Eyes are rudimentary tools through which we experience this beautiful world. They are absolutely necessary for our day to day activities. So its only pragmatic for us to look after them. In this tech-filled world where screens are absolutely everywhere, our eyes go through some serious wear and tear. Freaking fridges have screens now, watches do too.
They are absolutely everywhere.
A common work day in the modern world involves looking at a computer for hours on end. And with computers and digital devices certainly in our future, its time to find a solution to the many harms that the HEV (high-energy visible) rays cause to our eyes. The biggest culprit is Blue light. A part of the visible spectrum of light.
Most of my article will be focused on screen time during the dark hours as that’s where the problem lies in most cases. Lets face it, there isn’t much this article can do make the corporate big guys change their minds and use e-ink screens or something. Offices have loads of screens and it will stay that way. It’s what happens after the office doors close that is causing most of the damage.
“During the day, computer screens look good—they’re designed to look like the sun. But, at 9PM, 10PM, or 3AM, you probably shouldn’t be looking at the sun.”
– justgetflux.com
Our bodies are designed to work during the day and rest during the night. So it naturally secretes a hormone called melatonin, which is supposed to make you sleepy. Melatonin secretion directly correlates with your surroundings. It depends on what your eyes are seeing. After all, it won’t be good if we feel sleepy in bright sunlight, would it? Here’s where blue light comes in.
Exposure to blue light during night hours confuses your brain on what time of day it is. Repeated exposure makes your brain think it isn’t quiet night yet and this leads to delayed release of melatonin which delays and in turn reduces the quality of, your sleep; affecting your productivity, cognitive performance and overall health. Besides messing with your biological clock, extensive screen on-time can lead to myopia (nearsightedness), eye strain, dryness, pupil-redness, headaches etc.
So what exactly do you do to protect your eyes from this blue light during night hours?
1. F.lux ( for desktop PC’s)
I have been using this software for quite some time now. It warms your screen colors up after sunset and resets them on sunset, when its okay to view blue light. All this happens seamlessly in the back as F.lux identifies your location and sets the sunset and sunrise times. You can tweak settings such as location, intensity of light and the transition speed from normal to F.lux colors.
You can even turn it off at times you are doing color sensitive work, something I found necessary. But do remember to turn it back on. The transition makes everything smoother, but if you were to suddenly turn it off, you will see just how much blue light it covers up. You just need to install it and let it do its thing. It’ll start with windows. Doesn’t hamper or interrupt anything. It’s a brilliant software and its free. Their website has a research section, which I think everybody should check out. It’s at : https://justgetflux.com/research.html
2.Twilight ( for Android Phones)
Umm yes, flux does have a mobile version. But it’s not complete and requires root. So I use this instead. I usually take a stroll around the internet on my tablet at night and this app has become a regular companion. It offers similar functionality with increased detail such as being able to set up different profiles and changing the values more intricately.
It’s a screen filter which does affect performance. But I think it’s worth the trade-off. Twilight is also research driven just like F.lux. Great app. If for some reason, you don’t like it, there is no need to worry. There are so many alternatives to choose from.
3. Reduce screen on time
Yes yes. I know it’s difficult. But hear me out on this one. There are a few exercises which will exercise your eye muscles. The most common and recommended one is something called the “20-20-20” rule. For every 20 minutes of screen on time, look away and focus on something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Your eyes relax when you focus on something far away. Besides this, blink often to keep your eyes moisturized and try your best to not use electrical devices late at night. All these habits will slightly reduce screen on time but will lead to significant benefits in the long run. Get sufficient sleep and eat right. You should be fine and so should your eyes.
Ladies and Gentlemen take these steps for a better experience of life.
Now. Your eyes will thank you later.
