Blue Light glasses

Blue Light glasses – why might you need them?

Health
15 Mar 2021

Many of our customers ask questions about the Blue Light glasses, so here we’ll try and provide a summary overview.

What is blue light?

Some forms of light are described as “High Energy Blue” or HEB for short. In common parlance, this is often known simply as “Blue Light” but we’ll use HEB here for brevity.

We don’t need to explore the science in too much detail but suffice it to say that HEB is given off in quantity by many modern devices including LED lighting, computer screens, mobile phones, tablets, and so on. The sun is also a natural emitter of HEB.

Why does this matter?

It’s probably fair to note that not a huge amount of science has been conducted on this one and the field is relatively new. As such, the results are subject to interpretation and dispute amongst scientists. There is a fair degree of controversy in this area.

Even so, there is some emerging consensus that HEB may damage the eye and have other undesirable medical effects. These are suggested to include:

  • disruptions to the body’s circadian rhythms (essentially your body clock that governs sleeping);
  • possible retinal damage over time;
  • eyestrain and headaches;
  • dry and irritated eyes plus possibly blurred vision;
  • possible contributory effects to the frequency and severity of certain forms of migraine.

What is the mechanism?

Given the field is still under investigation and hard scientific evidence is in short supply, this can only be said to be a presumption.

However, some scientists speculate that HEB in nature from the sun is offset and counter-balanced by other light frequencies. They argue that the human eye and brain simply never evolved to cope with large and near exclusive concentrations of HEB as found in many work and artificial lighting situations.

There is some tentative associative evidence to support this, as it is known that a large reduction in exposure to natural sunlight can have a range of detrimental psychological and physiological effects that were once doubted.

However, some researchers and medical professionals dismiss HEB claims as being without hard evidence to support them and that many of the claimed effects can be explained away via other well-documented causes.

An example of this is eyestrain and dry eye syndrome, which is known to be caused in part by the overuse of close-focus on computer screens etc and which are related to eye muscles, not HEB.

Eyetician’s position

Our duty of care to our clients means we keep them objectively informed on current eye-health subjects.

We do not in this case, take a formal stand on the damage of the HEB debate. We’re commenting on it to help our clients form their own views.

How this affects glasses

It is now possible to purchase Blue Light glasses with a specified level of HEB blocking capability.

Some major medical associations are now recommending that people making heavy use of computer screens during a given day, should consider wearing such glasses.

Do I need Blue Light glasses?

We pride ourselves on offering the best eyeglasses, Vancouver or elsewhere. However, unfortunately, we cannot offer medical advice.

If you are experiencing some of the symptoms and medical conditions mentioned above, you should contact your doctor. He or she may well give you a medical examination and possibly then refer you on to an eye specialist.

Subject to their findings, they may recommend you purchase Blue Light glasses.

In our opinion, if you are spending many hours per day working or otherwise using technology screens, it might be prudent to take specialist medical advice or to purchase a pair of glasses designed to block or reduce HEB.

Our service

As always, we’d welcome further contact and questions through our website.