What Is Blue Light?

Posted on May 29, 2020

You have probably heard the term blue light being used a lot in relation to increased screen time, eye strain and sleep deprivation. But what is it?

There has been some speculation that blue light is detrimental to your eyes’ health and increased screen time is damaging to your eyes.

WHAT IS BLUE LIGHT?
Without getting too much into the intricate physics behind how light travels through your eye we can briefly explain there is an inverse relationship between the wavelength of light rays and the amount of energy they contain.

Light rays that have relatively long wavelengths contain less energy, and those with short wavelengths have more energy. Blue-light is on the shorter side meaning this type of light contains more energy.

The human eye is very effective at blocking UV rays from reaching the light-sensitive retina at the back of the eyeball. However, when it comes to blue light virtually all light passes through the cornea and lens and reaches the retina.

WHERE DOES BLUE LIGHT COME FROM?
Sunlight is the number one source of blue light.
However, there are many indoor sources of blue light such as fluorescent and LED lighting. The most common being the display screens on our computers, smartphones, televisions and tablets. These digital devices emit significant amounts of blue light of concentrated blue light directly into our eyes with each use.

WHY IS BLUE LIGHT AN ISSUE?
As mentioned, the eye does not filter blue light very well leading to the light rays travelling to our retinas. It is thought that too much exposure to blue light can affect light-sensitive cells in the retina. This causes changes that resemble those of macular degeneration, which can lead to vision loss.

Everyday side effects of blue light are that it can interfere with your sleep quality, cause screen-induced migraines and lead to eye strain.

HOW DO BLUE LIGHT LENSES WORK?
As blue light glasses are relatively new to the market there is not a lot of research to prove their immediate benefits however it has been widely recognised that blue light blocking lenses minimize eyestrain, improve your sleeping habits and generally increase visual comfort.

HOW DO I ORDER BLUE LIGHT LENSES WITHOUT A PRESCRIPTION?Computer glasses are a great way to combat the blue light exposure from computers and other digital devices. You can purchase these as special-purpose glasses without a prescription if you have no need for vision correction or if you routinely wear contact lenses. You can order either Tom Ford’s Blue Control Glasses or Blueberry Blue Control Glasses which come blue-light ready.

HOW DO I ORDER BLUE LIGHT LENSES WITH A PRESCRIPTION?
However, if you do need a prescription these glasses are available with your prescription too - just click ‘add optical lens’ when ordering. We also Bluemax Ultra with WLC Lenses, Blue Control with Hoya Lenses and Blue Protect Dura Vision Platinum with Zeiss Lenses - just ensure you select your preference in the Lens Features when ordering.

At Pretavoir we offer both blue control glasses as well as blue coatings on prescription lenses.

Tom Ford’s Blue Control Glasses are designed with blue light blocking lenses which also have an anti-reflective and anti-scratching coating. The brand’s ready-to-wear optical collection is said to increase visual comfort from long exposure from the blue light found on digital devices.

Tom Ford Glasses FT5556-B/V 055 Havana [Free lenses]

Tom Ford Glasses FT5556-B/V 001 Black [Free lenses]

Tom Ford Glasses FT5556-B/V 072 Pink [Free lenses]

Tom Ford Glasses FT5559-B/V 055 Purple [Free lenses]

If you ever need any assistance ordering glasses please contact us at hello@pretavoir.co.uk or call us on 0141 552 5065

Au Revoir,
PRET A VOIR

What Is Blue Light?

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