Have you ever had trouble sleeping at night, feeling wide awake, and then waking up with a headache and tiredness? Too much blue light could be the culprit! Between scrolling, swiping, and staring at social media, watching Tv or playing video games, most of us spend a lot of time staring at screens, especially our kids.

Too much blue light exposure is bad for adults and even worse for kids as their eyes are still developing.

Nearly all blue light reaches a child’s retina! Blue light is a wavelength that is naturally present in light. Compared to other light types, blue light has a short wavelength and can cause eye damage when exposed to too much of it.

Studies have also found that sleeping with blue light-emitting devices can be incredibly detrimental to your sleep cycles, making it harder to fall asleep and even disturbing your circadian rhythm. Aside from digital eyestrain, continuous exposure to blue light over time could lead to damaged retinal cells and more critical vision problems as you age.

Here are a few tips from Prevent Blindness America on how you can prevent and also protect you and your child’s vision from the harmful effects of blue light.

Screen time

Take frequent breaks and/or try to decrease the amount of time spent in front of screens to give your eyes a rest.

Filters

Smart phones, tablets, and computer screens all have screen filters available that can decrease the amount of blue light given that could reach the retina in our eyes from these devices.

Anti-reflective lenses

Use anti-reflective lenses which can reduce glare and increase contrast and also block blue light from the sun and digital devices. There are a lot of glasses for kids that have different good color options and styles nowadays with prescription lenses perfect pair of glasses for kids.

Computer and Blue-light blocking glasses 

Yellow-tinted lenses and blue light specialty lenses will block blue light and can help ease computer digital eye strain by increasing contrast. Protect your eyes from blue light coming from the digital screens of your gadgets. It is best to use a pair of blue light computer glasses especially if your kids are online all day for their online classes.

What are the benefits of blue-light-blocking glasses?

Reduces eye strain

Digital devices emit a blue light which is what can strain your eyes after hours of use. Using blue light lenses will reduce eye fatigue and the things that come along with it, like headaches and blurred vision and the potential damage to your eyes.

Lessen or prevent age-related macular degeneration

Blue-light blocking glasses serve as a barrier between your eyes and the blue light and can mitigate long-term damage. Without this, the blue light penetrates your eye all the way to the retina. Wearing blue light glasses can help you avoid these types of eye disease.

Rest and sleep better

Exposure to too much blue light too late in the evening can have a serious effect on your circadian rhythms by slowing or completely stopping the production of melatonin—the chemical in your brain that tells your body it’s time to go to bed. Experts recommend turning off all devices that give off blue light at least two hours before bed, but we all know that’s not always possible, so to avoid the negative side-effects of late-night blue light exposure, blue light blockers are a must.

So, what do we recommend?

All of our Rec Specs products are unique because they are all available with your prescription.

Through the Rec Specs Lab, we also customize your lenses and prescription glasses to your individual needs. FFor the best vision protection and performance for blue light protection, we recommend a blue block lens with our exclusive 2x2 ProCoat coating. This provides protection from digital eyestrain with 2x fast fog recovery and 2 x anti-glare. This is a long-standing favorite when paired with a Rec Specs Active Ophthalmic frame and great for kids at school!

We also always recommend talking to your eye care professional about options about ways to protect your family and your eyes by using blue light filtering glasses. Having the right type of frame and lenses is an investment of your eye health now and in the future.

If you are interested in trying out Rec Specs frames or our 2x2 ProCoat, you can shop online for our Rec Specs Active Ophthalmic Collection or message us through our contact forms. 

Let us know in the comment section if you have any question!