Blue light, also known as blue-ray light, has continued to pose health danger to man in the world over. This is as result of increasing use of LED, (light-emitting diode) technology.
Broadly speaking, blue light is a kind of light emitted from computer screens, mobile screens, flat-screen televisions and any other device with a screen, considered to be artificial sources with high amount of blue light.
In Nigeria for instance, users of these devices can stay glued to mobile devices or computers either watching movies or working for their employers for long hours with little or no knowledge of its hazards to mankind. ‘Too much cook, they say spoil the cook’ and we should begin to look inwards to possible health implications of blue light from screens.
Researchers are divided on the effects of blue light. While some researchers argued that blue light from devices do not cause any danger to man, others disagree, saying the problems of blue of light are enormous and should be avoided.
In this post, we shall bring you what health experts say are the dangers of blue light to people which should not be undermined, the recommendations from health experts to at least manage the risks from blue light so as to reduce the health hazards. They are:
- Persistent use of digital devices can cause strain in the eyes. Research Trusted Source revealed that users of LED technology tend to blink less often when exposed to blue light than when the digital devices are not in use. The implication of this is that the fewer the blinks, the lesser the moisture in the eyes and this leads to more strain on the eyes with symptoms such as dry eyes, sore or irritated eyes, headaches, tired eyes and squints.
Blue light can also affect the retina.
- Another health danger of blue light is that it can affect one’s own sleep cycle. The argument is that when one is exposed to blue light in the evening, the body doesn’t release as much melatonin, (the sleep-inducing hormone) and this disrupts sleep.
To manage the situation, many recommendations have been proffered by health experts and researchers. One of such is the American Academy of Ophthalmology which endorses the following steps to manage the risks involved in blue light.
- The 20/20/20 approach: This strategy states that users of devices that emit blue light stop every 20 minutes to focus on objects or stare into space about 20 meters away for 20 seconds before returning to their devices, rather than remained glued to these devices that ultimately have long run effects.
- The second approach, the Academy recommends is to moisturize your eyes. In other words, use artificial tears – eye drops and room humidifiers – to keep your eyes moist and not irritated while using devices with blue light.
- Get glasses with recommended prescription: Eye glasses, they say help to prevent squinting at screens. Please, ensure you get one recommended by your optician.
- Another recommended approach to dealing with the health hazards associated with blue light is to regulate your screen brightness. This no doubt will help to reduce the strain on the eyes.
Finally, it is also recommended that you change the screen settings on your devices to ‘night time’. You can as well get a blue light filtering screen to protect your eyes when using your computer at night. A stitch in time saves nine. Do not undermine the danger of blue light to mankind.