Blue-light blocking glasses and what you need to know about them...
As of late, blue light blockers/blue-wave blocking/blue light glasses/etc. have become more and more popular. I think this shift in interest is because of COVID-19 and the up-rise in virtual, well... anything really. People are looking at screens more, people are at home more, people are normally on their phones enough throughout the day, so all the added virtual interactions, the calls, the meetings, etc. may be the perfect time for companies to start really selling these products and show why they're so helpful.
Sometimes when sitting at my desk, writing exercise programs for my clients, writing blog articles like so, or playing Call of Duty with the boys my eyes would start to feel weird, like a light burning sensation. I would try to shut my eyes for a minute or so and they normally do feel better, but I wasn't sure as to why they felt like this in the first place. For those of you who look at screens or play video games you know what I'm talking about. Sometimes what's on the screen needs our undivided attention and it may cause us to keep our eyes open for a longer duration than we normally do. Hence, causing a "dry-eye(s)" feeling. But, I wouldn't call it "dry-eyes" and here's why;
dry eyes is defined as:
"a common condition that occurs when your tears aren't able to provide adequate lubrication for your eyes. Tears can be inadequate for many reasons. For example, dry eyes may occur if you don't produce enough tears or if you produce poor-quality tears." (source)
A recently published report describes a new syndrome due to "a-changin' times" as Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing puts it. Computer vision syndrome from this Harvard post is defined as:
"a condition increasingly recognized among people working long hours on a computer who complain of eye problems including:
dryness
blurry vision
double vision
a burning sensation in the eyes.
Symptoms may be severe enough to interfere with continued computer work."
Dr. Shmerling also states in his post that
"Reduced blinking is another potential issue. People tend to blink less frequently than usual when working on a computer. (Normally, we blink about 17 times a minute, but this often drops to 12-15 times a minute during computer use.) Less blinking can lead to dryness."
Personally... I can say that at least when I play a video game I blink a lot less. So much less that I've actually become aware of it while playing! But hey, I'm trying to win! Anyway... now that you know the difference between the two I can tell you that it was after countless hours of screen time, working on programs, blog articles, or gaming with the fellas, I choose to look into what can actually help, aside from doing all this less... because obviously I'm stubborn, and in my defense I really enjoy doing all these things, so it wasn't even an option.
After listening to podcasts, googling scholarly articles on blue light and how legitimate said blockers are, and the effect blue light can have on sleep, eye strain, dry eyes, computer vision syndrome, and more, on December 11, 2018 I bought my first pair of blue light glasses straight from Amazon for a whole $7.64!
But before I share my favorite brands and types of glasses and how I combat over-abusing my computer and phone screens for daily use let me explain what blue light and the glasses do and how they effect you and other factors.
What is Blue Light?
Blue light is a wavelength of light emitted from natural and electronic sources. Sunlight is where we get most of our blue light from and is the most abundant natural source of blue light. If you're in the sun a lot, you're technically exposed to a lot of blue light. Blue light typically ranges from 380-to-500 HEV (high-energy visibility light), meaning it's the light we can actually see. Blue light is not all bad though. There are pros and cons when it comes to blue light and according to Dr. Rhonda Patricks website glossary where she spoke to Dr. Matthew Walker on sleep, Blue Light, and more it states that;
"Blue light exposure is associated with improved attention span, reaction time, and mood. However, exposure to blue light outside the normal daytime hours may suppress melatonin secretion, impairing sleep patterns. In addition, blue light contributes to digital eye strain and may increase risk of developing macular degeneration."(source)
What to blue light glasses do?
Blue light glasses block the blue light from screens. Why would I want this blue light blocked? For one, the blue light given off from screens has been shown to be anxiogenic, meaning anxiety-causing. Anxiogenic containing things include drugs (e.g. caffeine), life experiences like social events, trauma, and behaviors (like excessive time using social medias), among other things.
