HOW BLUE LIGHT IS AFFECTING YOU, AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT

In a previous post we reviewed what blue light is and where it can be found both naturally and artificially in our daily lives. Now it’s time to dig into how blue light affects us both positively and negatively, and what steps you can take to protect your eyes.

Blue light can be found all around us during the day in its natural form. The Sun’s light filters through the Earth’s atmosphere, creating our blue sky. Our bodies have chemically adapted to the daily exposure we get to natural blue light. It helps dictate our circadian rhythms by affecting when and how much melatonin (the hormone that regulates our sleep-wake cycle) is produced. Exposure to natural blue light gives us more energy during the day for our most productive hours and has shown to boost moods and wellbeing overall.

However, now that artificial blue light has entered our households, exposing us to blue light in the evenings and often late into the night via TVs, phones, tablets, computers, and certain LED light bulbs it’s no surprise that it has shown to disturb natural sleep habits, among other things. While natural blue light helps regulate our circadian rhythm, artificial blue light can disrupt that circadian rhythm just as easily. Prolonged exposure to blue light can reduce the production of melatonin, throwing off our body’s natural sleep and wake cycles. And with less quality sleep, overall health and wellbeing is put at risk.

Though the human eye is good at filtering UV rays, it’s not so great at filtering blue light. According to the Canadian Association of Optometrists, “Virtually all visible blue light passes through the cornea and lens and reaches the retina. The effect of this exposure is cumulative, and the total number of exposure hours is what matters.”

High energy blue light waves create “visual noise” that reduces contrast and makes it more difficult for the eye to focus, contributing to dry eyes, blurry vision, headaches, and neck and back pain. The specific condition given to this collection of physical side effects has been coined Digital Eyestrain Syndrome. Though research is still being done on the concrete effects of prolonged blue light exposure, it has also been suggested that it can contribute to retinal damage, the advancement of cataracts, and may increase one’s risk for diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer.

So what can you do?

While all of this may seem dooming, there are preventative measures you can take to protect your eyes and overall well being from the harmful effects of blue light.

As the Canadian Association of Optometrists advises, “A healthy diet, high in leafy green vegetables and colourful fruits, may help to increase the levels of the protective pigments in the retina and mitigate some damaging effects of blue light.”

And to prevent blue light from disrupting sleep cycles, experts suggest getting natural blue light exposure early in the day, avoiding bright screens for 2-3 hours before bedtime, and limiting screen time to no more than two hours per day for children ages 5-18, one hour per day for children ages 2-5, and avoiding it completely for children 2 years of age or younger.

But in today’s digital age, we know how difficult it can be to limit exposure to artificial blue light. Our devices are part of our work life, home life, sources of entertainment, and ways in which we communicate with one another. That’s why at Jim Halo, we offer specialty lenses developed specifically to filter blue light and its harmful effects. Peruse our selection, and find protective lenses for you and your family so you can enjoy screen time without having to worry about your health or the health of your loved ones.

At this point in our digital age, you most likely have heard tell that blue light can be detrimental to sleep habits and overall health. But before we dive into how blue light affects individuals in both positive and negative ways, let’s first clarify what exactly blue light is and where it can be found.

Put simply, blue light itself is a color on the visible light spectrum (meaning it is visible to the human eye), and it’s emitted from both natural and artificial sources.

Your eyes intake natural blue light everyday when you step outside or look out the window. As light from the Sun travels through the Earth’s atmosphere, the short and energetic wavelengths belonging to blue light collide with air molecules in the atmosphere, resulting in what we see as a blue sky. So in its natural form, our primary source of blue light is the Sun.

Your eyes are also exposed to blue light from artificial sources like computer screens, smart phones, tablets, TVs, and certain fluorescent and LED light bulbs. The LED lighting in smart devices like phones, computers, and tablets emit a strong blue light, which helps to create a bright and clear image on their screens.

The blue light’s wavelength is one of the shortest on the spectrum, meaning it is one of the highest-energy wavelengths as well. Our bodies use natural blue light to cue our sleep patterns and alertness, explaining why we have more energy during the day. But the human eye cannot protect itself from prolonged blue light exposure. And when intaking blue light for extended periods of time from artificial sources in addition to the natural sources our bodies have already evolved around, we begin to see negative mental and physical health side effects.

Check out our post on How Blue Light Is Affecting You to learn more about the negative impact blue light can have on your health, and discover preventative steps you can take to protect not just your eyes, but your overall well being.
Many blue-light blocking glasses you can buy also claim to help reduce eye strain.

What are blue-light blocking glasses?

Blue light blocking glasses have filters in their lenses that block or absorb blue light, and in some cases UV light, from getting through. That means if you use these glasses when looking at a screen, especially after dark, they can help reduce exposure to blue light waves that can keep you awake.

Most are meant to be worn during the day while working in front of a computer, and at night to prevent the blue light from screens from keeping us awake.

Should I get blue-light blocking glasses?

It depends — do you want or need to look at your phone after dark, and having trouble falling asleep?

There is ample evidence that blue light affects when our bodies create melatonin, so if you use screens long after sundown, these glasses might help stop you from staying up later than you want.

Do you know how many hours you will spend on on digital devices? It is 11 hours. Imagine this, your eyes are faced with the harmful blue light from mobile usage, computer time, TV allotment, and the use of other electronics. Horrible, right ?

