The education industry has recognized the potential dangers of excessive blue light exposure among students and teachers, particularly due to the increasing use of digital devices in classrooms.
Blue light emission from devices is a pretty rampant issue. In this age, virtually everyone uses a device that emits blue light for prolonged periods of time. On average, most people spend at least 6 hours staring at their phone and laptop screens, exposing their eyes to blue light.
What does this mean? Should you take note of how much exposure to blue light you are experiencing? What are the negatives and are there any likely solutions? Here is an overview of everything you need to know about blue light, including what it is, how it affects your eyes, and how to avoid exposure to it.
What is Blue Light?
Ordinarily, light that is visible may come across as white, however, it really does constitutes a number of various colors. Blue light is one of the several colors you can find in the light spectrum that is visible to the human eye. Other colors include red, blue, yellow, orange, indigo, green, and violet.
These colors make up white light when you see them together. However, each of them has varying wavelengths and energy levels.
The length of the wave impacts the energy level transmitted by light. A shorter wave would emit a higher energy level and vice versa. Of all the colors in the spectrum of light, blue light ranks as the one with the highest energy levels and the shortest wavelength. In fact, they are almost as powerful as UV rays which are considered very dangerous to the eyes and skin.
Sources of Blue Light
Blue light, just like the other colors of the visible light spectrum, is everywhere you look. The sun emits natural blue light, far more than any single device. Other than the sun, sources of blue light include the following:
- LED light
- Fluorescent lights
- Incandescent light bulbs
- Tablet screens, computer monitors, laptop screens, and mobile phones
- Flat-screen LED televisions
While you are more exposed to blue light from the sun, the concern with computer and phone screens is the close proximity at which you use these screens, the amount of time you spend on them, and the cumulative impact of using them on a daily basis.
Dangers of Blue Light
Health experts have expressed serious concerns about the dangers of blue light emitted from backlit digital screens and devices to the eyes. Their concerns are based on the fact that while the eye has built-in structures, the cornea, and lens, to protect the eyes from some kinds of light, these structures do not keep out blue light.
Prolonged exposure to blue light, especially at close range, can cause certain eye conditions, disrupt sleeping patterns and comfort and trigger a wide range of other health conditions.
Eyes
With rising screen time over the last two decades, more and more people are getting more exposed to the blue light from the screens of digital devices. The blue light emitted by these devices can cause discomfort in the eyes and other vision problems over an extended period of time.
One of the most common dangers of blue light to the eyes is digital eyestrain. Research shows that most people tend to blink fewer times than normal when using digital devices. This typically leads to reduced moisture in the eyes and can trigger eyestrain.
While different people may experience digital eyestrain in different ways, it generally affects the focusing mechanism of the eyes. This may result in difficulty with respect to concentrating when receiving blue light. Some of the common symptoms of digital eyestrain include the following:
- Dry eyes
- Eye pain
- Irritated or sore eyes
- Watery eyes
- Tired eyes
- Blurred vision
- Headaches
- Fatigued facial muscles from squinting
Sleep
Exposure to blue light from digital screens at night can significantly affect your sleeping pattern and comfort when sleeping. There are light sensors in your eyes and skin that can tell when the day is ending based on the intensity of blue light around you.
When the intensity becomes warmer in the evening with the sunset shades, your body triggers the hormone that induces sleep, otherwise known as melatonin. When you are continually exposed to blue light from digital devices, your body might suppress the release of this hormone.
This could significantly impact your sleeping cycle and your circadian rhythm, causing it to become more difficult for you to fall asleep, wake up at night, or stay alert during the day. Over an extended period of time, the disruption of your sleep cycle as a result of exposure to blue light can increase the risk of metabolic changes, and other health problems like hormone-related cancers.
Other Health Conditions
Cumulative exposure to blue light over an extended period of time could increase the chances of other health conditions. It can lead to health problems such as mood disorders, cataracts, as well as age-linked challenges like macular degeneration. How to Avoid Exposure to Blue Light
Technically, your best bet to avoid blue light altogether would be to ditch all your digital devices. But that is not a realistic option considering the uses of these devices and the importance they play in our lives.
