Is Blue Light Harmful to our Eyes?

We all use technology with screens every day – from computers to tablets to smartphones. But do these screens cause harm to our eyes? Visible light occurs across a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum encompassing wavelengths from 380nm to 780nm and colors from violet to red. It has long been known that lower wavelength light carries more energy – think ultraviolet (UV) radiation. In the past, we were mostly exposed to these higher energy blue lights when outdoors while indoors we were exposed to mostly incandescent light that is more red and yellow. Now, with new LED sources of light – commonly found in our flat panel screens, we are getting more exposure to these high energy lights than ever before.

Spectral graphs of classical light sources

It is well established that high energy light can cause damage to our eyes – from cataracts to corneal inflammation to age related macular degeneration. Besides direct harm to our eyes, these higher energy blue lights have secondary consequences such as a disruption in our circadian rhythms and a decrease in our blink rate. Visually, blue light scatters more than higher wavelength light which can lead to visual blur (this is why the sky is blue!). But don’t despair, there is a solution to help protect you and your eyes from this harmful light – Crizal Prevencia. Unlike most blue light filters you see advertised, Crizal Prevencia is a clear lens treatment (not a yellow lens). This gives it three advantages over its yellow counterparts. First, cosmetically it is a much nicer look – most people do not want to show off a tinted lens while they are indoors. Second, it can selectively filter wavelengths to keep certain blues that are not harmful to our retina from being left out of our visual processing. This allows for a full color vision experience while still protecting our eyes. Third, it builds upon Crizal’s already impressive lens treatment that provides superior glare reduction, scratch resistance, smudge resistance, water repellency, and UV blocking. 

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