Protecting against Screen Time: Do Kids Blue Light Glasses Work?

ByNick
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With computers, tablets and smartphones becoming the centrepiece of kids’ social as well as school life, Parents are left with no choice but to watch their children slide down the slippery pit of the digital world. Somewhere between the online classes, family zoom hangouts and watching Netflix and Disney Hotstar on I-pads, many parents in the country and the world are worried about the prolonged exposure of blue light on their kid’s eye.

When schools around the world are using screens to hold classes, parents are looking for ways to compact the effect of blue light?

Here enter the Blue light glasses that claim to block out the blue light emitted by the computer screen.

What exactly is blue light?

When this light and the harmful effect of screen shining blue has become the talk of the town. We need to understand what exactly is blue light and why there is a lot of hype?

Blue light is a part of the visible light spectrum that has a shorter wavelength and more energy. Its major source is sunlight. besides, some other sources that emit the blue light are:

  • Fluorescent light
  • CFL bulbs
  • Flat-screen TV
  • Computer screens
  • Tablets and smartphones

Kids exposure to blue light:

Through blue light can benefit your health in multiple ways like boosting alertness, regulating circadian rhythm, helps memory and overall development of the child. Some of the early research shows that too much exposure to lights can affect vision and prematurely age the eyes.

Thus the parents’ concern over blue light seems relevant with the prolonged screen use during online classes and social media that keeps their kids glued to electronic devices.

How can blue light glasses help?

Following years have shown a sudden surge in people ordering more blue light glasses. Despite there is no evidence of them reducing the eye strain and protecting vision against blue light, they are popularly advertised to lessen eye strain, improve sleep and save your vision.  

But do blue light glasses work? Do your kids need them? The topic is still under research and there is no confirmation of how blue light damages kids’ eyes.

Meanwhile, many experts suggest that overexposure to blue light, as well as longer exposure to mild blue light screen hours, can damage the eye causing computer eye syndrome.

When children use smartphones and tablets for longer hours than we cannot deny the long term effect of these devices on the eye. For this reason, using computer glasses and being mindful of screen time is important for protecting their eye health.

Protecting your kids from the harmful effects of blue light

Same as the UV light from the sun, blue light exposure has its good and bad effects. The possible causes of eye strain due to blue light seems an endless debate. Until further research is going on, we can not rule out the importance of protecting our kids’ eyes from blue eyes.

Some easy prevention tips are:

  • Blink often
  • Take proper break
  • Follow 20 20 20 rule
  • Reduce screen time
  • Limit screen use at bedtime

Wearing blue light filter glasses can add an extra layer of protection against eye strain. If you see a child complaining about blurry vision or sleep disorder, considering computer eyeglasses is the safest option. There are plenty of options available online for buying kids blue light glasses. Just be sure to choose the professional out of them when making the purchase.