Blue light
Can blue light really have an effect on our eyes? Let’s take a closer look
What is blue light?
Blue light is just one part of our visible light spectrum. Sunlight is made up of many different types of coloured light – all the colours of the rainbow combine to make the ‘white light’ that we are familiar with. Blue light has a short wavelength & high energy levels, which means it is defined as a ‘visible’ light source.
There are a few different light sources that produce blue light, with the largest & brightest being the sun. Other sources include:
- Artificial lights (like bright office lighting)
- Digital devices (including phones, tables, laptops & more)
Recently, the media has raised some people’s concerns about the impact that blue light, especially from our devices, can have on our eyes. But in reality, there’s no strong scientific evidence to suggest that blue light exposure can have any effect on our eyes.
What blue light products are available at Boots Opticians?
Although there is no strong evidence to suggest that blue light is harmful to the eyes, many people still choose to opt for glasses lenses that include a blue light filter to reduce the amount of blue light that reaches their eyes.
These lenses are designed to block out a small portion of blue light, because if we blocked out 100% of it, it would alter the way we see all the colours around us.
ZEISS ClearView
ZEISS ClearView lenses offer you excellent clear vision & great looking lenses, with the additional benefits of sunglass level UV protection & blue light filtering all in a single vision lens.
- Filters 40% of blue light*
- Provides a three-times larger area of clearer vision**
- Thinner & flatter than standard single vision lenses
So, do blue light lenses work?
Well, it’s important to remember that the amount of blue light emitted from our digital devices & artificial lighting is tiny compared to the amount naturally emitted by sunlight.
I feel like I’m experiencing eye strain when using digital devices – what can I do?
While there’s no evidence to suggest blue light can cause eye strain, this doesn’t mean your devices aren’t a contributing factor to tired, dry eyes. Eye strain can happen for a few reasons, for example, if you’re spending long periods of the day concentrating & looking at a screen, or sitting too closely to it. We blink less when we’re using screens, which can result in drier eyes.
If you’re a glasses wearer, eye strain can also happen when glare from digital screens or surrounding light sources hit your lenses, causing you to squint or strain your eyes.
To help ease your eye strain, we advise you to:
- Get an up-to-date eye test, to make sure your prescription is right for you
- Take breaks using the 20:20:20 rule (taking a break of at least 20 seconds every 20 minutes to look at least 20 feet away)
- Consider making changes to your lighting conditions or your screen brightness
- Get an anti-reflection coating on your glasses
- Consider purchasing a prescription set of glasses solely for use when on the computer
- Try dry eye drops
If you’re frequently experiencing symptoms of eye strain, or you’re frequently using computers, we recommend that you have regular eye tests to keep on top of any changes to your vision. You can also speak to your optician for further advice on managing eye strain.
*Built on the foundation of ZEISS UVProtect Technology, the ZEISS BlueGuard lens material provides full UV Protection and now additionally blocks up to 40 % of potentially harmful and irritating blue light. Source: Inhouse measurements and calculations based on the BVB (Blue-Violet-Block) metric. Analyses by Technology and Innovation, ZEISS Vision Care, DE 2020.
**Quantitative analyses by Technology & Innovation, Carl Zeiss Vision GmbH, 2020 comparing ZEISS ClearView with ZEISS AS lenses.
