As people spend more time on digital devices, the negative health effects of this increased screentime are becoming increasingly apparent and the need to protect peoples’ eyes grows more pressing.
It’s always been well known that excessive screentime damages vision health. However, recent research has isolated blue light as being the primary culprit in many of these health conditions.
As a result, researchers and clinicians have attempted to come up with novel ways to protect the human eye and brain from this influx of blue light.
What Is Blue Light?
Blue light is the part of the visible light spectrum that humans view as blue and has a typical wavelength between 400 and 450 nanometers (nm).
However, blue light can still be present, sometimes at high amounts, when the light in question is perceived as white or any other color. In other words, the light does not necessarily have to look blue to have significant levels of blue light.
About one-third of all visible light is blue light, with sunlight being the single largest source. It’s also found in fluorescent or CFL bulbs, including street or office lights. But its greatest artificial source is electronics, including LED TVs, computer monitors, smartphones, and tablet screens.
How Does Blue Light Negatively Affect Heath?
Blue light has very short wavelengths but higher energy levels than almost every other band of light. As a result, the increased levels of energy can cause significant damage when absorbed by the various cells and tissues of the human body, resulting in some serious potential health problems.
One of the most serious consequences of excessive blue light exposure is sleep disruption. If we expose our brain to blue light throughout the day and into the evening, then our brain will simply assume that it’s still daytime and not properly shut down.
As a result, various health problems can develop, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, sleep disorders, and cognitive dysfunctions.
Finally, the human eye is not especially good at blocking blue light, so nearly all of it passes through the lens and hits the retinal cells located at the very back of the eye. Prolonged exposure over time could damage retinal cells and cause macular degeneration (AMD), an eye disease that’s present in about 10% of the US population and is the leading cause of serious, permanent vision loss in people over 50.
Blue Light and Digital Eye Strain
Digital devices are the main artificial source of blue light, meaning that humans are constantly surrounded by it. For example, a recent survey by the Vision Council found that 80% of American adults use digital devices over two hours per day and nearly 67% use two or more devices simultaneously.
Additionally, about 59% have started showing symptoms of digital eye strain, also known as computer vision syndrome (CVS). This is essentially a condition that is the result of excessive blue light exposure from electronic devices.
The most common symptoms associated with digital eye strain or CVS are eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision, dry eyes, and neck or shoulder pain. The severity of these symptoms will depend on how long the person was using the electronic device, the presence of underlying eye problems, the brightness of the screen, and other issues that may exacerbate the condition.
Introducing TechShield® Blue from VSP
As the only national not-for-profit vision company, VSP has stepped up to offer a product that can protect group members’ eyes from blue light: TechShield® Blue.
This is a lens coating that is designed to help reduce the glare from electronic devices and the amount of blue light going into your eyes, especially the wavelengths that are the biggest contributors to digital eye strain.
Plus, the coating both absorbs and reflects blue light, so it’s almost entirely clear and is cosmetically more appealing than other blue light reducing lens products.
Finally, this category D coating offers all the benefits of a premium lens enhancement, including excellent durability, cleanability, visual performance, and cosmetic appearance.
We are proud to partner with a carrier like VSP, who puts members first and ascribes to providing the best care at the lowest out-of-pocket costs.
Here at CoPower, we value a holistic approach to member health and choose carriers who treat the whole person. CoPower's 2024 VSP plan offerings include LightCare, a benefit where members can choose between prescription eyewear coverage or use their allowance for non-prescription, ready-to-wear eyewear, such as 100% UVA and UVB protection sunglasses or blue light filtering glasses. We also provide comprehensive ancillary benefit solutions and the ability for employers to build custom bundles for their employees, either by mixing and matching or grabbing a pre-made bundle.
Contact your Amwins Connect Sales Representative to learn more about our bundled benefit offerings with comprehensive vision solutions!