Technology is a fundamental part of our everyday lives, where would we be without our phones and digital devices.
With many spending more time that ever on digital devices the hype around blue light blocking lenses has exploded and everyone is talking about them. But what are they? How do they work? What do they do?
Let's start with the eyes.
The Retina is the part of the eye which holds the light sensitive receptors. It is made up of 10 layers and although there is not much research, it has been suggested that too much blue light could potentially damage these light sensitive cells. Blue light also suppresses the body's production of melatonin which makes us drowsy, so you may find it harder to get to sleep after using digital devices at night.
Blue light is part of the visible light spectrum with wavelengths between 380 - 500nn nanometers . Blue light has the shortest wavelength of visible light which produces the highest amount of energy. The main source of blue light is sunlight, but it is also emitted from digital devices, such as smartphones, TVs, computers and artificial lights. Blue light glasses have lenses fitted which are specifically designed to reduce how much blue light reaches the eye. The are sometimes referred to as blue light blocking glasses.
The lenses claim to reduce eye strain & fatigue, improve visual comfort, offer shaper vision, reduced glare and enhanced contrast.
Do blue light glasses really help? Good question. Although it's not scientifically proven that Blue Light can damage your eyes, I have a pair of blue light glasses and I do feel that my vision is more comfortable with them on. There is a very subtle yellowing to the lenses, which also helps reduce eye strain.
The blue light lenses we use also provide 100% UV protection, as well as being scratch resistant, anti-static, water repellent and resistant to oils.
Our blue light blocking lenses can be ordered as prescription or non prescription lenses dependent of your needs and can be fitted into any of our vintage frames.
It's worth thinking about other ways to reduce strain when using the computer. Regular breaks are important, even if its glancing out of the window, it's good to alter the distance at which you are focusing, so try looking to the far distance.
When we look at computers we stare and our blink rate is reduced, which can result in dry eyes. You may find increased comfort from using eye drops if on a screen for a prolonged period of time.
It is also worth considering the settings on your computer, you could try and reduce the brightness, change the colour temperature or increase font size. Recently I have started putting my iPhone on "Night Shift" mode which changes the colours to the warmer end of the spectrum. This can be found in your Display & Brightness settings.
