Let’s Talk Blue Light

Ninety percent of Americans spend at least two hours on their devices daily. If you’ve been curious about what all that blue light is doing to your eyesight, you’re in the right place!

First off, what is blue light? Blue light is naturally occurring. It primarily comes from the sun, and our eyes have constantly been exposed to it. Because of this, our eyes already have a bit of a built-in blue light filter called macular pigment. Despite this protective shield, our eyes aren’t physiologically built to handle the overload of artificial blue light that is now a part of our daily routine, so extra protection is needed.

Blue light is especially problematic if you’re someone who looks at their phone first thing in the morning, works at a computer all day, then falls asleep with their phone in hand at night. When we’re overexposed, we’re essentially signaling to our bodies that it’s always daytime, which can mess with our circadian rhythm.

Start filtering out excess blue light from your environment by using a blue light filter based on the time of day. Many phones have a “mode” for this, as do computers. Or, get yourself a pair of amber-tinted, blue-light-blocking glasses to wear whenever you’re spending a lot of time staring at a screen.

Another good idea is to swap out incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs in a warmer color range. Having dimmable lights helps with this too.

As a general rule, try to keep artificial blue light to a minimum as soon as the sun sets. This means switching from overhead lights to softly lit lamps and reaching for those blue-blocking glasses as you sit down for a TV show before bed. These practices will support your circadian rhythm.