Blue Light.

The sun is a natural and largest source of blue light. It increases alertness, aids memory and cognitive function and elevates mood. It is important to regulate the body’s sleep-wake pattern over the course of a 24-hour day, known as circadian rhythm. Although digital screens omit less blue light than the sun there is growing concern over the long-term effects to our eyes due to the lengthy periods of time spent looking at them.

Protect your eyes from digital screens

Our contemporary lifestyles mean that we spend more of our day in front of digital screens than ever. Our eyes can become strained from using common digital devices for long periods of time. These devices can include but isn’t limited to:

• Computer monitors
• Laptops
• ipads and smart notebooks
• Smart phones
• Television
• Gaming monitors

Digital eye strain and stress is common but not a condition or disease. It is used to describe symptoms that people experience when their eyes become too tired.

Eye strain occurs when we continually refocus our eyes looking to and from screens at varied distances, as well as reading smaller, pixelated fonts on screen.

Between 75-90% of screen users experience digital eye strain and stress. There are ways to reduce and protect your eyes against type of artificial light and eye strain.

Staring at screens all day can also lead to a combination of health issues such as:

• Red & sore and dry eyes
• Dry & tired eyes
• Blurred vision
• Headaches
• General tiredness
• Neck, shoulder or back pain

How to reduce digital eye strain

There are ways to reduce & protect your eyes against digital eye strain. The obvious answer is to limit our use of screens however this is not possible for many people.

You can try the following:

• Ensure any screen settings are appropriate for your environment; reduce screen brightness, increase font settings etc. to avoid straining to read.
• Ensure your desk set up reduces straining
• Take a break. Rest your eyes using the 20-20-20 method: look away from the screen at an object 20 feet away to provide a different focal length for your eyes, every 20 minutes, for around 20 seconds.
• Stay hydrated to increase eye moisture to alleviate dry eyes
• Protect your eyes – try lenses that reduce blue light exposure and are designed for closer or near close work and screen use
• Get an eye test if symptoms persist and do not improve

Support your eyes in the digital world.

At Health Partners a blue light filtering lens can be added to a prescription reducing blue light exposure.

Let our friendly team guide you through our wide range of lens design options to find the best solution to suit your lifestyle – and start protecting your eyes from digital eye strain.

Enjoy these benefits of ergonomically designed lenses:

• Enhanced screen comfort and improved visual contrast
• Protection from harmful blue light
• Easier refocusing on and away from screens
• Reduced neck and shoulder pain, natural posture for all kinds of near-based work
• No need to put your glasses on and off to get around the office

*Independently conducted research by New Focus Research, November 2016.
Prevent Blindness (2016), Blue Light and Your Eyes, https://preventblindness.org/blue-light-and-your-eyes/
Harvard Health Publishing (2020), Blue Light has a Dark Side, https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side