Protect your peepers by filtering blue light
NOTE - this post was updated on 3/19/20 - while it is commonly believed and was widely published that blue light can damage the retina, this may not actually be true. Watch this VIDEO or read this article from the Harvard Medical School to learn more about that piece. It doesn’t change the fact that blue light can mess with your circadian rhythm though, so read on…
In ergonomics, we talk a lot about bad posture - the hunched back you get when using a laptop, the craned neck you get when using your phone, the bent wrists you get when holding at tablet.... but now we need to talk about your vision and your eyes.
Your phone, laptop, tablet and LCD TV all emit a similar light from the screen through your corneas and into your retinas. I'm talking about blue light. Sunlight is our biggest source of blue light, followed second by our beloved digital screens.
So what? Adverse effects of too much blue light, at the wrong times, may include:
Disrupted sleep (which of course can lead to all kinds of other bad stuff)
Digital eye strain / Computer vision syndrome
While some blue light is good for us, too much of it at the wrong times can have detrimental effects.
Research has shown that blue light boosts alertness, helps memory and cognitive function and elevates mood. Ever heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)? It's a type of depression found among some people who live in parts of the world that have periods of long dark days during parts of the year - people that don't get enough natural blue light. The therapy for SAD usually includes a light source that emits bright white light with a a significant amount of HEV blue light rays.
Blue light also helps regulate a healthy circadian rhythm — the body's natural wakefulness and sleep cycle. Daylight (on a clear blue day) is blue light - your body expects to be awake during the day when it is exposed to blue light and to wind down and eventually go to sleep at night when the day/blue light goes away. Therefore too much blue light late at night (reading a tablet or phone) can confuse your body and disrupt your sleep.
Digital Eye Strain / Computer Vision Syndrome
According to a 2015 survey by The Vision Council, 65 percent of American adults reported having symptoms of digital eye strain. According to the Vision Council, it's the number one reported symptom of prolonged computer use.
Symptoms include eyestrain, dry eyes, blurred vision, red or pink eyes, burning, light sensitivity, headaches and pain in the shoulders, neck and back.
What can you do? Filter blue light to protect your eyes.
Here's how to filter blue light on your phone:
iPhone: Mobile iOS 9.3 includes "Night Shift", which uses your phone's geolocation data to automatically filter blue light when the sun starts to go down
Android: Manually turn on the blue filter - I recommend turning it at all times instead of just when the sun goes down (you get enough natural blue light if you go outdoors like a normal person). If your phone doesn't have it, install a 3rd party app to do it for you
Here's how to filter blue light on your computer
Newer monitors have a option for blue light filter - find it in those impossible to operate buttons where you can also adjust your brightness, or in your Control Panel or System Preferences
If your monitor doesn't have a filter, install a 3rd party app to take care of that nasty ol' blue light
Screen covers are also available, such as Eyesafe (Health-E), iLLumiShield, RetinaShield (Tech Armor), Retina Armor (Tektide), Frabicon and Cyxus
Looking for an all-in-one option?
If you wear prescription glasses, talk to your eye doctor or optician about your options
Look into some computer eye wear - like the Gunnar glasses
And while we're at it, here are my top 2 tips about screen brightness & contrast-
1. Avoid light behind or around your screen
Don't set up your computer so that you are facing a window and don't shine a task lamp on or near your monitor. Too much light around your screen fatigues your eyes since they have to keep frequently refocusing.
2. Adjust the screen brightness to match the room
Look at a white wall in your work space and adjust the screen's brightness level so that a white screen matches that white wall.