You might’ve heard some people or articles discussing “Blue Light” and the impact it has on our vision. But what exactly is blue light, and how does it really affect us?

What exactly is “Blue Light”?

Blue Light is the nickname given to the blue light rays that are apart of the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation that we know as sunlight, or just light in general. The reason blue is special at the moment is a variety of factors, that may cause various health issues in the future with the influx of technology that emits significant amounts of “blue light”.

What’s the danger in Blue Light?

Due to the natural structure of the human eye, most UV rays that would be harmful to our vision are blocked by the cornea and lens of the eye. Blue Light, however, is able to pass through these natural barriers and increase the risk of damage to the eye.

This blue light can cause damage to light-sensitive cells in the retina, which may cause macular degeneration, resulting in permanent vision loss.

Because of the prevalence of technology that uses screens with high amounts of blue light, more awareness is being brought to the issue, with more research being done regarding it now than any other time in history.

What can I do to protect myself?

There are a variety of ways to protect yourself from blue light, many software developers have recognized the issue and developed ways of changing the light that’s emitted from your screen, which are also designed to help regulate your sleep better.

Apple devices have a “Night Shift” feature that dims your light in the afternoon to imitate the effects of the sun lowering in the evening. This generally results in less digital eye strain for the user.

As well as this, there are various computer programs that do similar things with even more features, such as f.lux which will change the colors of your computer to be more eye-friendly.

Although blue light isn’t completely bad for you, it’s important to keep this information in mind as the prevalence of technology increases over time.