By Rohan Paul
The present COVID-19 pandemic has created the workplace at household a reality for millions of workers nearly overnight. Video conferencing with colleagues, homeschooling with the little ones or on the net lectures – nearly everybody spends a lot of time in front of screens and digital devices these days. The escalating use of such digital devices impacts work-life balance, but also overall health and vision. That’s why there is also an ongoing scientific discussion about whether or not and how blue light damages the eyes.
What is blue light?
“Visible light” is the portion of the light spectrum that is visible to the human eye. Technically it is described as electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength variety from 380-780 nm. Blue light is the higher power portion of this visible light spectrum ranging from about 380 nm in the blue-violet variety up to 500nm. Basically, two sorts of blue light can be classified: the organic blue light of the sun and the artificial blue light emitted by LED lamps, power-saving lamps, and smartphone and personal computer displays.
Beneficial elements of blue light
Blue light is of paramount significance for a regular and wealthy colour vision and higher contrast vision. In reality, the human retina consists of 3 colour receptors for the colors blue, red and green, and only the complete functionality of all 3 cone-form receptors guarantees regular colour vision. Another type of photoreceptors in the eye are permitting for vision at low light circumstances in dark environments. These rod-form receptors are dominantly sensitive also in the blue and blue-green spectrum. Since the rod-form receptors are also dominant in the retinal periphery they consequently permit for peripheral vision and motion perception.
Additionally, blue light increases alertness and regulates the circadian rhythm – the body’s organic wake and sleep cycle. Exposure to blue light in the course of the day hence contributes to a wholesome circadian rhythm.
Hazardous effects of blue light
The reasonably higher levels of power inherent in the comparatively quick wavelengths of blue light have been shown to influence metabolic processes in retinal cells. It is totally plausible that excessive exposure to blue light can bring about harm to the retina. However, scientists are at present unable to say what dose and what light sources have considerable harm-causing possible. So far readily available scientific outcomes only imply that artificial blue light from common architectural LED lighting, or displays is far under any recognized thresholds to generate overall health damages in human ocular program.
However, exposure to artificial blue light, particularly late in the day, can have a disruptive impact on the circadian rhythm and consequently on the sleep cycle and common well-being. Some components of the blue light spectrum also impact the perception of glare. This unfocused “visual noise” can contribute to visual discomfort and symptoms linked with digital eye strain.
In conclusion, blue light is not only fantastic or terrible, as it has each useful and hazardous effects on the eyes. This is what we contact the “dualism of blue light”.
For wearers of eyeglasses, safeguarding oneself against blue light is an straightforward option. The blue-filtering properties of clear all-day lenses can be ordered as a lens upgrade with the acquire of new glasses.
(The author is Business Head- Commercial at ZEISS Vision Care India. Views expressed are individual.)