While some people have successfully adjusted themselves to the work/study from home routine, most of us are struggling to take care of our mental and physical health amidst the tensions and disrupted routines. Increased screen hours have also contributed to our deteriorating health as a lot of us are spending as much as 12 hours in front of the screen each day. So much so, that nowadays we can spot even young children wearing prescription glasses for optical defects.

Read on to know about the ill-effects of blue light and some effective preventive tips to minimise blue light damage.

Things that affect the eye health

The sunlight is a spectrum of the seven colours of the rainbow. This spectrum is then divided into two parts – violet and indigo making up the invisible spectrum and the other five colours, along with blue light making up the visible spectrum. Blue light moves with the highest energy in the visible spectrum. So, this extreme energy makes the blue waves harmful for the human body.

Here are a few effects of blue light waves on our body:

• Cataract: The eye lens is able to absorb and block short blue waves from reaching the retina. This process results in the production of substances and derivatives that get added to the translucent lens’ proteins and make it turn yellow. Doctors often recommend reading glasses post cataract surgery to block blue light.
• Retinal damage: As blue rays pass through the eye and reach the retina, they induce toxic reactions in the retinal cells. Gradually, this deteriorates the retinal screen and results in the loss of vision.
• Macular degeneration: Age-Related Macular Degeneration is the top cause for blindness among the older population of the UK. Studies reveal that continued exposure to blue light worsens and intensifies the symptoms of macular degeneration.
• Computer Eye Syndrome: CES, also known as digital eye strain is another extremely prevalent problem among masses that is caused by excessive exposure of blue waves from different screens. The symptoms include dry, sore and itchy eyes, headache, blurry vision, etc.
• Insomnia: Melatonin, the sleep hormone, is released in decreased quantities under the influence of blue light. So, it is released less during the day, when we have sunlight, and more during the dawn and the night, when we have red light or no light. However, blue light from artificial sources suppresses the production of melatonin, thus altering our sleep patterns.

Preventing blue light damage

1. Blink often

When we sit in front of the laptop or computer screen, we tend to blink less for increased attention. However, we must make a habit of blinking more often while staring into screens as it helps to evenly distribute the tears.

2. Adjust the brightness

Make sure that the screen brightness of your computer, laptop or TV is not very bright or very dim as compared to the lighting of your room.

3. Adjust your computer 

Blue light falls in your eyes in a straight line. Therefore, you can try to minimise the amount entering your eye by adjusting the computer screen. The centre of your screen should lie at about two to three inches below your eye level.

4. Install a humidifier in your room

A humidifier sends cold vapours in the air to make it more moist and cool. If you place a humidifier beside your workstation, it can help to keep your eyes from getting dry.

5. Use artificial tears

Artificial tears again serve the same purpose – lubricating your eyes. You can drop one drop in each of the eyes whenever they feel too dry.

6. Wear blue light glasses

Blue light blocking glasses are able to reflect back a good amount of blue waves from entering our eyes due to their blue light filtering technology. You can ask your optician to provide you an anti-blue light coating on your lenses. Whether it’s rimless glasses or any other style, you can turn any pair into blue light blocking frames.

7. Eat good food

A balanced diet can provide enough nutrition including essential antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin that aid in eye health. Foods like blueberries, carrots, oranges, bell peppers along with leafy vegetables like spinach and kale can be added to a regular diet as all of them are rich sources of Vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.