Harmful Blue Light and How You Can Protect Your Eyes
Why Blue Light Can Be Harmful and Good For You explained simply.
Blue light from the sun causes the production of cortisol in the brain. Cortisol gives us energy and alertness
Blue Light at night from LED bulbs, fluorescent lights, tvs, our phones and laptops keep the brain from releasing melatonin, the sleep hormone.
We don’t know yet of the full potential physical harm that decades of over exposure to Blue light will do to our retinas and macula of our eyes.
Allowing Blue light in during the day and blocking it at night may be the best approach for optimal health.
Human beings have built, and now live in, a complex and often artificial world that includes a myriad of Blue Light sources. For millions of years, our ancestors lived by the light of the sun; they slept when darkness arrived and rose with the daylight.
Until recently, most people didn't live to be 70, or 80, or 90 years old. All four of my great grandparents died in their 60’s . We live longer, and most assuredly, are asking more of our bodies, and more of eyes! We wish to live healthfully, to an old age; yet, we are getting less sleep, and even less deep sleep. Any light, even dim light, can decrease our brains’ secretion of Melatonin, but Blue Light does so more powerfully.
Harvard Medical School researchers have found that Blue Light suppresses Melatonin for twice as long as exposure to green light, and that a specific band of Blue Light can be harmful to our eyes. High-energy blue-violet light, at the end of the visible light spectrum near Ultra-violet light (UV), causes significant damage to retinal cells and is a risk factor for age related Macular degeneration, the deterioration of the part of the retina responsible for sharp central vision and the formation of cataracts.
Limiting your exposure to Blue Light is the simplest way to decrease its harmful affects. However, for many whose work requires them use their laptops, tablets and smart phones, this may be difficult to do. Additional negative effects on our eyes may come from working the nightshift, or for those who use their devices for entertainment at home.
In 2009, research began to develop eyeglass lens materials to filter Blue Light, and by 2013, the first lens created to be the “first preventative defense” against harmful Blue Light, Crizal Prevencia, was launched by Essilor of France.
At Carytown Optical Shoppe, we offer protection against Blue Light with lenses and coatings such as Crizal Prevencia, Blutech lens material made by Blutech, and Blue Zero by Shamir available in non-prescription or prescription; in single vision, bifocal, progressive lenses, and in sunglasses.. Both provide protection against UV and harmful high-energy Blue Light.
Both Crizal Prevencia and Blutech provide soothing vision; and most anyone who works beneath fluorescent lighting would immediately feel the affects; and see the warming affects of the lenses, that prevent harm to their eyes, and help with their sleep cycles. As I mentioned, the world was once a dark place after the setting of the sun. Now, because of 24-hour electricity, we take artificial light, available to us at a flick of a switch, for granted.
We are staying up late to the light of our televisions, often also with a laptop or tablet in our laps. Our indoor lamps and overhead lighting are often the Blue Light emitting, energy-efficient LED bulbs. Not all colors of light have the same effect. Blue wavelengths of light are very beneficial during the day. They boost attention by causing the brain to produce cortisol, the energy or stress hormone which we need for reaction times alertness and mood; however, they are the most disruptive at night. With the proliferation of electronic devices and energy efficient lighting, our exposure to Blue Light has us potentially sleep deprived as a result. Noted by Harvard Medical School, working the night shift and exposure to light at night increase risks of developing several types of cancer, diabetes, or heart disease.
It is not exactly clear why nighttime light exposure is so bad for us, but we do know that the exposure to light suppresses the secretion of Melatonin, a hormone that influences circadian rhythm. With darkness, the brain releases Melatonin, a chemical that induces us to sleep. There are preliminary studies that suggest that the lack of Melatonin through exposure to light at night may be linked with cancer.
We all know that smart phones, computers and tablets are here stay. The new energy efficient bulbs are also emitting damaging high energy Blue Light. Wearing preventative lenses is the best defense against Macular degeneration and cataracts, which affect more than 350 million people around the world. Due to the aging population, that figure is expected to double in the next 30 years.
Learn more about Crizal Prevencia and Blutech lenses, the best way to filter Blue Light for those who are exposed at night, on our Lens Options page of carytownoptical.com or click on the links below. Drop by the Shoppe for a look at some samples; and please more read about the damage high-energy Blue Light can cause!
Carytown Optical Shoppe, Richmond Virginia
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