Based on Jim Halo research for 100 young people from 20 year to 35 years old, the data tells us that 2/3 our time goes by with technology. It is from the time we wake up to the time we fall asleep.
Stepping outdoors into sunlight; flipping on a wall switch indoors; turning on your the display screens of computers, electronic notebooks, smartphones and other digital devices emit significant amounts of harmful blue light.
They make your eyes being exposed to a variety of visible (and sometimes invisible) light rays that can have a range of effects.
What is harmful blue light?

Harmful blue light, aka high energy visible light, has a short wave length, making it super high in energy.harmful blue light is everywhere. Sunlight is the main source of harmful blue light, and being outdoors during daylight is where most of us get most of our exposure to it. But there are also many man-made,from some digital devices, LED lights, and even the sun.Our exposure to harmful blue light can cause eye discomfort, but you can give your eyes a break by enhancing your glasses with a harmful blue light-reducing lens coating like Jim Halo blue blocker.

How to avoid harmful blue light ?

Today, we’re going to show you how to decrease your harmful blue light exposure with Jim Halo blue blocker lens.

As we all know, to avoid harmful blue light is impossible. As harmful blue light passes through the lens of your eye, it scatters. It make your eyes unable to focus on this scattered light. Luckily, you can decrease your exposure with . Jim Halo Blue Blockers is a anti-reflective lens coating that absorbs and deflects harmful blue light from your eyes, allowing you to combat eye strain while working, learning, playing, or simply staying connected.

Jim Halo anti blue light glasses PROTECT YOUR EYES – High Energy Blue Light emitted by electronic devices (such as computers, TV, smartphones) have shown to increase the risk of vision conditions from sore dry eyes to macular degeneration. Maintain healthy eyes by reducing exposure to high energy blue light.

A twitching eye can be quite irritating. Medically known as myokymia, it is characterized by the twitching of the eyelid. Although it is a common condition, and considered harmless, continual twitching can be pestering. Eye twitching is attributed to a variety of reasons such as stress, eye strain, and others. In most of the cases, it doesn’t last for more than a few minutes. However, in some severe cases, it can last for hours, and in some worse ones, even for a few days. This blog mainly talks about some of the common reasons for eye twitching, along with some remedies for it.

Causes of Eye Twitching

Let us take a look at some of the most common reasons causing eye twitching.

Fatigue

Inadequate sleep, or stress resulting out of many other routine factors, can lead to eye twitching. Getting sufficient and regular sleep, in such a situation can prove helpful. If your eyes are watching the computer and the phone screen for a long time, it is recommended that you wear blue light blocking glasses

Stress

Stress is considered to be the most common of all the reasons for eye twitching. Some of the most effective ways to reduce stress are to practice some breathing exercises, practice Yoga regularly, spending some quality time with friends and family, etc. These lifestyle changes and practices will help reduce stress, and subsequently the occurrences of eye twitching if stress is the cause for it.

Caffeine Intake

Excessive caffeine intake, consumption of tea, and soft drinks can result in eye twitching. If that is so, one may prevent, cure and reduce eye twitching by cutting down on the caffeine intake for a couple of weeks, and see if it makes a difference.

Dryness in Eyes

Dryness in eyes is commonly found in middle-aged people, as well as people who are indulged in the use of computers, laptops, and mobile phone throughout the day. Besides, it is also associated with the consumption of antidepressants, the use of contact lenses, and the consumption of alcohol. Dryness in eyes must be evaluated and administered through an eye doctor. Improving eye moisture levels can prove helpful in this regard, as it will help reduce eye twitching thereafter.

Allergies

Eye allergies causing swelling, itching and watery eyes too are linked with eye twitching. Often, people suffering from eye allergies tend to rub their eyes frequently. This results in the release of histamine in the eyelid tissues and the tear film. This process can trigger eye twitching. The use of eye drops may help combat eye allergies. However, the antihistamines content in these eye drops can, in turn, result in dry eyes, and subsequently result in eye twitching. Consulting an eye doctor in such a situation can help you combat both, eye allergies, as well as eye twitching.

Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol consumption, in some cases, is linked with eye twitching. In case, you’ve experienced eye twitching after consuming alcohol, try keeping yourself away from alcohol for a while. If the condition persists, consult your eye doctor.

Nutritional Deficiency

Magnesium deficiency, according to some reports, causes eye twitching. Although, this fact isn’t adequately proved yet, you must be concerned about your diet, and follow one that offers all the necessary elements that support a healthy and long lasting vision.

Eye Strain

Eye strain has become a common problem today, as people tend to spend hours on their laptops, tablets, computers, texting, etc. Continual exposure to the rays emitted through these devices can strain the eyes, and cause a lot of other eye problems, out of which eye twitching it but one. A possible solution to this is to look away from the screen after every 20 minutes, and look at something that’s far, probably something at a distance of around 20 feet for 20 seconds or maybe longer. This helps relieve eye fatigue, and further helps reduce eye twitching.

Hope, this blog acquainted you with enough reasons to understand why you’ve been suffering from eye twitching, and also the possible remedies for it. Based on the reason, making some lifestyle changes, followed by a sincere adherence towards them can help you cure eye twitching to a large extent. However, in case of persistent, recurring, and long-lasting eye twitching, one must see an eye doctor and get it administered appropriately.