However, there are steps you can take to minimize and even avoid exposure to blue light from digital devices. Here are a few of the most effective ways to avoid exposure to blue light from digital screens:
Take Frequent Breaks
If you use a device that emits blue light for long periods of time at a stretch, it is important that you take frequent breaks. You could indulge in some off-screen time after staring at the screen for about 20 to 30 minutes. Try to focus on any object that is about 20 feet away. Do this for about 20 seconds before you continue using your screen.
Put Your Devices Away Before Bedtime Hours
Towards the end of the day, you should try avoiding screen time totally, especially in the hours leading up to bedtime. Try to power down all your devices about two hours before your bedtime and put them away. This will prevent blue light from disturbing your body’s release of melatonin, the sleep-inducing hormone, allowing you to sleep better.
Acquire Blue Light-Blocking Glasses
Special computer glasses with blue light-blocking lenses can effectively reduce your exposure. They provide a layer of protection for your eyes when you use them whenever you are looking at your Vertical Monitor Computer or laptop screen.
It helps to reduce the eyestrain, dry eyes, and blurred vision that typically occurs after long screen times. It also helps with melatonin suppression.
Prioritize Low Blue Light Screens
One excellent way to avoid exposure to blue light from digital screens is to prioritize low blue light screens. Low blue light screens are specifically designed with the user’s eyes in mind. They emit less blue light, making them more suitable for long work hours.
One of such low blue light screens is the lapdock. The lapdock on its own neither identifies as a mobile phone nor as a computer. The device grants you a chance to transform your mobile phone and tablets into computers. It is only a shell with physical features. Its internal features are very fluid and are dependent on the device you choose to connect.
A rising number of people make use of their tablets or mobile phones as primary gadgets. This means that their exposure to blue light from digital screens is primarily from their mobile gadgets. Lapdocks are a perfect way to shift away from the strong blue light emitted by mobile devices and even computer monitors and laptop screens.
The screens on most smartphones are not larger than 6.7 inches. This means that most users will have to squint or strain their eyes when trying to view screen content with a lot of details. With lapdocks, instead of working directly on your phone and struggling to see the content on your screen, you can easily project your phone onto a bigger screen.
This makes it easier to view what is on your phone without having to squint or strain your eyes. Since you are working on a bigger screen, there would, typically, be more space between you and the lapdock. This means that the impact of even the low blue light is reduced by the time it reaches your eyes.
A lapdock like the Uperfect X Pro UDock offers perfection in this regard. This 15.6-inch display shows clear details while emitting lower levels of blue light. It is a portable display, meaning you can lug it with you wherever you are going. You can also choose to go with the 11.6-inch Uperfect X Mini if you want a slightly smaller screen.
The benefits of these lapdocks are phenomenal, especially because of the low blue light capabilities they offer. Activating Samsung Dex, Huawei EMUI Easy Projection, LG Screen+, Motorola Ready Go, Oneplus, and other smartphones with Desktop Mode by One USB-C to USB-C cable, easy plug & play. UPERFECT X has A 10 Points Multi-Touch Capacitive screen that lets you interact directly with what is displayed and provides accurate content interaction. In addition, this docking station’s 1080p FHD (Full High-Definition) displays 2 million pixels, twice as much as HD, and results in excellent details on the screen. With a 10,000mAh battery, the X Dex monitor will provide the power you need, whether you spend your time playing games, watching movies, or writing articles. What’s more, the 2-IN-1 convertible design of this laptop dock allows you to rotate the keyboard portion 360 degrees, out of the way back behind the screen, and quickly transform from keyboard monitor to Monitors. Benefits from advanced gravity sensing function, the screen could be auto-rotating when put upside down, which is more convenient in use.
Conclusion
You cannot completely eliminate blue light. It is a part of the natural electromagnetic energy spectrum. You can, however, limit your exposure to it, especially from the screen of your digital devices to avoid the damage it can do to your eyes.
Take frequent breaks if you are usually behind a screen for long periods of time. Glasses that block blue light can come in very handy during the day and put your digital devices away ahead of your bedtime. Do not forget to get yourself a low blue light screen like the Uperfect X Pro UDock or the Uperfect X Mini.
