How many times do you check your smartphone in a day? Most likely, several times throughout the day. Sometimes you may catch yourself automatically checking your phone even without hearing a notification come in. Smartphones are now deeply entrenched in people’s lifestyles to a point that losing or forgetting a phone for a day or a few hours could be a completely disorienting ordeal. In the U.K, studies show that people check their phones an average of 12 times a day! About 40-60% of people check their mobile phones in the first five minutes after they wake up and another 37-60% 5 minutes before sleeping.

Unfortunately, smartphones have harmful blue light that poses a danger to your eyes. Constant exposure to blue light from smartphones and other digital devices could mean irreversible harm to your eyes. 

What is Blue Light?

Visible light which appears as white light from both natural and artificial sources is made up of a combination of colored rays. They include red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet in that order. The red end of the spectrum has long wavelengths and low energy content while the blue end has short wavelengths and high energy content.

The sun is the main source of blue light so blue light can be found everywhere during day time. This light from the sun is responsible for keeping you alert, boosting your moods, and your brain functions. The artificial blue light is found in electronic gadgets such as television screens, smartphones, tablets, laptops, and LED fluorescent lighting. Although artificial sources emit little blue light compared to the sun, it is more dangerous because we use smartphones too close to our eyes for hours on end. Furthermore, usage of smartphones continues at night when blue light is meant to be absent. 

Effect of Blue Light on Your Eyes

Blue light contains a lot of energy so it’s able to penetrate the innermost part of the eye, the retina. While the retina is sensitive to blue light for the purpose of regulating your sleep cycle, it’s not meant to be exposed to excessive amounts. When you spend too much time looking at your smartphone, blue light leads to a condition known as digital eye strain or computer vision syndrome (CVS). Its symptoms include blurry vision, sore, red, tired, and dry eyes, headaches, shoulder, and neck pains. So if your eyes hurt after using a smartphone, this is the condition you could be having.

Digital eye strain is not the end of it. Chronic exposure to blue light could lead to a condition known as macular degeneration. The condition is characterized by the breaking down of cells in the retina and is usually caused by aging. Blue light accelerates the degradation process so you stop seeing clearly and it sometimes may lead to blindness.

Other Causes of Digital Eye Strain

Prolonged Staring at Screens

If you spend all day looking at your phone, computer, or television, it exhausts your eye muscles and makes them sore. Train yourself to take a break every once in a while. You can do this by looking away from the screen at something further away to readjust your focus and ease your eye muscles. Also, try adjusting blue light filter on mobile devices so, that will not affect much your prolonged staring at screen

Glares from Screens

When there’s too much difference in the amount of light in the foreground, which is your screen, and the background, it causes glare on your screen. Light bounces off your screen and hits your eyes, thereby reducing your visibility. Increasing the brightness of the screen while trying to see more clearly, will expose you to more blue light and this exacerbates eye strain. Squinting to see clearly also strains the eye muscles and worsens the symptoms of CVS.

Blinking Less

Staring at the screen of your smartphone makes you forget to blink. This causes your tears to evaporate and the cornea dries up since tear ducts only replenish moisture when you blink. When your eyes dry up, it reduces the lubrication in the eyes so it makes them hurt.

Screen Protectors for Your Smartphone

The market has screen protectors that you can fit onto the screen of your smartphone to filter out blue light and protect your eyes. They are designed with special filtering material that blocks light in a certain range and in this case, 380nm to 470nm which is where blue light lies. They can be fitted onto smartphones, tablets, or computer screens and they can block all or partial blue light from reaching your eyes depending on your personal preferences.

Blocking out all blue light requires a tinted screen protector which may distort the contrast of the display. A blue light filter test that is provided by your retailer will help you choose which screen protector works best for you according to your needs.

If you have been looking for the perfect filter for your smartphone and you’re overwhelmed by the variety in the market, your search should come to an end at Ocushield. The Ocushield screen protectors are designed to effectively filter out blue light while at the same time, maintaining the crystal clarity of your display. They also have monitor screen protectors to make sure you’re protected from blue light wholesomely.

What are the Advantages of a Screen Protector?

Protects Your Eyes

The Ocushield screen protector for your smartphone and computer are optometrist-tested so you can rest assured that your eyes will be well-protected from eye strain and macular degeneration.

Protects Your Smartphones

As smartphone technology gets more advanced, people are spending lots of money purchasing them. Therefore, any damage to the phone is particularly painful. Screen protectors are made from a thin tempered glass layer that protects your smartphone screen from scratches and cracks. A screen protector will keep your screen looking new for a long time so that you can get your money’s worth.

Filters Glares

Screen protectors may also have anti-reflective coatings to eliminate reflections caused by bright lights or brightly colored walls. This will save you from digital eye strain and ensure you have a comfortable viewing experience.

Smartphones are an inevitable part of life in this digital age. Since you cannot avoid using them, getting a screen protector will help you use them without having to worry about damaging your eyes.