Visible lights are more complicated than you might think. Almost every light you face in your daily life may be a blue light. They are harmful at times for your health. Devices that you interact with in your daily life can be dangerous to you. Also, they will expose you to a mixture of visible lights that may have a range of effects. 

You are already aware of the fact that sunlight contains visible and invisible rays. It includes visible light rays and the invisible ultraviolet rays. The invisible rays are harmful, since they can either tan or burn your skin. This is why you shouldn’t expose your skin in direct sunlight or, if you do, at least wear sunscreen.

There is another interesting fact about sun rays that many people are not aware of. The visible light emitted by the sun consists of varied rays. They have different amounts of energy. The different colors contained in sunlight are: Red, Yellow, Green, Orange, and Blue rays. Several shades of each color are present. And their composition depends on the wavelength and energy of the individual rays. These rays are also known as electromagnetic radiation.

Upon the combination of the spectrum of light rays of the sun, it creates a white light known as sunlight. The light rays have an inverse relationship between the energy levels and their wavelength. Light rays that have long-wavelength provide less energy. But, light rays of shorter wavelengths contain more energy.

The red end of the visible light has rays with a longer wavelength, and so, they contain less energy. Blue light is present at the first position of the spectrum, and these rays have a shorter wavelength. It means that they provide more power and can have side effects as well.

Blue lights have the highest energy than any other colored light. Also, they have the shortest wavelength. They are also known as violet light or blue-violet.

Blue Lights And Its Effect

Blue lights contain benefits and dangers as well. You should know a few things about the light so that you know what is present in the light, and how you can stay safe.

HEV Light Rays Make The Sky Color Appear Blue

The blue end of the light rays spectrum has the capability of scattering more easily. It distributes much more than any other colored light present in the visible light rays. They get scattered when they strike water molecules or air molecules. These rays have the highest degree of scattering. Therefore, only the blue color is visible in the sky. The scattering property of visible light rays makes the sky appear blue when there are no clouds.

Eyes Are Not Very Good At Blocking The Blue Light

The adult human eye can effectively block UV rays and restrain them from reaching the eye. The Retina is highly sensitive to light. The Retina is present at the back of the eyeball. Surprisingly, less than one percent of the harmful UV radiation is able to reach the Retina in the eye. This is the case even if the person is not wearing sunglasses. Hence, eyes can effectively block sun rays from entering the eye and damaging the Retina. 

Be sure to wear sunglasses, though, since they block 100 percent of UV rays from entering the eye. You must protect your eyes. The damage caused to your eyes may lead to cataracts, snow blindness, or even cancer.

You Will Find Blue Light Everywhere

A significant amount of blue light is present in the sunlight. People are quite often exposed to the blue light when they are out for a more extended period. People face blue light when they spend too much time in the sun. But, blue light is also contained in some human-made light sources. That includes LED lighting, fluorescent televisions, televisions with flat-screen, and more.

Notably, smart devices, computers, and smartphones emit a considerable amount of blue light.

But, the amount of HEV light emitted by smart devices is nothing compared to the sun’s blue light. Long term affects deteriorate the health of our eyes. This happens if we expose ourselves more to the blue lights of the sun as well as the rays emitted by devices that are widely used these days.

Blue Light May Have Adverse Effects On Eye Health 

Digital Eye Strain Due To Blue Light

As we already know, blue light has more energy and shorter wavelength than other light. This is why they scatter more. Hence, it is also less focused as compared to the other visible light rays. It reduces the contrast and handles contributing to eye strain. 

Research says that lenses can block blue lights with wavelengths less than 450nm. They also increase contrast significantly. Hence, many use yellow glasses, and the eyeglasses have a tint of yellow color. They provide enhanced comfort. You need to wear such glasses when you spend a lot of time in front of machines emitting blue light.

Blue Light Protection Is Exceptionally Crucial After Cataract Surgery

If you are suffering from cataracts, or are planning to undergo cataract surgery. Ask your surgeon what type of intraocular lens can replace the natural glass that is cloudy. The patient must also know how much protection is present in IOL. After cataract surgery, you wear eyeglasses that have lenses with a blue light filter. This is hugely beneficial when you spend long hours in front of the computer screen. It proves beneficial even when you use some other digital devices for long. 

