9 Tips: Blue Light Glasses

Blue light glasses are becoming more and more popular, but there are still ways to decrease eye strain and reduce blue light exposure. No matter how old you are, it is a good idea to protect your eyesight from prolonged exposure to blue light.

1. If you use a computer or look at screens for more than two hours a day, ask your Eyecare Plus optometrist about blue light filter glasses. The coating on these glasses is especially sensitive to glare and they help the eye by filtering out blue light and reducing eyestrain.
2. Limit your screen time. The most obvious thing that you can do to help give your eyes a break from blue light is to limit your screen time as much as possible.
3. Use a blue light filter, like the iPhone’s ‘Night Shift’ function which alters the colours of the phone’s display to the warmer end of the color spectrum, exposing the viewer to less blue light. (Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Night Shift).
4. Increase Text Size on computers and phones. Increasing the text size will help define screen content and to make reading more comfortable for your eyes.
5. Reduce glare. Adjust the brightness of your screen with your device’s control setting. If your computer wallpaper is bright white, consider changing it to a darker colour.
6. Dim surrounding lights in your house. Reduce the amount of light competing with your screen. Dim indoor lighting at your desk. If you’re using your computer or phone outside, avoid direct sunlight.
7. Use LED lights with warm white bulbs and less blue light. There are also reduced-blue LED bulbs for warmer lights in the bedroom.
8. Remember the 20-20-20 rule. When working on a screen, for every 20 minutes you spend in front of a screen, look at an object in the distance, 20 feet away (or 6 metres away) for at least 20 seconds.
9. Eat right. A diet rich in leafy green vegetables and colourful fruits contributes to our eyes’ natural defences against the effects of blue light. Look for foods like broccoli, peas, and carrots.