Blue Light: Pros and Cons
Blue light has been in the news quite a bit lately. One study published in Scientific Reports warned of the harmful effects that light could have on retina cells.
What Is Blue Light
Sunlight is made up of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet light. It becomes the white light you see them combined. Each of these light colors has a different energy and wavelength. Light rays on the red end have longer wavelengths and less energy. Blue rays have shorter wavelengths and more energy. Blue light enters your eye, both naturally in sunlight and from electronic screens and other light sources including fluorescent light, CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulbs and ED lights.
Do We Need Blue Light?
It boosts alertness, helps memory and cognitive function, elevates mood and can help during daytime hours to maintain a healthy circadian rhythm. Some recent studies suggest that not enough exposure to sunlight in children could affect the growth and development of their eyes and a lack of blue light could possibly contribute to the recent increase in nearsightedness. For more information read: https://www.preventblindness.org/blue-light-and-your-eyes
What Are Possible Negative Impacts?
Too much blue light at night could impact your circadian rhythm negatively. For more information read: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25535358 . Furthermore, blue light from computer screens and other digital devices can lead to eyestrain. Keep in mind that fatigue, dry eyes, bad lighting, and how you sit in front of your computer can also cause eyestrain. When your eyes feel sore or irritated and have difficulty focusing, you are experiencing eyestrain. As mentioned earlier, a new study suggests that blue light exposure over a long period of time could lead to damage to retina cells (cells found in your eyes.) This could possibly lead to problems including age-related macular degeneration. Some experts caution that the experiments in the study do not mimic what is actually happening in your live eyes and that the cells in the study weren’t exposed to light in the way cells in the eye are naturally. For more information click here: https://www.aao.org/eye-health/news/smartphone-blue-light-is-not-blinding-you. If you have questions about blue light ask the experts at West Side Eye Clinic.
Westside Eye Clinic can help you maintain your eye health and keep your vision in focus.
To make an appointment at Westside Eye Clinic to evaluate your vision, you can reach us at (504) 347-8434.
For more information, you can submit a request at info@westsideeyeclinic.com. We are located at 4601 Wichers Drive in Marrero and are at your service Monday through Wednesday from 9am – 5pm; Thursday and Friday from 9am – 4pm; and by appointment only on Saturday. Your complete eye health is our top priority!
The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
