Every day and usually for several hours at a time, each of us looks at their screen. Whether at work or in our private lives, we constantly have a laptop or smartphone in front of our face, on whose screen we stare for hours. But the fact that the blue light of the screen is anything but good for our eyes and our entire body and mind is not noticed by itself. How harmful is blue screen light really and what can be done about it?
With digitalization, everyone's screen time has increased enormously. Whereas in the past we read books and leafed through newspapers, i.e. looked at papers, today we look at computers. The light that falls on our retina is not natural! It consists to a large extent of electromagnetic radiation in various wavelengths and colors. A particularly large proportion of this is blue light, which moves in a blue-violet color spectrum and is needed to display things on the digital screen.
But this blue light is harmful in the long run in many ways. First, it hits our eyes and can irritate or strain them. Long-term studies on this are still underway. Furthermore, the rather glaring blue light signals to the body that it is daytime, no matter what time it actually is. The sleep hormone melatonin is not produced. Thus, the light of the screen disturbs the day-night rhythm and can lead, among other things, to sleep disorders and overtiredness the next day.
What can be done about it?
The simplest and healthiest solution to counteract the undesirable side effects of blue screen light and other negative effects not discussed here is to drastically reduce screen time. But this is not possible for everyone. For example, for those who need a computer to work, this is not a solution. Here, modern smartphones and laptops offer a night mode, with which the illuminated display switches from a certain time of day and other colors dominate, which do not disturb the sleep rhythm so much. There are also so-called blue light filter glasses that are supposed to soften the blue light.
Citation
- Stein, Dietgard (03.07.2019): Wie schädlich das blaue Bildschirm-Licht wirklich ist. Abgerufen am 19.03.22. https://www.welt.de/iconist/service/article196232867/Blaulicht-Wie-schaedlich-ist-es-und-was-bringen-Filterbrillen.html.
- ZEISS. Wie schädlich ist blaues Licht für die Augen? Fakten, die Sie interessieren werden. Abgerufen am 10.03.22. https://www.zeiss.de/vision-care/ueber-uns/newsroom/news-overview/2020/wie-schaedlich-ist-blaues-licht-fuer-die-augen.html.