By now you’ve probably heard about Blue Light, but you might be wondering what really is Blue Light and what does Blue Light do? There’s a lot of confusion about Blue Light, which can lead people to ask why is Blue Light bad? Blue Light is the highest-energy light on the visible spectrum (380-500 nm wavelengths) and sits right next to UV light.
Blue Light comes from the sun (which we all learned as kids not to stare at), but it also comes from all of the electronic devices and LED lights we’re constantly surrounded by and there are many effects of Blue Light. There are many questions about the dangers of Blue Light and the Blue Light effect on eyes (or even potential Blue Light eye damage). Luckily, there are some great Blue Light blocker solutions for anyone stuck in front of digital screens all day.
So how does Blue Light really affect us and is Blue Light bad? Here are 5 ways Blue Light impacts you (whether you realize it or not):
- Messes with your sleep – As seen in the Harvard Health Letter, Blue Light exposure can decrease our melatonin secretion (our body’s natural sleep hormone), which can make it difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep, and feel rested in the morning.
- Can cause eye fatigue – Blasting your eyes all day with Blue Light from your computer can cause something called Digital Eye Strain. This can make your eyes feel tired and overworked after staring at a screen all day.
- Can result in blurry vision – Another symptom of Digital Eye Strain is blurry vision. If you think about it, one third of Americans spend 8 hours of the day in front of their screen, and according to the Vision Council, 27.9% of adult Americans report experiencing blurred vision.
- Can cause headaches – Have you ever experienced an afternoon headache after hours in front of your computer? One of the more dramatic effects of Digital Eye Strain is the fact it can cause screen-induced headaches and migraines.
- Potential tie to macular degeneration – While there is still research that needs to be done, more and more studies are linking an overexposure of Blue Light potentially to macular degeneration. The macula is part of the retina, which is a vital part of our vision, and without it, we can’t see. As we mentioned, more research still needs to be conducted about the long term effects of Blue Light to fully understand the impact.