With the fierce hit of Covid 19, people on Earth have seen and experienced many dramatic changes in their lifestyle. Some of them, people adopted to ease their life, and some of them, they have to adapt to or are forced to adopt in order to keep themselves and others safe. 

The biggest change that we have experienced is our confinement to our homes. We are locked up inside our homes during lockdown situations. Work from home, study from home, shop from home, order from home are the terms we might have heard before, but most of us have never experienced them.

No doubt, such changes have secured us from being hit by an extremely contagious virus, but at the same time, they have also had some negative impacts on our health. Work from home and study from home means extended screen times. And as a result, our eyes have to suffer from digital eye strain. Digital eye strain means the adverse effects of extended screen time on our eyes. The symptoms include:

● Headache
● Fatigued eyes
● Watery or dry eyes
● Painful neck and shoulders
● Burning or itching eyes
● Increased sensitivity to light
● Difficulty in focussing your eyes.

What Are the Causes of Digital Eye Strain?

When we stay in front of a screen for a long time, we usually start feeling some or most of the symptoms of digital eye strain that are already mentioned above. But what is the reason behind these symptoms? Digital screens emit blue light rays. These rays have a short wavelength and higher strength to penetrate through the cornea of our eyes. As a result, our eyes get strained, and we start having these symptoms. 

Another research goes against this hypothesis. According to research by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, blue light does not cause any harm to our eyes. The digital strain that we experience is because of the way we use screens and not due to the emission of blue light from them. A few of the mistakes we make while using our phones and computers that endanger our eyes are :

● Keeping screens too close to eyes
● Not blinking eyes for a long period
● Imbalanced screen glare
● Continuous use of the screen for hours
● Not letting eyes rest in between
● Using screen before bedtime

What is Blue Light and How Does it Affect Our Eyes and Brain?

Blue light is a visible light on the light spectrum. It has a short wavelength of about 415 to 455 nanometers. This short wavelength causes increased energy in blue light rays as compared to many others.

Many people may think that only digital screens are a source of blue-ray light. But in fact, this is not true. The daylight is made up greatly of these rays. Hence, the human eye is habitual of seeing this light all around during day time. This habit has trained our brains to stay active during the daytime. As a result, whenever we get to interact with blue light, our brain takes it as a signal to stay awake and active to handle the daytime tasks. Using blue light glasses or contact lenses with blue light technology from contactlenses.co.uk is recommended for use whenever you are outside or working in front of a computer. 

This is the primary problem that is caused by the emission of blue light from the screens. When we use screens at night, the blue light gives a signal to our brain to stay awake. It disrupts our natural circadian cycle, and we start suffering from sleep disorders.

What Are the Blue Light Blocking Glasses, and Do They Really Work?

We have just recently started hearing and reading a lot about the blue light blocking glasses for computer usage. The lenses of these glasses are coated with a filter that stops the penetration of blue light rays. Hence, wearing these eyeglasses can help protect our eyes from the harmful effects of blue light. 

Many brands such as Warby Parker, Overnight Glasses, and Zenni Optical have started to offer their customers a wide variety of such glasses, that are both high-quality and well-designed. 

Now the question arises whether blue light glasses are really effective, or the eyeglass industry is trying to fool us to make the best of the business during the pandemic where screen time is increased to more than double.

To find out the answer, we need to analyze the effects of blue light. Most of the research shows that blue light is not responsible for causing digital eye strain. The American Journal of Ophthalmology published a report in which it was concluded that blue light blocking glasses do not reduce or alter the signs and symptoms of computer vision syndrome or digital eye strain.

But believing in this conclusion may be wrong to some extent because a study to evaluate the optical performance of blue light glasses showed that one-third of the tested people experienced relief with the use of blue light glasses. Moreover, there is no doubt that these glasses stop the blue light from reaching the eye’s cornea. Hence, the natural circadian rhythm is not disturbed.