Blue Light-Blocking Lenses in Glasses: Do They Really Work?

Blue Light-Blocking Lenses in Glasses: Do They Really Work?

Many healthcare professionals often recommend that their patients wear glasses with lenses that protect against blue light. In the present times, the use of blue light blocking lenses in glasses has become more and more popular. The reason behind such popularity is mostly due to the blue light emitted from screens (Television, mobile phones, laptops, or any other electronic devices with screens).

All you need to know about using blue light blocking lenses:

Many experts and ophthalmologists are known to claim that using blue light blocking lenses in your spectacles can be beneficial for the health of your eyes. They are known to keep your eyes healthy and lower the excessive amounts of strain that your eyes may be experiencing each day as a result of extreme exposure to the screens of mobile phones, computers, laptops, and so on.

But it is important to know whether you should be using blue light blocking lenses in your glasses at all. This article will help to give you a detailed account of what a blue light blocking lens is all about, what the perks of using such lenses in your glasses are, and most importantly, whether you should be using such glasses at all.

Blue light blocking lens: Here are all the details.

Blue light is a unique type of light and one of the vivid colours that is produced in the visible light spectrum. This blue light is unique because it has a much shorter wavelength, compared to the other lights of the spectrum. It can also have a higher energy of around 400 to 500 nanometers. Many people are now exposed to light-emitting diodes (LEDs), organic LEDs, and active-matrix organic LEDs in technology. So, it may be important to use lenses that can help to protect the eyes from the harmful effects of such radiation.

So, it is quite obvious that excessive exposure of the eyes to blue light can affect or even damage the retina. In such conditions, the layer of cells that form the lining of the back wall inside the eye can be affected as well. You need to protect these cells from the harmful blue light exposure because they are beneficial for sensing the light and sending signals to the brain so that you can see. When the retina is exposed to lights of shorter wavelengths, such as blue light, you might need lenses with blue light blocking technology to reduce the risks of damage caused by excessive exposure to blue light.

Can you prevent retinal damage with blue light?

Many experts often recommend glasses with blue light locking technology to protect the retina and its cells from any kind of damage. It is mostly due to this reason that ophthalmologists and experts recommend that you use devices, especially lenses that have blue light blocking technology. But many research studies have revealed that using devices that promise to provide protection to the eyes from excessive blue light exposure may not be effective in all cases.

This is because there is not enough proof to claim that blue light-absorbing lenses can help in lowering the risks of developing or progression of retinal damage or disorders such as age-related macular degeneration.

But it can also be said that if you are trying to get rid of migraine pain or similar types of headaches and eye strains due to extreme blue light exposure from screens of laptops or mobile phones, then you can always use glasses with blue light eliminating lenses fixed within them.

Why do experts ask you to wear blue light-blocking lenses?

Doctors usually ask you to get rid of blue light hazards in the eyes and the risks of phototoxicity or sensitivity that may develop as a result of extreme exposure to blue light, Many spectacle makers and manufacturing companies that produce lenses with blue light blocking technologies, often claim that such lenses can help to filter out the blue light and can therefore help to reduce the risks of eye damage.

This can eventually help in reducing the chances of developing the following symptoms:

 Headaches

 Dizziness

 Digital eye strain

 Poor sleeping patterns.

But there is no such scientific proof to claim that using lenses that can easily filter out blue light can truly protect the eyes from the damage caused by exposure of the eyes to the harmful electronic blue light.

There is, however, some scientific evidence that are known to claims the blue light that affects the body’s circadian rhythm, our natural wake and sleep cycle can be checked when you wear glasses with blue light blocking lenses in them. But apart from wearing lenses with blue light blocking technology, you can try to avoid the use of wearing lenses just before you are going to bed. This will not only help to get rid of sleep disruptions, but can also help to bring your sleeping patterns into proper sync.

Is there any harmful effect of wearing blue light-blocking lenses?

It is not proven yet that if you wear lenses that help block the blue light emitted from screens, then it will cause any harm to your eyes in particular. But if you simply expect such types of lenses to protect your eyes alone and do not take any other protection when your retina is exposed to the blue rays of the screens, then it can have negative effects.

What else can you do to ease eye strain?

Since there is no proper scientific evidence that using lenses with blue light blocking technology can help to get rid of eye strain and other types of eye problems, you may use other alternative methods for curing eye strain. Some such methods can be listed here as follows:

• Try to sit quietly at almost 25 inches in arm's from the screen that you are using (it may be a computer, laptop, phone, or a TV screen)

• Make sure that the screen is placed in a way that you are gazing slightly downward

• Try to take frequent breaks at regular intervals using the famous “20-20-20” rule: you will shift your eyes to look at an object at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds every 20 minutes

• Long screen exposure can cause strain and make your eyes dry, so to avoid that, try to use artificial tears to refresh them

• Make sure that the teardrops that you are applying to your eyes are approved by your eye experts

• Adjust the lighting of your room and increase the contrast on your screen to reduce eye strain

• You can also turn the eye protection feature on while using screens for long hours

• If you wear contact lenses, give your eyes a break by wearing your glasses

• Consult an ophthalmologist if you notice other major symptoms that disrupt your vision.

Blue light blocking lenses and eye health of children:

Many parents often find this a matter of concern for their children, as children these days are heavily exposed to the blue lights emitted by screens from mobile phones, computers, or laptops. While glasses with blue light-controlling technologies may help, it would be more advisable to manage their daily screen time. Parents must also take them to eye experts in case of major eye problems.

Final Thoughts:

Excessive exposure of your eyes to blue light can create digital eye strain, which can be detrimental to eye health. In such cases, you can choose to put on eyewear that consists of lenses with blue light blocking technology.

However, the simple answer to the question of whether lenses with blue light blocking technology are beneficial for your eyes is that they can be helpful, but there is no absolute proof that wearing lenses with such technologies can help to prevent damage caused by blue light.