em.f.2002
myAntiaging
Published in
5 min readMar 14, 2024

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Are your eyes aging? Blue light glasses, just one of the many ways to youthful eyes.

WITHIN THIS ARTICLE:

-Blue light glasses information

-How our eyes can age

-Medical advice

-Recommended glasses

-Other ways to maintain youthful eyes

HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT BLUE LIGHT GLASSES

These specially designed glasses are built with a unique layer designed to become a barrier against the blue light spectrum, reducing the harmful blue light rays that damage our eyes. With the use of these glasses, we can minimize the discomfort of these blue rays caused by the use of computers, screens, electronic devices, and of course the biggest source of discomfort being the sun.

But why are these rays so dangerous to our eyes? Well, the blue rays oppose a threat to the retinas of our eyes, due to the blue ray’s short wavelength, allowing it to pierce through the layers made to protect our retinas.

Imagine our retina being the fuse box of your house, once it’s blown all the lights go out.

IN WHAT WAY DO EYES AGE?

-Trouble reading fine print, a condition known as Presbyopia

-Vision issues at night-time

- Dry eyes

- Cataracts

- Eye cancers

- Blind spots in vision

- long-distance vision difficulty.

(Scientists highlight the importance of understanding that blue light glasses will not fix these specific issues.)

WHAT DO THE PROFESSIONALS SAY?

Whilst many people speculate about whether these glasses work, medics are also on the fence due to the very little research that has as of yet been conducted.

However….. what they have found is that:

  • Blue light increases our attention and wakes us up, meaning if we are overexposed to this, night time sleep becomes obstructed. Without our ‘beauty sleep’ we are visibly seen as older, not to mention how the rays age our eyes.

In a case study conducted measuring Parkinson Disease patients and their sleep behavioural patterns, 74% of the patients improved their sleep and motor neuron patterns from the use of daily blue light glasses, Schoutens commented.

  • Blue light can cause eye strain and soreness, both of which are visible effects, causing our once youthful eyes to be seen red and sore.

Up to 69% of computer uses report eyestrain, GretchenKelly studied .

FANCY A PAIR?

Check out the best rated blue light glasses of 2024:

Benicci- blue light protection computer glasses

2. Felix Gray- blue light glasses

3. Vertigo home-

4. Eye Buy Direct-

(me …. I can personally recommend these glasses)

BLUE LIGHT GLASSES SKEPTICISM

Whilst the studies and science stands for blue light glasses, there are many scientists that don’t believe these glasses have strong enough evidence, to condone the daily use. Scientists cannot find enough evidence that blue light rays from electrical screen time are the cause of aging eyes. They believe that the rays from these electrical devices are such a small percent of the rays that are absorbed by our retina, the biggest source to these blue rays they claim to in fact be sunlight. Therefore, the blue light we see through our screens really has no impact on our eyes’ health, not to mention that many of these devices have a night mode to reduce the harsh screen brightness.

OTHER WAYS TO MAINTAIN YOUTHFUL EYES

Arguably the first precaution we think of to keep our eyes looking young is by applying a night cream/moisturizer or serum. They are obviously brilliant ways to keep the skin around our eyes smooth and keeping those fine lines at bay. Additionally to these creams, we may use eye masks to soothe the surrounding skin. Yes, these are very important as the skin around our eyes is the most delicate skin the human body has.

The use of sunglasses with UV protection can also reduce the physical damage to our retinas from the ultraviolet light, whilst also reducing the risks of cataracts caused by these ultra rays.

“It’s a very good investment to have big sunglasses around the eyes,” Dr Davis.

A perfect excuse to buy a new pair of shades if you ask me!

Ensuring your diet is enriched with antioxidants and vitamins can prevent some of the eye conditions explained previously. Some of the antioxidants that benefit our eye health include vitamins A,C,E, beta-carotene, zinc and omega-3. Now where can I find these nutrients? Omega-3 is found in many sources of fish (richest in salmon), eggs are a great source for vitamin A and zinc, a handful of almonds would give you your vitamin E serving. Carrots, alongside many vegetables hold beta-carotene.

My review:

Remote working has been my set up for the past few years. When I began my first job working from home I began to love my routine, created myself an office space and thrived within this new environment. It was only 3 months later when I began to get daily headaches and the occasional migraine. It was nothing a paracetamol couldnt handle, but as I saw this becoming my future work environment, I began to look into what I could do to keep my head or my eyes more relaxed with the hours of screen time that I endured daily. This is when I bought my first pair of blue light glasses from Eye buy direct, as seen above. These glasses became my holy grail. My headaches became a rare event, and I could work my long hours of the day without the issues I faced before. May these glasses work more as a psychological trick? I do not know. However, whether there is science behind them or whether it is all in my head and there is no scientific difference, I can say without a doubt that I will continue using my blue light glasses.

References:

Gretchen Are blue light glasses effective? — Mayo Clinic Health System

Schoutens Blue Light Therapy Glasses in Parkinson’s Disease: Patients’ Experience — PMC (nih.gov)

Dr Davis, Mayo Clinic Minute: Why sunglasses are a must-wear — Mayo Clinic News Network

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