blue light and easing digital eyestrain. More research is needed, but one small study found that people who wore glasses with filtering lenses had less eyestrain, blurred vision, and dry eyes after long screen times.

Some other ways to counteract blue light:

Cut down on screen time. Use the 20/20/20 rule. Every 20 minutes, look away from your screen and focus on an object at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

Take a break from blue light at night. Blue light can affect our bodies' release of the sleep hormone melatonin, so try to avoid your devices a few hours before bed.

Add a filter to your phone, tablet, or computer to reduce the amount of blue light emitted. Also, switch your device to night mode, which lowers your screen's brightness. This can help ease digital eyestrain.

Here is more on the effects of blue light...

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(Getty Stock)
(Getty Stock)
1
Eye Strain
Eye strain can cause all kinds of damage, including headaches, blurred vision, watery eyes and itching. Strain on the eyes can also cause physical and mental problems like difficulty concentrating and soreness throughout the neck and back. This can be true if you find yourself staring at a screen for long periods of time.
champja/thinkstock
champja/thinkstock
2
Retinal Damage
All types of bright light can damage your eyes, but blue light, especially consistent screen exposure, can wear down your retinas and can cause long lasting damage.
Koldunov/thinkstock
Koldunov/thinkstock
3
Sensitivity
Over time, exposure to blue light can eventually cause sensitivity. If you already have sensitive eyes, looking into blue light for long periods of time can be just like staring at any bright light, which means that you are at risk for damage and sensitivity. Make sure you take small breaks in between long periods of staring at a television or computer.
OcusFocus/Getty Stock/ThinkStock
OcusFocus/Getty Stock/ThinkStock
4
Sleep Disruption
Studies has shown that blue light disrupts our natural circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm is what signals to our brain when to wake up or go to sleep. Just two hours of exposure to blue light during evening hours can slow or stop the release of the sleep hormone called melatonin, which is crucial for your sleep cycle.
Tomwang112
Tomwang112
5
Fatigue
Blue light can cause a variety of levels of fatigue, stress and headaches. It can be helpful to take breaks and take time away from the screen for this very reason. Investing in blue light glasses if you work on a computer for work or school and can’t reduce the strain on your eyes.