I think it's important to say that looking at your phone will quite literally not have your anxiety rise as the seconds go by... unless you're watching some weird, scary, shit, I don't know, maybe it will. But, excessive viewing over time in conjunction with other variables certainly can do something, as stated above.
Melatonin and it's place in the mix
Melatonin is a hormone produced in the pineal gland of the brain that regulates sleep. The number one thing that affects melatonin secretion is light, you guessed it, light! Generally, melatonin levels are low during the day and high during the night and seeing how light influences melatonin secretion you can see how light at night will hinder the hormones production.
Is screen use actually detrimental to your eye health?
According to The American Academy of Ophthalmology, ideally we would want to do these things to keep our vision the best we can, but they state
"Blue light from computers will not lead to eye disease. It is true that overexposure to blue light and UV light rays from the sun can raise the risk of eye disease, but the small amount of blue light coming from computer screens has never been shown to cause any harm to our eyes." (source)
Some sources state that blue light coming from computer screens has never been shown to cause any harm, some state that blue light is detrimental for our sleep which ultimately directly correlates back to our health in general, I would feel ok err on the side of caution with how much screen time is being used and how close to bed it is. As you can see, sleep is a heavy variable in the mix because of how altered it can be from blue light.
There were some more really interesting things I've learned about blue light blockers from Dr. Matthew Walker on how greatly our sleep is hurt from blue light. In Dr. Rhonda Patricks podcast with Dr. Walker, he states;
"They did this great study. They took people with an iPad, one hour of iPad reading versus one hour of book reading. iPad reading dropped or blunted melatonin by over 20%. The peak of melatonin didn't arrive until three hours later." (source)
Also note that the iPad readers experienced less REM sleep, felt more unrefreshed, and this lasted nights after they had stopped reading from the iPad or screen lit device! Interesting, I know! Now, don't look at your phone or iPad with this evil, ready to toss it out the window look. Just know that the screen close to your desired bed time won't be conducive for a good nights sleep. I think its important to highlight how sensitive our sleep is and how it can be altered when using some devices.
Sleep is actually so closely related to blue light that if blue light keeps you up and you find it difficult to create new habits to promote better sleep or decrease blue light the glasses seem appropriate. More on habits and everything you need to know about habits here. What I found really interesting which you'll hear Dr. Matthew Walker speak about in Joe Rogans podcast was that a lack of sleep directly effects not only your primary, but your stabilizer muscles as well! I anecdotally tested this on Aug. 29th and 30th, by tracking my sleep with an Oura Ring, getting 7h 55m of sleep total and doing a set of balance exercises. The very next day I stayed up later and ended up getting a total of 6h 32m of sleep and when testing the same exact exercises I found the same group of exercises exceptionally more difficult. Really interesting to see that in only a day I could feel a difference. Now, that's a personal experiment, so your own experience may be different. Another really interesting blip from the podcast was when Dr. Walker said
"Men who sleep 5-6 hours a night will have a level of testosterone which is that of someone 10 years their senior. So a lack of sleep will age you by a decade in terms of that critical aspect of wellness, fertility, muscle strength, sexual performance..." (source)
And all of a sudden all my gym bros took their sleep much more seriously! Ha! And now you may be asking;
How do these all tie together?
After reading those three and some interesting facts you might've put this together...
light greatly affects melatonin
at night melatonin is generally higher to signal sleep
blue lights from electronics hinder the production of melatonin
if melatonin is not adequately produced for sleep, it can delay your want or need to sleep
blue light glasses help melatonin production by blocking the blue light taken in by our eyes
reading on an iPad (and probably other tablet devices as well) vs. a book can blunt melatonin by over 20% and have it's peak amount arriving 3 hours or later to the party
exposure to blue light outside the normal daytime hours can have downsides
sleep greatly effects more than just our energy, but our performance, primary and stabilizer muscles, sexual performance, hormones and more
The list could go on, but you get it. Despite the pros and cons of blue light, I think it's safe to say that blue light --or an excessive amount of it isn't a good idea when trying to prep for sleep and that sleep can be improved without the need to buy blue light glasses.
