What is blue light?
You’ve probably heard about blue light and how damaging it can be to your eyes – but what exactly is it, where does it come from and how does it differ from other harmful light rays, like UV?
Well, unlike UV (which is typically emitted from the sun) we’re usually surrounded by blue light all day every day, both indoors and outdoors thanks to technological advances that allow screens to fit into our tiny little pockets.
The biggest emitter of blue light may be the sun, but digital devices that we have surrounding us all day can cause considerable damage and discomfort to our eyes as well.
Blue light is a high-energy visible light (HEV Light) that ranges in wavelength and energy. Its lowest energy wavelength starts from 380nm and at its highest, 500nm. In layman’s terms, about a quarter of all visible light consists of blue light!
Blue light can also be categorised into these subgroups:
- Violet Light (ranges from 380nm – 410nm)
- Blue-Violet Light (ranges from 410nm – 455nm)
- Blue-Turquoise Light (ranges from 455nm – 500nm)
As blue light consists of high energy, all light waves that fall into this spectrum (380nm – 455nm) have a high chance of damaging the eye, which is why they’re commonly referred to as “harmful” blue light.
Not all blue light damages the eye though. Blue-turquoise light (455nm – 500nm) consists of less energy and can help people maintain a healthier circadian rhythm. Lights in this spectrum are usually called “beneficial” blue light.
How does blue light affect you?
While UV rays are known to cause damage to the skin, prolonged exposure to blue light will cause discomfort and damage to the eyes.
When faced with digital screens, most people tend to blink less. This causes what’s commonly known as digital eye strain (or computer vision syndrome), fatigue and dry eyes. This might seem to be a minor issue, but according to a study done by the American Refractive Surgery Council, more than 60% of Americans experience symptoms of digital eye strain, which includes:
- Dry eyes
- Headaches
- Blurred vision
- Neck and shoulder pain
Exposure to too much blue light at night from watching TV, or using our phones or computers can affect the body’s circadian rhythm as well.
Blue light stops our body from producing melatonin, which is a hormone that causes us to feel sleepy. This is why our body naturally wakes up during the day when exposed to natural blue light from the sun. Exposure to it at night will trick your body into thinking it’s still daylight, which makes it difficult for you to fall asleep.
This leads to a whole host of other health issues, as lack of sleep will cause weight gain, headaches, brain-fog and other sleep related conditions.
Blue light is especially damaging in dim, dark settings, which proves to be a problem as it’s becoming increasingly common for young adults and teens to be using their devices in bed, scrolling through social media or just browsing the web.
Benefits of Mouqy Blue Block lenses
Besides superior vision correction, Mouqy Blue Block lenses provide their users with a whole host of other benefits.
- Digital eye strain reductionOur blue light filtering technology shields the eye from harmful light produced by digital screens, which helps reduce fatigue, headaches, neck aches and eye-strain.
- Deeper tranquil sleepBy cutting blue light before it can reach our eyes, our lenses allow the body to produce melatonin at the right time, which causes the body to fall asleep easier. This also brings a ton of health benefits related to sleep.
- Protection from UV lightsProlonged exposure to UV lights can also cause damage to the retina. With Mouqy lenses, not only are you shielding your eyes from Blue Light, you’ll be providing them with ample protection from UV light as well.
- Minimal color distortionGone are the days where blue light blocking lenses produced a yellow tint. Our lenses are engineered to produce maximum color accuracy, so you can see all the colors of the world while keeping your eyes safely shielded.