Not All Blue Lights Are Harmful 

Till now, you have only known how bad blue light is. However, there is another side to the story too. Studies show that some exposure to blue light is good for your health. Visible light rays that have high energy are effective in boosting alertness. It also helps to strengthen memory, cognitive functions, and elevates mood as well. 

Light therapy is also used to treat a disorder of seasonal affectivity. This is a type of depression that occurs due to the change in seasons. The symptoms of this disease start with the onset of monsoon season and continue through winter. Light sources help to treat the condition and give therapy to the patient. 

Bright white light contains a significant amount of HEV blue rays light. On the other hand, blue light is also essential to regulate the wakefulness and sleep cycle in humans. These things take place effectively when humans face blue light for long periods of time.

When we are in the presence of blue lights during the day, it helps to maintain a circadian rhythm that is very healthy. However, too much exposure to the blue light during the night is not at all recommended. It can disrupt the sleep and wakefulness cycle. It can also result in causing fatigue during the day time and sleepless nights. Hence, you should maintain a proper balance and limit the exposure to blue light for a more extended period. 

Health Effects Of Blue Light

Additionally, blue light can also have adverse health effects. It is responsible for bringing in specific changes to human health. Let us outline a few of them so that you can deal with some of the symptoms. Blue lights can affect you in numerous ways.

• Blue light results in vision problems related to age: With more exposure to blue​ lights, you may experience vision problems. One such example is macular degeneration. This condition occurs when the health of your Retina deteriorates, and its center is mainly damaged. The center of it helps to focus on things.
• Blue light can help with your memory: Enough exposure to the sun’s visible blue lights will help you remember things effectively and make you more alert. However, the key here is moderation. You don’t want blue light around you during bedtime since it suppresses your body’s sleep-inducing hormones.
• Blue light may increase the number of headaches: Exposure to blue light causes​ computer vision syndrome, and it may further increase the number of headaches that you get usually. You can also prevent this symptom from occurring. Taking a few breaks frequently is a must. You should go away from the screen so that the exposure ends, and also maintain a safe distance at all times.

• Have your mood benefitted with blue light: You will get to enjoy a better feeling​ when you expose yourself to the natural form of blue light during the day. There are some definite perks of staying in a good mood. With a good feeling, you can focus more, your productivity also increases, and vice versa.

• Blue light may cause retinal damage: When excessive blue light starts entering​ your Retina, then it is at a higher risk of getting retinal damage. The effects of retinal damage are the same as you would experience with age-related vision problems. It can also contribute to eye fatigue.

• Blue light can also contribute to dry eyes: Dry eyes are another ordinary adverse​ effect people can have when they are too exposed to blue light. It is also one of the most common symptoms of getting a digital eye strain. With blue light protection glasses, you can experience decreased effects of this condition.

In conclusion, you can see that there are both risks and benefits of exposure to the blue light. It has some tremendous impacts on the cornea and Retina. It also affects the circadian rhythm of our body due to which the sleep cycle becomes abrupt.

We can see blue light through our eyes, which is one of the significant causes of concern that causes damage to our eyes. Blue light blocking glasses are trendy in the market, because if it helps to stop blue light from entering your Retina. These glasses are for people who work on laptop screens or computers. With such glasses on, you can also increase exposure to blue light and improve your working hours.

Short-term sleep disruption is by far a huge consequence that exposure to blue light can have on humans. When you use too many smart devices, you will have a tough time sleeping at night. Teenagers are also more sensitive to such light at night. Studies have also shown that people, when exposed to more blue light, get hungrier and also produce less insulin in their bodies.

The Bottom Line

There are some severe effects of blue light exposure. So, you should try to restrict your exposure as much as possible. Blue light is great for your body during the day, but the real problem arises during the night.

Blue light can also affect mental health in the younger population more. This is generally because the younger generation is more exposed to the devices that emit blue light. One of the possible reasons behind it is the early exposure of children to electronics. In some cases, people experience worse symptoms from the blue rays of the spectrum.

You can also choose to alter the light installations in your home, especially if you are using too many LED lights. Alternatively, use light bulbs that are warmer in color, and avoid installation of cold colors.

When it comes to blue light exposure, it’s all about balance. You don’t want too much, or too little.