Should You Get Blue Light Protection On Your Lenses?

When you buy glasses, there are a lot of options to choose from. Most of them are pretty straightforward. For example, you know that getting anti-scratch protection on your lenses can help to extend the life of your glasses by protecting the lenses from damaging scratches. However, blue light protection might be a little more puzzling. If you're unsure what blue light is and whether or not you need protection from it, keep reading.

What Is Blue Light?

Blue light isn't actually a single form of light. Instead, it's a wavelength that comes through certain light sources. This phenomenon is similar to how ultraviolet rays work. While not all light sources produce ultraviolet rays, some do, and ultraviolet rays can be damaging to skin and eyes. Blue light is similar; you can't directly see blue light, just like you can't see ultraviolet rays. However, it's still there, and it can still have an impact on your vision.

Blue Light Sources

Most people are exposed to blue light in two main ways: the sun, and electronics.

The sun produces blue light and ultraviolet rays, and an excessive exposure to either one can potentially be harmful. However, since most people don't stand outside in the daylight all day long without sunglasses, electronics may be more dangerous.

With nearly everyone owning a mobile phone, chances are you're exposed to blue light. Your televisions, computer monitors, tablets, phones, and game devices all produce blue light. All of these devices produce less blue light than the sun. However, since most of these devices are kept fairly close to the face, it can allow more blue light to actually make it to the eyes, which is why eye doctors worry.

How Protection Is Useful

Blue light can potentially carry some long-term risks, like increasing your likelihood of developing macular degeneration later on in life. However, even in the short-term, blue light can cause some problems.

Blue light has been shown to interrupt normal sleep cycles, so if you use your devices at night, it might be hard for you to sleep. In addition, blue light can potentially increase eye strain from using electronics, which can make it difficult to work for long periods of time on a computer.

In short, if you're interested in protecting your vision, sleeping well at night, and being as productive as possible, blue light protection is something you should consider for your next pair of glasses.

Blue light isn't as harmful in the short-term as other forms of light, like ultraviolet rays, but that doesn't mean it's harmless. Talk to your eye doctor about getting blue light protection on your next pair of lenses.