The Disadvantage of Not Protecting Your Eyes

A person's eyes are very sensitive to a narrow band of light frequencies called the visible light spectrum. Light frequencies have wavelengths of light and the shorter the wavelength, the higher the energy it has which means the worse it is for your eyes.

Blue light is amongst one of the visible light spectrums which is bad for your eyes. Blue light has the shortest wavelength of light and its visible light ranges from 380 to 500 nanometers(nm). The visible light spectrum light ranges from 380nm to 700nm which means that blue-light makes up approximately one-third of all visible light.

Products such as LED lighting even has blue light effects even though they are white lights to the visible eye. A LED lighting has a blue light ranging from 400nm to 490nm. Blue light source is on the rise and continues to rise. Products such as fluorescent lighting, LED lighting, and even display screens such as computers, smart phones, televisions, and etc. are just some of the examples of products we use on an everyday basis that are harmful for us.  

 

Exposure to Blue Light

Your eye is good at blocking UV rays from reaching the retina and as great as that sounds, you’d think; "then how can blue light reach the retina?" Our eyes were never made to block out the blue lights from technology. All blue light passes through the cornea and lens of our eyes and reaches our retina.

As an adult we’d think our body is fully grown and can handle everything, but we are wrong. As an adult we might be better able to handle blue light but what about the children. A child’s crystalline lens is more transparent to short wavelengths which means a child is more sensitive to blue light effects than adults.

 

Exposure to blue light may also contribute to the following:

• Cataract

Cataract is the clouding of the eye’s lens which over time can cause a person to lose their vision or become blind. It is believed that an absorption of blue light throughout life can be a contributing factor to aging and cataract formation. Protecting your eyes from blue light can delay the effects of aging on the lens and the retina.  

• AMD

The sensitive cells in the retina shouldn’t be exposed to too much blue light. The exposure to too much blue light causes a change to the macular degeneration, which means it effects the area in the eye for sharp, central vision and can lead to permanent vision loss.

From studies that have been conducted, it has shown that the cumulative effect of this blue light exposure that causes the damage, affects the cones(which are the photo sensitive cells responsible for central vision and color vision) and the retinal pigment epithelium(which are the cells responsible for nourishing the retinal cells).

• Eyestrain

Digital devices such as laptops and smart phones emit significant amounts of blue light. The high energy blue light waves scatter more in the eye and isn’t as easily focused. The scatter creates a “visual noise” which reduces contract and contributes to digital eyestrain.

 

Staying Safe

Blue light exposed to children should be monitored and controlled. As time goes on, accumulated damage from blue-light exposure can increase age-related eye conditions.

A healthy diet, which is high in leafy green vegetables and colorful fruits can help to increase the levels of protective pigments in the retina and reduce some of the damaging effects of blue-lights.

Getting a blue-light glass can also help to reduce these harmful effects. You can use them for using technology or just use them for regular use throughout the day. They prevent or slow down the effects to the eyes and can help adults as well as children.

Click here, to protect your eyes now!