sleep and blue light
while blue light may not pose risk to vision, it does have consequences for sleep, interfering with the body’s production of melatonin — a key hormone that influences our sleep and wake cycle. during the day, melatonin production is suppressed and in the dark, its production is initiated and this triggers sleep, making us feel drowsy. too much blue light exposure before sleep, however, disrupt this cycle making it more difficult to fall asleep. one strategy to prevent blue light sleep disturbance is to refrain from using digital screens one to two hours before bedtime.
while the experts are not sure of the role that blue blocker glasses play in preventing eye strain or eye diseases, there are some things you can do to alleviate eye strain after a long day in front of the screen:
20/20/20 rule. for every 20 minutes of near or computer work, take a 20 seconds break, and look 20 feet away and blink your eyes.
sleep hygiene. stop using digital devices such as phones, tablets, and computers an hour or so before bedtime.
distance yourself. maintain an arm’s length distance from the computer and adjust the brightness of your screen.
blink. when we work on computers, the rate at which we blink slows down, resulting in eye fatigue and dryness. blinking more helps to replenish tear film and maintain eye lubrication.