It's Probably Those Dang Phones

What is Blue Blight?

It’s no secret that we live in a society dominated by screens. Phones, computers, TVs, and many household appliances all contribute to his screen-based society. Screens have even shown up inside of pretty much every modern car. Times Square in New York’s whole gimmick is that it’s a bunch of giant screens. People use screens during the day or at night, inside and outside. It’s almost impossible to completely avoid screens in today’s environment. Obviously, there are going to be many effects from constantly being exposed at screens for hours at a time. These can range from psychological effects, physical effects, and even effects on someone’s mood.

The driving factor for many of these effects is called “blue light.” According to Healthline, the world is full of electromagnetic waves, many of which are invisible to the human eye. However, there is a part of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible. The length of these visible light waves are about 380 nanometers to 700 nanometers. The shorter the wavelength the more energy it has. An article from the University of California: Davis Health, states that “Blue light is part of the visible light spectrum…Vibrating within the 380 to 500 nanometer range” This puts blue light at the shortest end of the visible light spectrum, which gives it the highest energy level of any form of visible light. Knowing what blue light is is important because this kind of light is often found in LEDs, which is technology that is predominantly used to make the screens we use today. It can also be found in the headlights of some modern cars. Anywhere you look there is a screen, which means that almost anywhere you look there is blue light.

The Many Effects of Blue Light Exposure

Blue light exposure is not necessarily a bad thing, in fact the sun is actually the greatest source of blue light. The difference is that before, when the sun would set our exposure to blue light would be greatly reduced. Now when the sun goes down we are inside either on our phones or watching TV. Instead of getting a break from the blue light, for better or worse, we have continued to expose ourselves to blue light.

Common occurrence from over exposure to blue light is eye strain. So much so that they have designated a specific type of eye strain based on the over exposure to blue light, as a result from screens. This designation is called “digital eye strain.” There are many symptoms of eye strain that can cause a great deal of discomfort for people. The UC Davis Health article provides some advice to avoid eye strain, “Follow the 20-20-20 rule to reduce digital eye strain. Take a 20-second break to view something 20 feet away every 20 minutes.”

However, exposure to blue light is not all negative. WebMD states that blue light can “Boost alertness, Improve attention span and reaction time, help memory – one study showed that 30 minutes of exposure to blue light led to better recall – Raise your mood and effectively treat depression.” Now it is important to clarify something here. As awesome as it would be for this to be saying that staring at your phone reduces depression, this is not what the quote is saying. This and some of the other examples are referring to what’s called “blue light therapy.” 

For all intents and purposes, blue light therapy is like putting your face in a tanning bed but with blue light. There are also some face masks available that serve a similar function. The reason people would do this is because blue light therapy has been shown to improve skin health. A quote from WebMD “Blue light is also used to treat skin conditions such as: Acne, to get rid of the P. acnes bacteria that live on your skin and cause pimples. Precancerous actinic keratoses, the scaly, red spots caused by severe sun damage. Certain skin cancers, with photodynamic therapy, a light-activated drug treatment that targets cancer cells.” So there are plenty of benefits to blue light therapy.

There is some contention over some of the potential long lasting effects of blue light from devices such as phones and computers however. The condition known as Age-related macular degeneration or AMD is a form of eye deterioration that, you guessed it, occurs as you get older. Some studies referenced in the UC Davis article suggest that blue light contributes to this and causes vision to deteriorate over time, while WebMD suggests that there is no conclusive evidence to determine whether blue light causes AMD or not. 

So what can be done to alleviate any problems you might encounter with an over exposure to blue light? Some people choose to use what are called “Blue light glasses” to filter out the blue light to make it easier to see and less strenuous on your eyes. However, there is no evidence that these glasses filter out blue light any better than standard lenses. As of right now the best way to prevent problems is to just be mindful and aware of ways you expose yourself to blue light.

Blue Light and Sleep

Another side effect of blue light that I felt was important enough to earn its own section, is the effect it has on sleep. As was already stated, blue light has been shown to improve alertness and attention. An article from Harvard Health Publishing explains the scientific process that goes on. It talks about how all forms of light reduce the amount of melatonin, the chemical in charge of our sleep, our body produces, yet it’s blue light in particular that is most effective. This explains why many people have reported having trouble sleeping after being on their phone or other device shortly before they try to sleep.

The article also provides several ways you can help improve your sleep. It suggests that you use a night light to get a dim red light. It also says that limiting screen time two to three hours before your planned bedtime can greatly improve your quality of sleep. It’s  also highly recommended to use features like “Night mode/Night shift” which reduces the amount of light that devices produce at night. Other ways to try and reduce the effect of blue light on sleep include putting some distance between you and your phone or monitor. The recommended distance is about two feet. It’s also suggested that reducing the amount of glare and using eye drops can help reduce the effects of blue light. However, it’s always recommended to talk to an eye doctor before trying anything major. They obviously know more about this than I do.

I can, however, speak from personal experience as far as having trouble sleeping. I used to be on my phone for a while before going to sleep, and I’ve found that it was negatively affecting how long I was sleeping and the quality of my sleep. My solution was to put my phone down an hour before I planned on sleeping and to read a book. Anecdotally I’ve found that I’ve been able to fall asleep faster and I’ve woken up feeling more refreshed and energized. It may not be scientific evidence, but it does make sense given everything else I’ve read about blue light 🙃.

So What?

All of this is to say that blue light is weird. There is a lot of data to suggest that it has numerous benefits for treating things like your mood and your skin, but then there’s data that suggests too much of it in your eyes could cause some problems. With that in mind, I’m not going to take a firm stance on whether it is or isn’t good for you and whether you should or shouldn’t limit your screen time. Those kinds of decisions should be made by you either by yourself, or with the help of a medical professional, both of which I am not. So just be mindful of your mental and emotional health and your eyes, and if you think this is serious enough, consult with a doctor.