Effects of blue light exposure to your eye health, best practices

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – As smart-phones, tablets, and computers continue to take up more of people's time and attention, concerns about blue light exposure threatening our eyes have grown.

An extended period of time on screens can lead to computer vision syndrome, a unique type of eye strain that causes symptoms like dry eyes, redness, headaches, and blurry vision.

There is no current research that links LEDs to retinal damage, however researchers do express concern about the way long-term use of electronics affect our eye health.

Blue light exposure can potentially cause sleep issues by shifting your body's internal clock leading to increased tiredness the following day, according to the National Library of Medicine.

“It's important to decrease your screen time, if at all possible, and even taking breaks away from the screen. So get up, walk around, look away. That's important. And decreasing the amount of blue light that you're using,” said Carol Nwelue, MD, Baylor Scott & White Health.

For tips to keep your eyes protected, you can use blue light filters or change to warmer light settings on your devices. as an example, the night shift feature on the iphone.

Give your eyes a rest from the electronics every 20 minutes.

The most effective option is by putting your devices away at bedtime to prevent sleep issues.

“Well, you want to protect your eyes by using a screen protector or screen filter, whether that's on your computer, your smartphone, your tablet. That can be helpful in decreasing the amount of blue light that gets into your eyes.” said Nwelue.