But what can one do? Here is what I personally do and remind myself of regarding the topic:
Things I do to minimize blue light and better understand how blue light effects sleep:
Downloaded "F.lux" on my computer. F.lux is a (currently) free software that adds an orange hue to your screen minimizing the blue light given from the computer screen. Check it out here.
Purchased blue light glasses (because I'm into recovery & self-help products, ok?). Here are the brands I've tried and enjoy using:
Gunnar Optiks, my number one pick because of the variety they have to choose from. I went with these --fair warning, the lens are completely orange or "Amber Max" as they call it, for "Max protection for those who are highly sensitive or working at night". They now even have kids sizes which is cool to see how much more aware people are of blue light and a Blue Light Protection Factor™ which gives a scale measure for the lens protection for the eye against artificial blue light! Also note, I typically do wear these at night, ~3+ hours before bed if I can. (Price Range: $24.99-$289.99)
Knockaround, an awesome glasses brand. I actually own multiple pairs and have gifted multiple pairs of these to family and friends from Knockaround. I bought a less tinted pair so that I could use something for the daytime. These are the ones I bought, here. I wear these during the daytime, as often as I can and before bed I switch to my other pair from Gunnar Optiks. (Price Range: $15.00-$35.00)
Uvex Skyper Blue Light Blocking Computer Glasses with SCT-Orange Lens. My very first pair! Safety glasses kind of, but hey, they did a great job and are the cheapest ones I found. Here is the link to check them out. I rarely wear these, but if you want something really cheap and a pair that's tough, these are good to try out. (Price Range: Basically anything you find on Amazon, really. Again, mine were $7.64 back when I purchased them)
*Check and see if the brands you like offer your prescription before purchasing*
*I am not affiliated with any of these brand, I am just a happy customer sharing my experience!*
Try to minimize screen time before bed. Sometimes trying to avoid a screen 4 hours before bed is not possible. I text my girlfriend, my family, and some clients who are up later meal prepping or working the nightshift! I try to spend 30 minutes before bed away from all screens and often try to increase my time by 5-15+ minutes when I can. You'd be surprised how much time you can add up.
Reading before bed. This helps instill the previously listed tip.
Enable night mode on my phone. Turns your screen a hue of orange to minimize blue light/bright phone screen.
Read/listened to Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Dr. Matthew Walker to learn more about the details behind sleep
Listened to this Joe Rogan Podcast with Dr. Matthew Walker (#1109) as well
Read this article on how to keep the eyes in good shape throughout life
I also stay openminded and curious to new found information on blue light and sleep help! Reliable sources like Dr. Matthew Walker, The American Academy of Ophthalmology, and others help decipher what's true from what's not or doesn't have much or any research to back it up.
Can you can see how blue light glasses have really become and will become more of a thing? Aside from the glasses I think to be able to identify the root here, being in front of a screen before bed doesn't help you sleep. I wouldn't worry about damage to my eyes, however I am not a doctor or Ophthalmologist, so speaking with yours is your best bet to see if you should truly focus on less screen time and maybe some glasses. If you do end up getting a pair, let me know which ones and what you think of them!
This was a fun one for me. I've been a fan of sleep, performance, and how blue light ties into it all for a while now and going back and finding some valuable resources will not only have me (and hopefully you, too) going to bed earlier, but with better habits beforehand and maybe a pair of glasses, too!
Thanks for reading! Questions and comments are welcome in the comment section.
-Tom Mercatante, NASM-CPT, CES, YES, Pn L1-Nutrition Coach, CFT
References:
#bluelight #bluelightblockers #bluelightglasses #bluewaveglasses #sleep #training #nutrition #performance #sleeping #habits #eyes
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