Looking at screens for too long can cause eyestrain, but eyestrain existed long before screens. (Driving long distances is another cause, the Mayo Clinic notes.) Eyestrain may involve fatigue of the tiny muscles in and around our eyes, and people who get eyestrain may experience discomfort that includes headaches, blurry vision, watering of the eyes, and sensitivity to light.

There’s a rumor that the blue light from smartphones (or other screens) can ruin your vision, perhaps even leading to blindness, but it’s not backed up by evidence. “The amount of light coming from a computer has never been demonstrated to cause any eye disease,” the American Academy of Opththalmology states in an article on their website recommending against blue-light-blocking glasses. There is research that finds blue light can damage cells in certain lab conditions, but those conditions are very different from what happens in the actual cells of our retina.

Unfortunately, there are companies citing research like this to sell their blue-light-blocking glasses or screen overlays, but they aren’t selling a solution to a real problem. This happened to me recently after getting an eye test for glasses for all day looking at screens. The prescription is actually for vision correction (that’s all) but guess what, the optometrist also sells glasses, and somehow I got hoodwinked into adding blue light lens coatings “to prevent eyestrain”. This adds a considerable amount to the price. In future too I’ll take my prescription and get quotes for glasses (including online) as the whole business seems to be a bit of a scam. I paid double the rate of a GP for the tests and got zero report back.

And regarding affecting sleep, the recommendation is to just have screens an inch or two further away - my screens are at 85 cm which is way further than the recommended 63 cm. In other words we should be better educated about how to use our eyes, and not necessarily just be sold blue light filter coatings on lenses.

See https://vitals.lifehacker.com/what-happens-to-your-eyes-when-you-stare-at-screens-all-1846593909

#technology #vision #myths #bluelight #optometrists

    • @TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.mlM
      link
      fedilink
      -43 years ago

      Dark themes do not avoid blue light. Dark themes are not a grayscale colour scheme, because text has subpixel smoothening and there are also images. White light theme is not blue light.

      Also, dark themes during the day and before evening will ruin your circadian rhythm. Reserve them for dark environment or for night and post midnight. Use white themes during the day.

      • @Jojonintendo@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        13 years ago

        In order for us to see “white” onscreen, there is actually a big amount of blue that’s emitted. if your screen is 90% black, that’s much less blue to worry about. You can check with any cheap screen calibrator. I also have “night light” enabled in GNOME settings, so that the screen goes yellowish past a certain hour. Same on mobile. I’m really happy with this setup.

        Thank god my circadian rhythm isn’t determined only by my monitor, there is plenty of natural light in my room.

        • @TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.mlM
          link
          fedilink
          -63 years ago

          The problem is that when a lot of your time is spent in front of screens, it becomes a problem. There is a very, very good chance that you are looking at text on that black themed screen/interface, and so you are still consuming blue light anyway, even if it may be less.

          Blue light is incredibly healthy for us during daytime, and viewing it keeps us energetic and awake. Red/yellow light makes us relaxed, and this effect is most importantly noticeably used in photography (which I do RAW) with warm colour temperatures added to finalised photos for more soothing effect. Warmness has an association with comfort and coziness, while cool colours have association with energy, spark, survival instinct and subtle stiffness/ruthlessness.

          Think of blue light as coffee, and red/yellow tint as hot chocolate with brownie.

          Your circadian rhythm indeed is determined a lot by what you see on screens if you spend hours daily in front of them. That is just plain facts.

          • @Jojonintendo@lemmy.ml
            link
            fedilink
            1
            edit-2
            3 years ago

            I understand the science behind it, I’m not saying you’re wrong. However I completely disagree on the proportions. I don’t need blue light from my screen, I already have plenty of natural light from many sources. I’ve tested everything I can think of, and my eyes are the most relaxed this way, with dark theme even during the day.

            I sleep like a baby, pretty sure my circadian rhythm is fine, even when I spend most of the day in front of screens, so I think I’m good. I’m not saying this is perfect for everybody, just sharing my experience.

  • @TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.mlM
    link
    fedilink
    9
    edit-2
    3 years ago

    I personally use blue light filtering on phone starting an hour before I get into bed, and by couple hours post sunrise it turns off. This is all you need.

    To really take care of your eyes, you should consider:

    • anti glare computer screen
    • screen properly leveled at a comfortable angle for your eyes and head position
    • taking tiny breaks every 20-40 minutes
    • good nutritious food (especially Vitamin A and E)
    • drink plenty water

    P.S. been probably 6-8 hours minimum in front of screens since childhood, being a computer user crackhead for a couple decades now. My eyesight is way better than a lot of people with perfect eye vision.

  • Metawish
    link
    fedilink
    73 years ago

    Blue light blocking lenses can also be used to help with sleep issues, although there are only antidotes to back that up. I know a coworker who was having trouble sleeping (night shift at a place where an entire wall is a screen) and doesnt need vision correction, but got a blue filter lens and was able to fix their sleep just from that.

    • GadgeteerZAOP
      link
      fedilink
      23 years ago

      Yes the article does mention about just moving a single monitor slightly back, but I guess a full wall of screens is a lot more extreme.

      • Metawish
        link
        fedilink
        33 years ago

        yeah but I agree the pushing to sell something you don’t need is frustrating, especially since all glasses are owned by a single company…

        • GadgeteerZAOP
          link
          fedilink
          23 years ago

          Ah yes I forgot about that ownership issue - no wonder they can set up shop right near each other.