When I did some reading on LED bulbs I ran across Dr. Mercola’s article (1).
He talked about another problem with LEDs.
The blue light.
Today, I’ll talk about how to protect your eyes from blue light.
But first, in a big picture, what is blue light?
What is the blue light?
Blue light is part of the visible light spectrum.
Visible light is the light that you see. It manifests itself in different colors. Which, we, humans, can see. Like those in the rainbow: red, blue, violet.
Blue also naturally occurs in sunlight. When combined with lower energy light like infrared (and red), it’s good for you.
See yourself: after being outside when it’s sunny, you feel more alert and happy. Why? That’s because, in addition to some other factors, blue light boosts your mood and wakes you up.
So, when you absorb blue light from the sunlight, it’s all good.
But why is blue light dangerous then?
Blue light damages your eye tissues
However, when you are exposed ONLY TO BLUE LIGHT without counter-effects of infrared this is when it creates a problem.
You see, blue is a high-energy light. In fact, its wavelength is slightly smaller than that of the UV light. For this reason, when you are exposed to blue light for extended periods, it causes oxidative stress. In plain terms, it creates microscopic damage in your tissues. And especially your eyes. Because your eyes is the most vulnerable part of your body in this case.
Keep in mind that reddish light counteracts these oxidative effects.
That’s not all!
Blue also interferes with your sleep hormone
Wh
en you exposed to BLUE LIGHT AT NIGHT it creates even more problems.
Remember, that blue light acts somewhat similar to caffeine? It kicks in your alertness. But in a different way. How? It blocks the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone. Hence, you have trouble falling asleep.
So, guess, what is the overall effect of being on your computer late at night next to a LED lamp?
Right! Your eyes become sore and you have difficulty falling asleep. That’s in the short-term.
In a long-term, you may get eyesight problems (like macular degeneration). While lack of sleep may contribute to stress and adrenal fatigue.
By the way, your laptop is a source of blue light as well. Any screen-based device is. Like your phone.
Same thing with fluorescencent bulbs. They also primarily emit only blue light.
Here is how to protect yourself from the blue light:
1. Use traditional bulbs
Throw out your LEDs. And get the old-fashioned incandescent bulbs.
Incandescent bulbs emit full-spectrum light, similar to sunlight (and fire light).
This way you also won’t have to worry about mercury or other heavy metals in fluorescent and other contemporary bulbs.
2. Install a blue light-blocking software
Use a blue-light filter on your laptop and smartphone.
For example, Iris.
Iris was developed by a Bulgarian teenager. That’s what Dr. Mercola suggests in his article.
Iris blocks more blue light than some other blue light-blocking software.
So far, I’ve been using Iris for over 3 weeks and I can feel the difference. My eyes and my overall self don’t get tired as fast.
It’s easy to use this app. You can run it either on automatic or manual mode. You can also adjust the settings according to your task: reading, watching a movie, etc. The Pro version has a bunch of extra features. But I keep it simple and put it on automatic and health modes.
Iris mini is free. Iris Mini Pro and Iris Pro are free to try and then if you like it, you can get a lifelong license.
I use Iris Mini Pro and that’s what I tried in the first place and it works good for me. I got it for $10 CAD (you get to keep it forever).
Read about it and install Iris here. And here Daniel is talking about it. Pretty impressive.
Hopefully, the above stuff will help keep your eyes healthy and sparkling. Let me know the difference you feel after switching to incandescent bulbs and using Iris.
Main references:
1. https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/02/05/therapeutic-use-of-full-spectrum-light-improve-health.aspx
https://iristech.co/
http://event.msi.com/aio/2014/Anti_Flicker/ (image)
https://eng.fitexpert.biz/melatonin-baa-for-sportsmen/ (image)