FOX Connecticut: Students Concerned With Long-Term Effects of Blue Light
Most Americans spend nearly 11 hours each day focusing on screens. While this has multiple effects on social and mental health, people are worried about its effects on eyes as well.
One student interviewed for the story – Brynn Kovacs – says that looking at screens for so long gives him headaches and causes his eyes to become blurry. Teachers agree: Julia Hillbrand, a foreign language teacher, says that “prepping, taking attendance, answering emails and grades, I feel more tired, being behind a screen especially for a long period of time, just increases levels of fatigue.”
The vast majority of people who work with technology- over 70%, in fact- may experience digital eye strain, which is a condition that includes eye tiredness and irritation, bodily fatigue and headaches. This comes from being over exposed to the “blue light” emitted by most digital screens.
Glasses to block this “blue light” are popularly known as blue light glasses. They are built with filters that can absorb or block blue light from reaching the brain, which can help lessen eye fatigue and other symptoms of digital eye strain. While it’s not 100% clear yet if blue light glasses are a solution to the long-term issues caused by digital eye strain, many people agree that they’re a good way to reduce eye strain in the short-term, and that they are one of the best ways to solve these problems.