Any child of the 1990s will recall the scene in A Bug’s Life when one mosquito tells the other, “Harry, no! Don’t look at the light!” only to have Harry retort in a trance-like voice, “I-can’t-help-it. It’s-so-beautiful.” Moments later, of course, Harry is zapped by what appeared to him to be a harmless (and beautiful) blue light.
Fast forward to the 2000 and teens, and those children of the 1990s are now parents with their own kids, and they’re all dealing with different kinds of blue lights—the kind emitted by LEDs and a range of digital devices—and the resulting eyestrain and sleeplessness.
Beautiful but Detrimental
According to a WebMD article with Charles Czeisler, PhD, MD, chief of the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, “The more research we do, the more evidence we have that excess artificial light at night can have a profound, deleterious effect on many aspects of human health” including sleeplessness, depression, memory problems, obesity, and eye health.
It seems that the light emitted by our devices such as smartphones and tablets, which we often bring to bed with us, as well as other sources of artificial light—ranging from the ultra-bright LEDs many cities use in streetlights to something as innocuous as a child’s nightlight—are interfering with our ability to get to sleep and stay asleep, which has wide-ranging repercussions for our overall health.
- Research has linked exposure to artificial light at night to sleep problems, weight gain, depression, cancer, heart disease, and overall psychological well-being.
- Sleep lab studies have shown that people who read from an e-reader at night experience drops in their nighttime melatonin levels of 55% after 5 days compared to those reading a paper book (Melatonin is a hormone made by the body to help control sleep and wake cycles).
- A study of teenagers revealed that just an hour of exposure from a device, such as a phone or tablet, “suppressed melatonin by 23%; 2 hours decreased it by 38%.”
It’s Not All About Sleep
While concerns mount over how artificial light affects our sleep and wake cycles, prolonged exposure to LED lights, displays, and other “glowing devices” can also affect our eyes in the form of digital eyestrain.
The Vision Council, a nonprofit trade association for manufacturers and suppliers of the optical industry in the United States, reports that as little as two hours of screen time in one setting can cause physical eye discomfort: eye strain, dry eyes, headaches, blurred vision, and neck and shoulder pain.
Chief culprits causing digital eyestrain are—and there’s no surprise here—computers, smartphones, and tablets!
Digital eyestrain does not discriminate. It affects a majority of people in all age groups:
- 7 percent of those ages 18 to 39
- 6 percent of those ages 40 to 59
- 3 percent of those ages 60 and up
No one, it seems, is immune.
What You Can Do About It
If you’re suffering from what you think is digital eyestrain, it’s always a good idea to check with a qualified eye care provider. That way, you’ll be able to discuss your digital habits and what eyewear solutions might be available to relieve your symptoms, such as developing new habits (say goodbye to bringing your iPhone to bed!), new lenses, and/or new frames.
There are also some DIY solutions to help relieve eyestrain from digital devices. According to the Vision Council:
- Take a 20-second break from your screen every 20 minutes and look at something 20 feet away (aka the 20-20-20 rule).
- Cut down screen glare by reducing overhead lighting.
- Keep your eyes a proper distance away from computer monitors (about the length of your arm).
- Increase on-screen text size and adjust contrast settings.
We’re Here to Help
Sunglass and Optical Warehouse is proud not only to offer the largest selection of prescription glasses and sunglasses in the San Diego Area, but we’re also proud of the skilled team of optometrists and other eye care professionals who help us prescribe, dispense, and fit prescription eyeglasses and prescription sunglasses that not only look good on your face, but keep you seeing well.
Caring for your eyes is not a responsibility we take lightly. Some of the key members of our eye care team include optometrists Dr. Michael Matthews & Dr. Sean Kuhn, both long-time area eye care providers.