Anti-Blue Light Lenses: Relevant or Not?

Anti-blue light lenses are becoming all the rage in this era of the domination of remote work. Now that more people are working from home and more people are likely to spend more time in front of their computer screens and phone screens while working, eye care has become a hot topic of discussion.

Anti-Blue Light lenses; what are they?

These lenses are also known as Blue-light blockers and they are a particular type of eyewear with lenses designed to block out blue light while letting other types of light through them. They function by protecting the eyes from blue wavelengths, which are potentially dangerous for the eyes and can cause eye strain and affect the quality of sleep, supposedly. The theory is that prolonged exposure to blue light causes eye strain and reduces sleep quality.

These glasses have been widely touted to help with eye strain and are popularly recommended to remote workers and people who have to work long hours in front of their computer screens.

Do Anti-Blue Light lenses really work?

Now let’s take a moment to see if these glasses really work or if they’re just a status symbol that’s the latest sensation.

A lot of research has been done and some more studies are still ongoing with mixed results. Some studies found that people who used the anti-blue light lenses claimed to have felt less eye strain than others who did not use them.

Another study found that these lenses do not prevent eye strain or even improve the quality of your sleep as was previously claimed. another interesting fact to note is that blue light hasn’t been conclusively proven to cause eye strain associated with prolonged computer use, so using anti-blue lenses may not even be needed in the first place.

There have been no studies that conclusively associate the use of anti-blue light lenses with better sleep quality.

So, what’s the conclusion?

So for now, it’s safe to say that anti-blue light lenses may actually not protect against eye strain like is popularly believed. But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t some benefit to wearing them! Since there has been no negative effect associated with wearing these lenses so far, it’s acceptable to keep wearing them. The only danger with their use is the fact that people who wear them, tend to neglect their eyes when working in front of their screens. This is because they wrongly believe that they are protected by those lenses and do not need to do anything else.

How can you protect your eyes from harmful light and eye strain from prolonged screen time?

Prolonged screentime can cause eye strain. Some symptoms of eye strain include:

• Blurred vision.

• Headaches.

• Neck and shoulder pain.

• Dry eyes.

To protect your eyes:

Work in a well-lit room.

Too much light may not be useful when you’re working on your computer. It’s best to keep your curtains closed and fluorescent light use reduced so that your eyes don’t have to strain too much.

Use the 20-20-20 rule

This rule simply says that if you stare at your screen for 20 minutes, you should look at something that is at least 20 feet away from you for up to 20 seconds. In general, it’s better to spend less time looking at your screen.

Get your eyes checked regularly.

Regular eye exams will save you a whole lot of grief in the future. You should discuss all your eye concerns with your doctor and check that you’re practicing good eye habits at every meeting.

Adjust your phone settings for optimal eye health.

It may be best to put your phone on an automatic brightness setting that adjusts the screen brightness based on your environment. You can also increase your text size to make reading on your phone easier for your eyes. Make sure your phone screen is between six and eighteen inches away from you. Lastly, you can use night mode at night, if your phone offers such a feature.

Don’t forget, your eyes are irreplaceable and should be treasured! Do you work from home? Here are 5 ways to stay healthy while working from home!

Till my next post,

Dr. Omotola Oke