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3 Ways Blue Light Causes Poor Vision - What to Know

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Blue light is blue wavelengths that enter your eyes that have different functions compared to red and green light. For most households, it is generally considered as environmentally friendly as lighting that emits blue light is more energy-efficient. However, with prolonged exposure, this type of wavelength can cause poor vision.

To understand how blue light destroys the health of our eyes, below are three points on how it works:

1. It hinders your sleep.

Humans have a circadian rhythm that tells their body that it’s time to stay awake or wake up. Your body has become used to the environment during the daytime, which means that you have more energy to do your activities with the sunlight out. In the same way, your body produces certain hormones that become more active at night.

With the advent of technology, however, humans are now more prone to prolonged exposure to blue light that is from bright screens from television or phone screens. With exposure to blue light even at night, your body may still believe that it is on an alternate side of its circadian rhythm. This is one reason that you may find it hard to sleep at night is due to blue light.

Lack of sleep hinders your body from regenerating, which includes the vitamins that sharpen your vision. To prevent this situation from happening, try to avoid looking at blue light-emitting devices two to three hours before going to bed. You can also try exposing yourself to sunlight during the day. It will significantly increase your energy and boost your mood, which will help you sleep better at night.

2. It suppresses melatonin.

Concerning the previous point, an important hormone that the body produces at night is melatonin, otherwise known as the ‘sleep hormone.’ It is a powerful antioxidant that gives tremendous benefits to support eye health. Other than the eyes, it also treats stomach ulcers, heartburn, and tinnitus. The exposure of blue light during nighttime suppresses the melatonin twice as much compared to other types of light, such as green light and red light.

3. It can be toxic to your retina.

Studies show that when blue light enters the retina, it destroys photoreceptor cells. When the molecules that signal the flow of light on the membrane become dissolved, your vision can be significantly impaired.

The destruction is progressive, which means it can cause severe defects to the health of our eyes permanently. What’s worse is that once photoreceptor cells disintegrate, they cannot regenerate anymore. For this reason, one should take extra care in avoiding too much exposure to blue light.

Conclusion

To protect yourself from the dangers of blue light from impairing your vision, try to scout for eyewear that blocks blue light. Sunglasses are very handy for people who commonly burn the midnight oil or call centre agents with graveyard shifts. Perhaps, choose orange-tinted lenses to block blue light more efficiently.

Keep in mind that blue light is dangerous to the eyes and suppresses hormones vital to our physical functions. Aside from avoiding too much exposure to your phone or television screen, you can also drink supplemental Vitamin E, which safeguards the cells in your eyes from dying.

If you are looking to protect your eyes from blue light, get in touch with us to get blue light protection filters for your devices.

How we reviewed this article:

Ocushield has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations.

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

Current Version
September 30, 2020

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